6 ms·

One of Debian's draw backs is that simply finding the download page on its website is an arduous process.

bayindirh 7y ago
Just use http://cdimage.debian.org http://cdimage.debian.org
_def 7y ago
This is not really the case and especially not a drawback of the distro. The net-installer is pretty in-your-face and the other images are rather easy to find.
- e12e 7y ago
  I love Debian, and their push for Free software - but to mis-quote The Matrix: "What good is a network Iso, if you have no (wireless) network card (driver)?". The faq doesn't really answer this in a way that'd let your average user be certain they can install via wifi: https://www.debian.org/CD/faq/#nonfree https://www.debian.org/CD/faq/#nonfree
xorcist 7y ago
Literally there's a green download box on the front page, up and to the right. It will give you the most commonly used installer. You could also press / and type "download" and it's the first hit.
- jancsika 7y ago
  > Literally there's a green download box on the front page, up and to the right. In fact, there is literally a small white rectangle with light green text that is difficult to read. The rectangle is only filled green if the user happens to mouse over it. Also the box floats well outside the center view of the page-- i.e., the user has to use time and energy to move their eye outside the main text flow to that area. Compare to the Ubuntu front page where the download link is in the flow of the main block of text. Again, to be literal: default: unobtrusive box with small text and an icon that has an arrow outlined in a gray-on-a-white-bg so light I can barely see it on my wide LCD screen. mouseover: box becomes more prominent and text becomes readable That's the opposite of the style you described. > You could also press / and type "download" and it's the first hit. It's funny because the design you are defending is one of the few that breaks the discoverability of Firefox's wonderful realtime search. FF search is so helpful because a) the text gets highlighted in realtime as the user types and b) FF will jump to a scroll position that brings the current highlighted text into view. Because Debian's unobtrusive download box is outside the main text flow and at the top of the page, the user is unlikely to notice the realtime selection and they don't get the benefit of a scroll jump. So yes, FF "/" is awesome, but Debian's website somehow finds the way to make it the least effective at revealing that download link to the user.
- jeltz 7y ago
  I have downloaded Debian multiple times the last few and I have never seen that green box. In fact I did not see it when I visited their page earlier today to check if 10.2 had been released yet. So, even if it is there it was invisible to me.
ebg13 7y ago
These days I use https://fiendish.github.io/The-Debian-Gotham-Needs/ https://fiendish.github.io/The-Debian-Gotham-Needs/ Because despite the rapid dismissal from these other yahoos, finding an image with WiFi firmware from the front page is a nightmare maze of wrong links and secret knowledge.
- ChikkaChiChi 7y ago
  That's fantastic :)
- lottin 7y ago
  > cp iso_file_name_here /dev/sd<your_usb_key_dev_id> ; sync Didn't know you could do that.
  - ebg13 7y ago
    Yeah. Apparently cp got a lot smarter about isos at some point? Like basically everything else GNU/Linux, I'd never have guessed if some random website didn't say to try it. (I can't respond to you person responding to me, but I meant that I think cp being able to write a working image directly to a dev was not always true, and people always used dd for that before)
    - throwaway8941 7y ago
      It has nothing to do with cp being smart. You can do the same thing with dd, or simply with shell redirection (cat >/…) It works only for hybrid ISOs. Not every ISO supports this, although many do.
  - tuldia 7y ago
    I guess pretty much any tool that copies files will do that too. I like that!
- tuldia 7y ago
  Wifi firmwares are non-free and are not included in the official iso for a reason. Search for "debian non-free iso" and you probably will find what you are looking for. > ...nightmare maze of wrong links and secret knowledge. Please, don't exaggerate.
ChikkaChiChi 7y ago
The top of the page has a link to "Getting Debian" which puts you on a guided process to ensuring you can select the correct download for your needs. I wouldn't consider reading to be an arduous process.
- marcosdumay 7y ago
  What is the difference between a small CD or a tiny CD? What is it in size, and what is it in features? (I happen to know the answer to that question, but random people getting on their site most likely don't.) All the destinations from that page will lead you to images that do not work over wifi on nearly any laptop. The actual links for the images are small, without weight, in a place that nobody looks for. What from that soup of letters is your computer's architecture?
ratsmack 7y ago
I just go to this page and download via bittorrent: http://bttracker.debian.org:6969/stat http://bttracker.debian.org:6969/stat

Just use http://cdimage.debian.org http://cdimage.debian.org

_def 7y ago

This is not really the case and especially not a drawback of the distro. The net-installer is pretty in-your-face and the other images are rather easy to find.

e12e 7y ago
I love Debian, and their push for Free software - but to mis-quote The Matrix: "What good is a network Iso, if you have no (wireless) network card (driver)?". The faq doesn't really answer this in a way that'd let your average user be certain they can install via wifi: https://www.debian.org/CD/faq/#nonfree https://www.debian.org/CD/faq/#nonfree

xorcist 7y ago

Literally there's a green download box on the front page, up and to the right. It will give you the most commonly used installer. You could also press / and type "download" and it's the first hit.

jancsika 7y ago
> Literally there's a green download box on the front page, up and to the right. In fact, there is literally a small white rectangle with light green text that is difficult to read. The rectangle is only filled green if the user happens to mouse over it. Also the box floats well outside the center view of the page-- i.e., the user has to use time and energy to move their eye outside the main text flow to that area. Compare to the Ubuntu front page where the download link is in the flow of the main block of text. Again, to be literal: default: unobtrusive box with small text and an icon that has an arrow outlined in a gray-on-a-white-bg so light I can barely see it on my wide LCD screen. mouseover: box becomes more prominent and text becomes readable That's the opposite of the style you described. > You could also press / and type "download" and it's the first hit. It's funny because the design you are defending is one of the few that breaks the discoverability of Firefox's wonderful realtime search. FF search is so helpful because a) the text gets highlighted in realtime as the user types and b) FF will jump to a scroll position that brings the current highlighted text into view. Because Debian's unobtrusive download box is outside the main text flow and at the top of the page, the user is unlikely to notice the realtime selection and they don't get the benefit of a scroll jump. So yes, FF "/" is awesome, but Debian's website somehow finds the way to make it the least effective at revealing that download link to the user.
jeltz 7y ago
I have downloaded Debian multiple times the last few and I have never seen that green box. In fact I did not see it when I visited their page earlier today to check if 10.2 had been released yet. So, even if it is there it was invisible to me.

ebg13 7y ago

These days I use https://fiendish.github.io/The-Debian-Gotham-Needs/ https://fiendish.github.io/The-Debian-Gotham-Needs/ Because despite the rapid dismissal from these other yahoos, finding an image with WiFi firmware from the front page is a nightmare maze of wrong links and secret knowledge.

ChikkaChiChi 7y ago
That's fantastic :)
lottin 7y ago
> cp iso_file_name_here /dev/sd<your_usb_key_dev_id> ; sync Didn't know you could do that.
- ebg13 7y ago
  Yeah. Apparently cp got a lot smarter about isos at some point? Like basically everything else GNU/Linux, I'd never have guessed if some random website didn't say to try it. (I can't respond to you person responding to me, but I meant that I think cp being able to write a working image directly to a dev was not always true, and people always used dd for that before)
  - throwaway8941 7y ago
    It has nothing to do with cp being smart. You can do the same thing with dd, or simply with shell redirection (cat >/…) It works only for hybrid ISOs. Not every ISO supports this, although many do.
- tuldia 7y ago
  I guess pretty much any tool that copies files will do that too. I like that!
tuldia 7y ago
Wifi firmwares are non-free and are not included in the official iso for a reason. Search for "debian non-free iso" and you probably will find what you are looking for. > ...nightmare maze of wrong links and secret knowledge. Please, don't exaggerate.

ChikkaChiChi 7y ago

The top of the page has a link to "Getting Debian" which puts you on a guided process to ensuring you can select the correct download for your needs. I wouldn't consider reading to be an arduous process.

marcosdumay 7y ago
What is the difference between a small CD or a tiny CD? What is it in size, and what is it in features? (I happen to know the answer to that question, but random people getting on their site most likely don't.) All the destinations from that page will lead you to images that do not work over wifi on nearly any laptop. The actual links for the images are small, without weight, in a place that nobody looks for. What from that soup of letters is your computer's architecture?

ratsmack 7y ago

I just go to this page and download via bittorrent: http://bttracker.debian.org:6969/stat http://bttracker.debian.org:6969/stat