#debian

How to install Debian 13 Trixie with a GNOME desktop

Debian GNU/Linux was first released in 1993 and has been under active developement ever since. Today, the Debian Project unites thousands of contributors from across the globe with the aim of producing “an operating system distribution that is composed entirely of free software“.

This guide is intended to assist those who are installing Debian for the first time. It maps out a straightforward path to a GNOME desktop environment with only essential applications pre-installed. Choose from 69830 official Debian packages to tailor the system to your own requirements.

edafe.de/debian-howto

Debian and the new package formats

Debian stable is, above all else, focused on the task of maintaining bug-free software packages. It is the reason why Debian, in over 30 years, has gained a reputation for being “like a rock in an ever-swirling sea of updates“. It is also the reason why Debian stable does not keep up with the latest versions.

Universal package formats, such as Flatpak, Snap, or AppImage, are managed separately from conventional packaging systems and thus provide the end-user with added flexibility and choice. They solve the problem of stale distribution packages because newer versions can be installed without compromising the integrity of the underlying Debian core.

Before you begin

In addition to the target computer, you should have reasonably fast Internet. Connect your device to your router using an Ethernet cable. If your laptop does not have a built-in Ethernet port, look for a Linux-compatible USB to Ethernet adapter, such as the StarTech USB31000S2, TP-Link UE300C or Plugable USB3-E1000.

Veronica explains how to create a bootable USB stick for installing Linux. Depending on your requirements, there are different Debian CD images to choose from. In all likelihood, you are following these instructions to install on x86-64 hardware, for which a netinst CD image amd64 would be the correct choice. It supports Intel as well as AMD processors and “includes non-free firmware for extra support for some awkward hardware”.

In the instructions which follow, debian is used as the hostname and trixie as the username. You will have an opportunity to set your preferred values at the end.

Choose 1) an encryption passphrase to encrypt your storage device, 2) a user password to secure the trixie account, and 3) a root password to secure the root account.

Ensure that all of your data is safely backed up because formatting your storage device will erase all of its data.

After completing the installation, Debian GNU/Linux will be the only operating system on your computer.

Installing Debian GNU/Linux

If your computer uses the Unified Extensible Firmware Interface (UEFI), “turn off Secure Boot before attempting anything else“.

Step 1

After booting the system from the USB stick that you have prepared, continue by selecting the text based installer.

Step 2

Keep English as the language for the installation.

[!!] Select a language

Language: English

Step 3

Keep United States as the location for your system. This will also set United States as the default locale for the system environment. You will have an opportunity to set additional locales and adjust time zones at a later point during the installation.

[!!] Select your location

Country, territory or area: United States

Step 4

Use the keymap that is right for the layout of your particular keyboard.

[!!] Configure the keyboard

Keymap to use: keymap for your specific keyboard

Step 5

At this point, the installer may prompt you for missing firmware.

[!] Detect network hardware

Some of your hardware needs non-free firmware files to operate. The firmware can be loaded from removable media, such as a USB stick or floppy.

Load missing firmware from removable media?

No

Step 6

You may be asked to select the primary network interface for use during the installation.

[!!] Configure the network

Primary network interface:
eny7ace2eag34hc: unknown interface
wlp1s0: Wireless Network Adapter (wireless)

If network autoconfiguration fails, go back and try another interface from the list.

[!!] Configure the network

Network configuration method:

Retry network autoconfigurationRetry network autoconfiguration with a DHCP hostnameConfigure network manually

Do not configure the network at this time

Go Back

Step 7

Set the hostname for your system. In this example, we use debian as the hostname.

[!] Configure the network

Hostname: debian

Continue

Set the domain name for your system. If you are setting up on a home network, you should use home.arpa as the domain name.

[!] Configure the network

Domain name: home.arpa

Continue

Step 8

Leave the root password empty to ensure the standard user account will automatically be configured with sudo privileges.

[!!] Set up users and passwords

Root password: leave empty

Continue

Confirm the empty root password.

[!!] Set up users and passwords

Re-enter password to verify: leave empty

Continue

Step 9

Create the standard user. In this example, we use Trixie as the full name.

[!!] Set up users and passwords

Full name for the new user: Trixie

Continue

Continue with trixie as the username.

[!!] Set up users and passwords

Username for your account: trixie

Continue

Set a password for the new standard user.

[!!] Set up users and passwords

Choose a password for the new user: trixiepassword

Continue

Confirm the password for the new standard user.

[!!] Set up users and passwords

Re-enter password to verify: trixiepassword

Continue

Step 10

Keep Eastern as the time zone for now.

[!] Configure the clock

Select your time zone: Eastern

Step 11

You may wish to partition your disk with LVM and protect your data with a 256 bit AES key.

[!!] Partition disks

Partitioning method: Guided - use entire disk and set up encrypted LVM

Be careful to select the correct target device for your system.

[!!] Partition disks

Select disk to partition: your target disk for installation

Choose to keep all files in one partition.

[!] Partition disks

Partitioning scheme: All files in one partition (recommended for new users)

Now write the changes to disk.

[!!] Partition disks

Write the changes to disk and configure LVM?

Yes

You may skip the overwriting of the disk with random data by selecting Cancel. Be aware, however, that skipping this step will lessen the quality of the encryption.

Step 12

Enter your encryption passphrase.

[!!] Partition disks

Encryption passphrase: yourpassphrase

Continue

Confirm your encryption passphrase.

[!!] Partition disks

Re-enter passphrase to verify: yourpassphrase

Continue

Step 13

Use the available space to partition your disk.

[!!] Partition disks

Amount of volume group to use for guided partitioning: max

Continue

Step 14

Review partitions and mount points suggested by the installer.

[!!] Partition disks

Finish partitioning and write changes to disk

Confirm writing the changes to disk.

[!!] Partition disks

Write the changes to disks?

Yes

Step 15

You may be asked to scan additional installation media.

[!] Configure the package manager

Scan extra installation media?

No

Step 16

Select your archive mirror country from the list.

[!] Configure the package manager

Debian  archive mirror country: your country

Select an archive mirror from the list. Use the site that is closest to you.

[!] Configure the package manager

Debian archive mirror: mirror closest to you

Proceed without providing any HTTP proxy information:

[!] Configure the package manager

HTTP proxy information (blank for none): leave empty

Continue

Step 17

The Debian Popularity Contest attempts to map the overall usage of Debian packages with information from installed systems, such as yours.

[!] Configuring popularity-contest

Participate in the package usage survey?

Yes

Step 18

Choose standard system utilities from the list of predefined software collections and deselect all other entries.

[!] Software selection

Choose software to install:[ ] Debian desktop environment[ ] GNOME[*] standard system utilities

Continue

Step 19

You may be asked if you want to install GRUB. Select your target disk from Step 11 as the drive for boot loader installation.

[!] Configuring grub-pc

Install the GRUB boot loader to your primary drive?

Yes

Step 20

Remove the installation media before booting into your new system.

[!!] Finish the installation

Installation complete

Continue

Step 21

Enter your encryption passphrase to boot into the system. In this example, the encrypted disk is labelled sda3_crypt.

Please unlock disk sda3_crypt: yourpassphrase

Log into the system as the user trixie.

Debian GNU/Linux 13 debian tty1

debian login: trixie
Password: trixiepassword

Step 22

Set the password for the root user by entering the following command. You will be asked for your user password to obtain sudo privileges first.

$ sudo passwd root

[sudo] password for trixie: trixiepassword
New password: rootpassword
Retype new password: rootpassword
passwd: password updated successfully

Step 23

Install a minimal GNOME desktop.

$ sudo apt-get install --yes gnome-core

If you are installing into a virtual machine, enable copy and paste between the host and the guest.

$ sudo apt-get install --yes spice-vdagent

Step 24

Restart your system.

$ sudo reboot

Step 25

Enter your encryption passphrase to allow the system to boot.

Please unlock disk sda3_crypt: yourpassphrase

Log into the GNOME desktop.

Step 26

Skip the tour for now.

Step 27

Select Show Apps from the the panel at the bottom of the screen or press [Super + a].

On most keyboards, the [Super] key is the one with the Windows logo printed on it.

Step 28

Open the Settings app and continue by adding the following keyboard shortcuts:

Terminal application

Settings > Keyboard > Keyboard Shortcuts > View and Customize Shortcuts > Custom Shortcuts > Add Shortcut…

Name: Launch Terminal

Command: gnome-terminal

Shortcut: [Super + t]

File manager

Settings > Keyboard > Keyboard Shortcuts > View and Customize Shortcuts: Home folder

Shortcut: [Super + f]

Web browser

Settings > Keyboard > Keyboard Shortcuts > View and Customize Shortcuts: Launch web browser

Shortcut: [Super + b]

Maximising windows vertically

Settings > Keyboard > Keyboard Shortcuts > View and Customize Shortcuts: Maximize window vertically

Shortcut: [Ctrl + Super + ↑]

Step 29

From within the GNOME desktop, open Firefox ESR by using the shortcut [Super + b] and re-open these instructions at edafe.de/step29.

Open a terminal with the shortcut [Super + t] and, where applicable, use copy and paste to enter the commands set out on this page. Be careful not to miss any punctuation.

Step 30

Set the time zone for your area.

$ sudo dpkg-reconfigure tzdata

[sudo] password for trixie: trixiepassword

Configuring tzdata

Geographic area: your area

Ok

Step 31

Configure locales for all the languages that your system is going to be used with. Use UTF-8 locales wherever possible.

$ sudo dpkg-reconfigure locales

In this example, German and Japanese locales are generated in addition to the default locale for the system environment.

Configuring locales

Locales to be generated:

[] de_DE.UTF-8 UTF-8[] en_US.UTF-8 UTF-8[*] ja_JP.UTF-8 UTF-8

OK

Keep en_US.UTF-8 as the default locale for the system environment.

Configuring locales

Default locale for the system environment:

en_US.UTF-8

OK

Step 32

The Desktop was disabled in GNOME 3.28. This decision was not universally popular at the time. However, developers pointed to the fact that, as an unmaintained feature, it stood in the way of other improvements. The following command hides the now orphaned Desktop folder from view.

$ echo Desktop >> ~/.hidden

Step 33

Install additonal Debian packages to give you a functional GNOME desktop.

$ sudo apt-get install --show-progress --yes apostrophe aptitude cheese cups curl debian-reference deja-dup epiphany-browser errands fastfetch file-roller foliate foomatic-db-compressed-ppds gcolor3 gnome-authenticator gnome-color-manager gnome-decoder gnome-epub-thumbnailer gnome-feeds gnome-firmware gnome-keysign gnome-music gnome-podcasts gnome-power-manager gnome-session-canberra gnome-shell-extension-auto-move-windows gnome-shell-extension-dashtodock gnome-shell-extension-no-annoyance gnome-shell-extension-shortcuts gnome-shell-extension-tiling-assistant gnome-shell-extensions-extra gnome-software-plugin-flatpak gnome-software-plugin-snap gnome-sound-recorder gnome-tweaks gnome-video-effects-frei0r iotas mpv-mpris nautilus-share network-manager-config-connectivity-debian network-manager-openconnect-gnome network-manager-openvpn-gnome network-manager-ssh-gnome network-manager-vpnc-gnome ooo-thumbnailer pdfarranger plymouth-themes printer-driver-cups-pdf playerctl rsync seahorse seahorse-daemon seahorse-nautilus shortwave shotwell smbclient soundconverter ssh-askpass-gnome synaptic transmission-gtk task-laptop ufw unattended-upgrades wireguard yubioath-desktop && sudo ufw enable

Step 34

Replace the text output during system boot with a graphical splash screen.

$ sudo sed -i 's/GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX_DEFAULT="quiet"/GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX_DEFAULT="quiet splash"/' /etc/default/grub && sudo update-grub2

Step 35

Configure fastfetch to display information about your system on the command-line.

$ echo -e '\n# use Fastfetch to display information about the system\nif [ -f /usr/bin/fastfetch ]; then\n clear && fastfetch;\nfi' >> ~/.bashrc && source ~/.bashrc

Step 36

Enable the unattended installation of important upgrades.

$ sudo dpkg-reconfigure unattended-upgrades

Step 37

If in Step 6 you selected a wireless interface as the primary network interface for use during the installation, you will need to re-establish connection to the wireless network after rebooting.

Enable the Network Manager for the primary network interface and reboot your system.

$ sudo sed -i 's/managed=false/managed=true/' /etc/NetworkManager/NetworkManager.conf&&sudo sed -i '/# The primary network interface/,$d' /etc/network/interfaces && sudo reboot

Step 38

Enable the installation of Flatpaks from Flathub.

$ sudo -- bash -c 'flatpak remote-add --if-not-exists flathub flathub.org/repo/flathub.flatpakrepo'

[sudo] password for trixie: trixiepassword

Step 39

Install applications from Flathub.

$ sudo flatpak install --assumeyes flathub com.bitwarden.desktop com.vixalien.sticky dev.geopjr.Collision dev.geopjr.Tuba io.github.flattool.Warehouse io.gitlab.adhami3310.Converter org.cryptomator.Cryptomator org.gnome.Decibels org.gnome.World.PikaBackup org.libreoffice.LibreOffice org.keepassxc.KeePassXC

Step 40

Install applications from the Snap Store.

$ sudo snap install chromium

The snap directory in your home folder is not supposed to be accessed manually. Use the following command to hide it from view.

$ echo snap >> ~/.hidden

Step 41

By default, Debian installs the Extended Support Release (ESR) version of Firefox. The ESR receives crash fixes, security fixes and policy updates as needed.

The flatpak, on the other hand, installs the Rapid Release version of Firefox. In contrast to the ESR, the Rapid Release receives major updates at least every four weeks. Both versions can be used concurrently. When installed on your desktop, they are listed as Firefox ESR and Firefox, respectively.

As an option, you may install Firefox Rapid Release and set it as the default browser.

$ sudo flatpak install --assumeyes org.mozilla.firefox && xdg-settings set default-web-browser org.mozilla.firefox.desktop

Consider using different themes to easily distinguish between the two versions.

Step 42

Create a new standard user with your preferred username and password.

$ sudo adduser yourusername

New password: yourpassword
Retype new password: yourpassword
passwd: password updated successfully
Changing the user information for yourusername
Enter the new value, or press ENTER for the default
Full Name []: YourUsername
Room Number []: 
Work Phone []: 
Home Phone []: 
Other []: 
Is the information correct? [Y/n] 

Add the standard user yourusername to additional system groups, including sudo.

$ sudo usermod --append --groups sudo,cdrom,floppy,audio,dip,video,plugdev,netdev yourusername

Step 43

Rename the computer by replacing debian in /etc/hostname with your preferred hostname.

$ sudo nano /etc/hostname

yourhostname

Replace the two instances of debian in /etc/hosts with your preferred hostname. Be careful not to alter any punctuation.

$ sudo nano /etc/hosts

127.0.1.1 yourhostname.home.arpa yourhostname

Reboot the system for the changes to take effect.

$ sudo reboot

Step 44

Prevent yourself from accidentally breaking Debian by reading about some of the most commonly made mistakes.

All done!

#debian #desktop #endof10 #flatpak #foss #freesoftware #gnome #howto #linux #linuxmint #microsoft #opensource #snap #switchtolinux #trixie #ubuntu #wayland #windows

I've got the weirdest thing happening to all my "Gecko" browsers that are installed via flatpak - they won't launch or crash immediately upon launch.

#Floorp (my daily)
#ZenBrowser
#LibreWolf
#WaterFox
#Firefox

These all will either fail to launch (silently) or will come up with the dialog to launch in safe mode. In the case of Floorp I disabled all extensions and add-ons and it still won't launch.

I've been up/down/left/right on everything I can troubleshoot at this point. I've chased going to previous working versions, back dating stuff like org.freedesktop.Platform.GL.default and org.freedesktop.Platform.VAAPI.Intel within flatpak. I've removed all flatpaks and tried reinstalling just a single browser.

Starting in verbose mode just gives the standard sets of errors including "Sandbox: CanCreateUserNamespace() clone() failure: EPERM". Always did this I think but don't know if there is something new to troubleshoot there. I've verified access for the browsers using Flatseal and the home dirs have not changed permissions.

Chromium and Ungoogled FP's work fine... Epiphany FP works fine.

Installs outside of flatpak work fine but I would rather do FP (past me sez dufq?).

Anyone have any other ideas of things to try? Is this a known problem?

#Linux #Flatpak #Debian