Member Avatar for Proglearner

I can't make up my mind between Debian Wheezy and Mint 14. The former is better for learning to live on the command line, the latter for just using out of the box until I'm comfortable with the command line. Switching back and forth between them doesn't appeal to me because I simply don't like shutting my tower down or restarting it. Does anyone have any input on whether I should stick to Wheezy and purchase a Stress Eliminator or stick to Mint and live with the crippled command line and overautomation?

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A few practical points that might help make the choice simpler.

Both Debian Wheezy and Linux Mint 14 are old releases now and no longer receive security updates, so installing them today is not recommended for a machine that will be online. Use a current Debian stable or a supported Mint release if you want a secure, maintained system. (debian.org)

If the dislike of rebooting is the main constraint, run the distro you want to learn inside the other as a virtual machine. That gives a full, booted Debian experience without touching your host, lets you take snapshots, and isolates mistakes. VirtualBox is the easiest desktop route; KVM/QEMU (libvirt/virt-manager) gives better performance on Linux hosts if your CPU supports virtualization. (virtualbox.org)

For a lighter-weight alternative to a VM, the chroot/container route is what suggested. Tools like debootstrap let you create a Debian rootfs to chroot into for realistic package and shell work; systemd-nspawn, LXC, or mmdebstrap are modern variants that behave more like a real booted system than a plain chroot. Chroots and containers are fast but have important differences from a true boot (init, kernel features, services). (wiki.debian.org)

Finally, Mint does not "cripple" the command line — and were right that a normal terminal is available and you keep the same shell and tools. If learning the CLI is the goal, pick the workflow you will actually use: a current Debian install for full immersion, or Mint as a comfortable daily driver plus a Debian VM/container for hands-on practice. That gives the lowest friction and the safest path to learning.

Recommended Answers

All 8 Replies

Member Avatar for BigPaw

Consider how you are describing your dilemma. With Wheezy the complication is you, and with Mint the complication is Mint. Which one do you have control over? Which one will improve over time to harmonise with what you need or want?

Member Avatar for lewashby

Why do you say that Mint cripples the command line?

Member Avatar for Nutster

The command line is available in Mint by opening a terminal. There are several packages that provide a terminal to the text interface in a graphical window. I like Terminator, as it allows you to open multiple windows on one screen.

Member Avatar for CimmerianX

I use mint daily for both graphical applications and CLI terminal access to my hosts.

Member Avatar for metalized

to that respect, I have not yet seen a Linux distribution command line unfriendly. If you are totally new to Linux, I would recommend Mint, as it seems to be working quite good for new users.

Member Avatar for Assembly Guy

Perhaps if neither Debian Wheezy nor Mint please you, it's time to search for another distro. I use Arch, but it's all down to personal preference, really.

Member Avatar for bsimms86

I would suggest that you stick with Wheezy. I think you'll find that you'll learn quicker than you think.

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