I got an old Windows 7 laptop that was going to be thrown out and decided to put Linux on it (see previous thread here). Most people suggested I go with the latest stable version of Debian, so that's what I installed. I've mostly used Windows, but I do have some experience with Ubuntu.

The installation went smoothly, but I've had a few problems getting it set up to my liking:

  1. I can't figure out how to setup flatpak. Everything seems to be working fine until I enter the last line in the terminal:

flatpak remote-add --if-not-exists flathub https://dl.flathub.org/repo/flathub.flatpakrepo

I hit enter and nothing happens. No error message or anything. I restarted the computer but flatpak doesn't work, either through the software center or the flatpak website. I found a few forum posts with the same problem, but no solutions.

  1. I somehow set it up so that my username is not the super user, so I have to type a password in the terminal every time I want to use sudo. Is there a way to fix this without a clean install?

  2. I somehow set up the hard drive partitions so that the OS is on an encrypted partition, so I have to put in a password for the BIOS to boot up. Is there a way to fix this without a clean install?

  3. I'm used to a desktop interface with a toolbar/start menu that I can pin frequently-used programs to, but with Debian it seems like I need to click "Activities" to do anything. Is there a way to set up the interface so it's more like Windows in that regard?

  4. If I need to do a clean install, I'm thinking of switching to Ubuntu, since I'm more familiar with the interface. Is there any reason why I should stick with Debian? I've heard some people trashing Ubuntu but I'm not sure why. Is Debian better for older hardware?

Edit: Thanks for all the knowledgeable replies. I did a fresh install of Debian 12 (64 bit) with KDE and it seems to have resolved all my problems. Although it's a little slow and buggy, I've had to reboot it twice. I'll try a lightweight DE if that continues.

  • WFH@lemm.ee
    ·
    8 months ago

    I can't figure out how to setup flatpak. Everything seems to be working fine until I enter the last line in the terminal:

    Assuming you've installed flatpak correctly (sudo apt install flatpak gnome-software-plugin-flatpak)

    in a terminal, type flatpak remotes. If it lists flathub, you're good.

    Try installing a random app like flatpak install flathub de.haeckerfelix.Shortwave

    It shoud work. If it doesn't, post your logs.

    I have to type a password in the terminal every time I want to use sudo

    This is the intended behavior and should not be changed, it's a basic security feature. Once you've finished setting up you system, you shouldn't need sudo everyday anyway, except for updating/upgrading the system.

    I'm used to a desktop interface with a toolbar/start menu that I can pin frequently-used programs to, but with Debian it seems like I need to click "Activities" to do anything. Is there a way to set up the interface so it's more like Windows in that regard?

    Assuming you're using Gnome, this is easy to solve using Extensions. First if it's not installed already on Firefox, install Gnome Shell Integration. It'll let you manage Gnome Extensions directly from https://extensions.gnome.org/

    Then, install dash-to-panel for a "windows-style" experience, or dash-to-dock for a "macos-style" experience.

    After that, you can go wild on the extensions you want to use ;)

    If I need to do a clean install, I'm thinking of switching to Ubuntu, since I'm more familiar with the interface.

    Don't. Ubuntu will teach you nothing but the Ubuntu way. Debian is as Standard Linux as conceivable. If your only concern is the Ubuntu-style interface, configuring dash to panel to appear on the left side is all you need.

    • Bobson_Dugnutt [he/him]
      ·
      8 months ago

      I tried "flatpak remotes" and it listed flathub. I also tried "echo $?" after installation and it returns 0. So it should be working.

      But when I try to install Shortwave in the terminal it says:

      error: Nothing matches de.haeckerfelix.Shortwave in remote flathub

      I also can't find Shortwave in the software center.

      Edit: I wonder if this is because it's a 32 bit OS?

      • WFH@lemm.ee
        ·
        8 months ago

        Oh yes that's probably it, flathub doesn't support 32 bits architectures anymore.

        Why did you choose this architecture? Almost all x86 CPU architectures from the last 20 years are 64 bits, you should reinstall using the AMD64 image. This will solve a lot of issues and insure you get the most of your hardware.

        • Bobson_Dugnutt [he/him]
          ·
          8 months ago

          I was under the impression that it's old enough to only work with the 32 bit OS. I'll double check that and try installing the 64 bit version if I can.

          If the 32 bit version is all that will run, am I shit out of luck when it comes to running any modern software?

          • WFH@lemm.ee
            ·
            8 months ago

            What's your CPU? 99% sure that w7 era CPUs are all 64 bits.

            • Bobson_Dugnutt [he/him]
              ·
              8 months ago

              It's an intel core 2 duo t9300, which I'm pretty sure is 64 bit. I guess I was confused because it was previously running a 32 bit version of windows 7.

              Edit: I'm not sure if it's amd64 or aarch64 or mips64. I think it's amd.

              • WFH@lemm.ee
                ·
                8 months ago

                Yeah it supports amd64 :)

                Fun fact: AMD started out making licenced products based on of Intel's x86 architecture, and in the early 2000s the roles were reversed when intel had to licence AMD's 64 bits extension of this architecture.

                aarch64 are for ARM processors like the one in your phone, mips64 are embedded processors most likely found in a car or a router.

                • Bobson_Dugnutt [he/him]
                  ·
                  8 months ago

                  Thanks! I did a fresh install of Debian (64 bit) with KDE, and it seems to be working for me, except it's already frozen up and needed a reboot twice. I might go with a more lightweight DE if that keeps happening.