DebianDesktopHowTo
This is starting as a draft...
Get yourself a sarge install CD and boot it providing "linux26" at the bootprompt and install and configure the base-system from it. (currently debian-installer beta3) When prompted by "tasksel" choose following task:
* desktop-environment
Add additional user accounts you may need (with "adduser <NAME>") and don't forget to put yourself and others in appropriate groups by iterating: "adduser <NAME> <GROUP>". You probalby want to add users to the following groups: audio, floppy and maybe dip (connect to internet) or dialout (see /usr/share/doc/base-passwd/users-and-groups).
To create a new groups do "addgroup <GROUPNAME>". If it is your home PC maybe create a group "family", add the appropriate users to it. Then make a group directory for them "mkdir /home/family" give it to the group "chown :family /home/family" and change its permissions "chmod 2774 /home/family" to make it a shared set-group-id directory so that groupmembers can work with each other's files in there.
If the graphical login doesn't come up corrctly you'll probably need to run "dpkg-reconfigure xserver-xfree86" and manually choose the correct grafic card, or go with the VESA fallback driver.
Alternatively: To get X set up automatically install xdebconfigurator, run it and then dexconf to generate a valid ["XF86config"].
You will need to run "dpkg-reconfigure xserver-xfree86" anyway if you want your local keyboard to work properly. (i.e. german keyboard settings: pc105, de, nodeadkeys)
Install and configure the CUPS printing system packages as described on ["DebianCUPS"]. Start /usr/lib/openoffice/spadmin as root "add printer" and import your printers setup from /etc/foomatic/cups. "apt-get install libgnome2-perl" if you want the Gnome debconf frontend to actually work when you install packages. You may need to configure debconf to use "Gnome" frontend with "dpkg-reconfigure debconf". Then start up synaptic and find, select and install the following packages:
- mc (midnight commander for terminal UI) * gtk-led-askpass (lets ssh use a graphical password prompt window when run in scripts) * xfonts-base-transcoded and xfonts-*dpi-transcoded (if you need localized fonts) * zip * unzip * x-ttcidfont-conf (needed for the next) * msttcorefonts (to display some webpages and documents correctly) -----
Now some configuring:
Set "umask 002" in /etc/profile AND /etc/login.defs to actually make use of the private user groups in debian. KDE will need an additionall "umask 002" in startkde, check http://bugs.debian.org/250645) The central settings for KDE in /etc/kde3 could also need some tweaking: -set CUPS as default printing system
...have fun! And if you encounter bugs search search the net if it is allready known, find the appropriate package and file a bug against it, if it concerns debian just use the "reportbug" utility for that.