First, update the list of packages:

  apt-get update

This polls the distribution sites listed in /etc/apt/sources.list
for current package versions, security updates, etc.


Upgrade the system:

  apt-get -u dist-upgrade

The "-u" tells apt-get to list the packages that will be upgraded.
By default, it only lists new/extra packages that are needed as part
of the upgrade.  (The utility also has an "upgrade" command but I prefer
dist-upgrade because it goes out of it's way to gently upgrade the system,
carefully stepping around some package upgrades that might cause problems
for more important packages.)

On this run, it updated the libc6 and libssl0.9.6 packages.


-= Installing XFree86 =-

It's been so long since I last set up a Debian box with X that I had to
dig for the info.  Here's that path that I took:


  apt-cache dumpavail | less

The produces a list of all available packages+detailed descriptions.

I found the "x-window-system" meta-package that does everything for me
in one fell swoop but decided not to install it because it included things
like xfs that I didn't want.

Found the package "xfree86-common" which said it was the basic X components
and included documentation for everything else.  Installed it:

  apt-get install xfree86-common

Read the documentation in /usr/share/doc/xfree86-common and got the list
of other packages that I wanted for a workstation (xlibs+xclients+xserver):

  apt-get install xlibs xserver-xfree86 xbase-clients 

Answered the questions for X configuration along the way.  Switched to
another shell and picked through /proc/pci to guess at the installed video
hardware.  It is a neomagic chipset.  Configured it to run at 1024x768x60Hz
(low refresh is typical for LCD screens, I think).

Tried running X but it crapped out complaining about a missing mouse device.
Tried reconfiguring X:

  dpkg-reconfigure xserver-xfree86

It still crapped out.  Picked through /etc/X11/XF86Config-4 and noticed that
the config utility had left an entry for "Generic Mouse" even though I had
explicitly set up a PS/2 mouse.

Deleted that entry and tried running X again.

This time it couldn't find a font named "fixed".  Realized I had forgotten
to install any X fonts.

  apt-get install xfonts-base xfonts-100dpi

Now X would start but "startx" was crapping out because it couldn't find
xterm.

  apt-get install xterm

I'm not sure why Debian puts xterm in a package by itself but it's probably
to make it easier for foreign language support.

Finally, installed xdm.

  apt-get install xdm

Verified that it gets started at bootup.


This exercise began with me wanting to put a boot manager on the system
so I could get to Linux without having to boot from a floppy but I got
side-tracked after being frustrated by text-only virtual consoles....
The boot manager will have to wait for another day.

/sg