Re: Noobie questions about installing Debian for blind user
Hello Susan,
On Oct 18, 2023, at 21:19, Susan Fowle <fowlets@fastmail.fm> wrote:
>
> My blind husband, Tom, has used very old Debian version Jessie on a very old machine for many years. Something finally broke or got corrupted.
>
> So we are planning to buy a new small computer (Kingdel Desktop Computer, Intel i5 CPU, 8GB RAM 256GB SSD, Intel HD Graphics 4400, 6xCOM RS232).
>
> We plan to install Debian 12 stable (or possibly 11 if that turns out to be better for our needs). I mainly use Windows, but have done a bit of reading about Debian, and sometimes use the Raspberry Pi OS on a Pi 3 and a netbook.
>
> Tom wants Debian to boot into the console/terminal, and plans to use GUI only for occasional web browsing. He uses a DoubleTalk speech synthesizer and Speakup, plus an Alva braille terminal -- the hardware requires COM ports, hence our choice of computer. He uses Mutt for email and text browsers Lynx, Links, etc.
>
> What is the best way to start? debian-live-12.2.0-amd64-gnome.iso? Something else -- jigdo?
The images that have live in there name can be used to install, but they do not bring you to an installer directly. The live images provide you with a running Debian system, once booted. The netinst images require you to have a network connection on the machine you are installing on, which you will likely have on a modern machine.
https://cdimage.debian.org/debian-cd/current/amd64/iso-cd/debian-12.2.0-amd64-netinst.iso
This netinst image I've linked above will boot to the installer directly. It will pull the rest of the required packages from the network during the installation process. I recommend you use this method.
https://wiki.debian.org/accessibility
Is where you can find out details about exactly how to get a system running the way you want.
Tom will want to hear what's happening during installation. Will the live version provide that option?
The live image does have accessibility support, yes, but as I said, getting the installer started isn't automatic.
>
> We have a copy on a flash drive of the data from the older machine (everything under /home). What is the best way of re-installing all this personal data after the system has been installed?
It's likely okay to copy it to the locations that it was in on the old system. I would advise you to do this as root, and check the ownership and permissions of the copy and fix them if needed.
Also, one should be careful in putting old shell initialization files in place, as there may be missing commands or slight environmental changes that could cause the user not to be able to log in. These files are shell dependent but are likely name
.profile
.bashrc
.bash_profile
>
> Are these types of questions answered on a web page somewhere, so I don't need to bother you good folks unless we run into problems?
The link above to the wiki is the best place to start. The Debian installation guide will also be of assistance. It can be found here.
https://www.debian.org/releases/stable/amd64/pr01.en.html
> Thanks very much,
Glad to help. Feel free to contact me off list if you get stuck.
--FC
>
> Sue and Tom Fowle
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