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Debian Rolling Release Conversion

Install Debian

First, install a stable version of Debian. You can download the installer from Debian’s official website.

Edit Your Sources List

After installation, you need to modify the APT sources list to use the Sid repositories.

1. Open the terminal.
2. Gain root privileges by running su or sudo -i.

3. Edit the /etc/apt/sources.list file using a text editor like nano or vim:

   nano /etc/apt/sources.list
   

4. Replace the current entries with the following:

   deb http://deb.debian.org/debian/ sid main contrib non-free
   deb-src http://deb.debian.org/debian/ sid main contrib non-free
   

5. Save the file and exit the text editor (Ctrl+X, then Y, then Enter in nano).

Update the System

Next, update the package lists and upgrade to the latest packages from Sid.

1. Update the package lists:

   apt update
   

2. Perform a full upgrade:

   apt full-upgrade
   

3. It’s a good idea to also clean up any unnecessary packages:

   apt autoremove
   

Regular Maintenance

To keep your system up to date, regularly run:

apt update && apt full-upgrade

Additional Tips

• Backup Important Data: Since Sid is more prone to breakage than stable releases, it’s wise to keep backups of important data.
• Watch for Issues: Keep an eye on updates that might cause issues. You can check the Debian Sid mailing lists or forums for any known problems.
• Testing and Unstable Repositories: Some users prefer to use both Testing and Unstable repositories. You can do this by including both in your sources.list and giving higher priority to Sid.

Example Sources List for Both Testing and Unstable

To use both Testing and Sid repositories, your sources.list might look like this:

deb http://deb.debian.org/debian/ testing main contrib non-free
deb-src http://deb.debian.org/debian/ testing main contrib non-free

deb http://deb.debian.org/debian/ sid main contrib non-free
deb-src http://deb.debian.org/debian/ sid main contrib non-free

And create a preferences file at /etc/apt/preferences.d/00default-release with the following content to prefer Testing over Sid by default:

Package: *
Pin: release a=testing
Pin-Priority: 500

Package: *
Pin: release a=sid
Pin-Priority: 100

This configuration makes the Testing repository the default but allows you to pull packages from Sid if needed.

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