Switcher 2026: Debian is Too Complex For Its Own Good ⭐

There's no other way to say it: Debian is different. It's one of two Linux distributions that date back to 1993, the other being Slackware. It's the upstream base for an astonishing range of other distributions, including some of the most popular, like Ubuntu, Linux Mint, Pop! OS, and Zorin OS. And it chooses reliability and stability over the bleeding edge, with major releases occurring roughly every two years. The current release, Debian 13, dates back to August 2025, and none of the core system components, like the Linux kernel and the GNOME desktop, are in any way up-to-date with the latest versions.

There is a case to be made that boring is good, and I may, in fact, write an article to that effect soon. But Debian isn't boring, it's anachronistic and even hostile to its users. And though I've installed this distribution at least three times on different laptops since the beginning of 2026, I am still surprised by some of the curious difficulties I encounter when I try to use this system. This isn't about using the latest versions of whatever technologies, it's about Debian not doing the minimum.

So let's start there.
The first stumbling block: sudo, su, and you
The Debian experience starts off well: The installer is mostly friendly and graphical, though there are those weird instances of far too small text not being upsized on a modern, high-DPI display. You can choose between various window managers during setup, which is somewhat unusual (I stuck with GNOME, which I prefer). And then there's a hint at one of the weirdnesses to come: You're asked to provide a password for the root (admin) account and then to create your own account, with its own password. Meaning, you don't just create a single account with root access, which is how most other Linux distributions--and systems like macOS and Windows--work.

You might think that's a good thing. And maybe it is, assuming you want to remember two different passwords on a system that only accepts passwords (meaning there's no PIN or biometric login capabilities) and actually use two different passwords. But the way Debian handles security is bizarre.

Most are likely familiar with the notion that certain tasks on a modern computer can occur within the security context of a standard user while others require elevation. In Windows, we typically approve of that elevation using a User Account Control (UAC) prompt, and Linux has a similar prompt for GUI activities. But at the command line, you typically use sudo (e.g. "superuser do") to temporarily elevate. For example, if you type something like the following, most Linux distributions will report back that this command requires sudo:
apt install
So you try it again, with:
sudo apt install
It prompts you for your password and then it runs the command. Usually. But not in Debian. In Debian, your user account doesn't even have the ability to use sudo. This command will still prompt you for your password, but after you enter it, you...