Install i3wm with Debian 10 (Buster)

Debian has released its latest version, named “Buster” (the naming convention is itself a story). Debian is the second oldest Linux distro available and has a large community devoted to it. Not only that, but Debian is the reference for several other mainstreams distros like Ubuntu and security distros like Kali or Parrot.

i3WM is probably the most used tiling windows manager used. It’s mature, stable and a supportive community. It has been my WM of choice for the last year.

In this article I’ll show how to get a light and simple Debian install, without the extra clutter that a Desktop Environment (like Gnome or KDE) installs and then proceed to get i3 up and running.

Install Debian

Get the ISO

To achieve our perfect install we must use the netinst ISO. Get it here. Burn a CD or make a USB stick and get your computer ready.

Light install

The netinst ISO doesn’t install the necessary packages for WiFi to work. If you need a WiFi connection check the instructions at the end of this article.

Boot your PC and choose Graphical install: