[Solved] So I disabled the CD ROM repository using the software and updates application on Debian 12 because it kept asking me to insert the CD ROM when I would try to install stuff.
After disabling it I used Aptitude to update the packages I had already installed but I noticed that before I disabled the CD ROM repository it told me that because I didn’t have it inserted that it used some older versions of software.
After removing the CD rom repository it just updated everything and didn’t show that message.
My concern is that I know Debian uses some older versions of stuff because of its stability and I read very briefly about “Franken Debian” situations where people use versions of stuff that weren’t intended to be used with the stable version of Debian.
Did I mess up by doing that and create a situation like that? And if so, after a fresh reinstall when I get here again is virtually mounting the USB stick I have the Debian DVD ROM on an option for it to stick with that CD ROM repository? (I don’t have a physical CD ROM on this machine)
You really only need the “CD ROM” repo for the base install from physical media; maybe there are edge cases where you’d want to roll back, but on the whole you’re in safe hands with the official, Debian stable repos 🙂
Enjoy the Linux journey! Debian is a great starting point to learn from, IMHO.