Re: Goal: a specialized inventory of installed packages
Once you have your list of packages in a text file, for each package one
line, you could apply the list like this:
apt install $(< mylist.txt)
Consider to first do a simulation run for finding problems in the list:
-s
Consider to use the following flag in order to not draw in a maybe
gigantic tail of not really wanted stuff:
--no-install-recommends
If you from time to time would like to include some package from the
maybe gigantic tail of recommends, then simply add it individually to
the list!
I maintain manually the list, which you are about to generate now, and
have very good experience starting with the following complete command:
apt install -s --no-install-recommends $(< mylist.txt)
When installing the basic Debian system from the official media,
you may want to do this in mode "expert install", and you may want to
know that all offered graphical Desktop Environments are full fledged
installs coming with many (IMHO too much!) applications, while
afterwards going for a manual install of the desktop environment outside
of the Debian installer will allow you to go for a fine grained
"minimal" Desktop Environment installation only coming with the really
needed functionality and without the applications.
I therefore recommend to have your personally selected packages for the
wished Desktop Environment (KDE, Gnome, XFCE, etc.) included in your
personal list, and when arriving at the Debian installer's "tasksel"
menu do not only deactivate all the listed Desktop Environments, which
become offered, but even do deactivate the head entry “Debian desktop
environment” itself, otherwise this would install a full featured GNOME
desktop although below in the list you have had deactivated GNOME. I
usually only select here “standard system utilities” and “print server”,
and then have all the needed packages for "my" Desktop Environment in my
list.
If following this path, then be aware that for a laptop essential or
nice to have tools like wpasupplicant or network-manager (and many
more!) will not become automatically installed for you! Setting up your
personal list also concerning the Desktop Environment manually will thus
require some extended effort. Unfortunately, the Debian installer is
only offering to install full fledged Desktop Environments, but not
minimal versions of it.
Good luck! Marco.
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