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Re: LEAN Debian install: Exploring task selection menu



Standard advice from me: use the expert install (available under "Advanced options", I think, from the standard netinst / DVD .iso image. Uncheck all except standard install (and perhaps SSH server) - no X, no desktop environment. That gives you a bare, text mode install with < 400 packages in total. Build on from there. You can drop to a single user shell from the installer to install extra packages if you really must - or you can just reboot and use apt/apt-get to check and see what's involved at that point. If you use wifi - you mght want to add at least any required firmware and nmcli to get you started.[For myself, I always try to make the first install be at the end of a cable to avoid wifi problems.]

It does need you to be command line capable. If you really have no bandwidth, it might mean you need to buy DVDs to bootstrap the system. Be aware, as you go, that an install from DVD media is only correct up to and including the first boot - there will always be updates to install after the first OS install.



On Wed, Sep 9, 2020 at 1:27 PM Richard Owlett <rowlett@cloud85.net> wrote:
IIUC the goal of Debian designers might be summarized as maximizing
functionality for the broadest possible audience. And when there is a
large enough audience for "power tools" there are Debian Pure Blends.

That works very well *most* of the time.

But when it doesn't, it is VERY annoying ;{

Problems include:
   1. Download bandwidth or data cap constraints.
      {aggravated by treating "recommends" as "depends"}
   2. Very large undesired packages {e.g. LibreOffice}
   3. Applications cluttering menus for which one uses a better
      alternative. {I prefer SeaMonkey over Firefox}


My proposed alternative is to leave unchecked all options on the
"Software Selection" menu[1] and create appropriate pseudo-packages to
be installed with "apt-get --no-install-recommends"


MY QUESTIONS

1. How do I find which packages are explicitly installed by checking a
    specific box {primarily Mate}?
2. How do I search the repository for those packages that have a
    priority “standard”? [2]
3. Especially when installing from an .iso on a flash drive, how do
    I run apt-get before closing the installer?

TIA




[1] Figure 4.13 of
https://www.debian.org/doc/manuals/debian-handbook/sect.installation-steps.en.html
[2] 6.3.5.2. Selecting and Installing Software
     https://www.debian.org/releases/jessie/i386/ch06s03.html.en



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