choosing packages on install

knobby67 · 10-29-2010, 08:00 AM

Hi all,
is there a way to choose packages when installing Debian? Normally I use min install but that still puts on many packages I don't want, is there some way of getting up a screen to select/deselect packages?
Thanks.

arochester · 10-29-2010, 08:28 AM

This website interests me: http://auriza.site40.net/notes/debia...-installation/

When it comes to "5. Install Basic Xfce Desktop" use the first line ONCE (You need to be Root or install sudo)

Quote:

apt-get install --no-install-recommends

. THEN switch to apt-get install XXX and go through one line at a time e.g.

Quote:

apt-get install xorg xfce4 slim alsa-base alsa-utils

Quote:

apt-get install hal gamin dbus-x11 sudo xdg-utils

As long as you don't close the terminal it keeps

Quote:

apt-get install --no-install-recommends

and you do not need to reproduce it.

I think that Synaptic will install recommends, at least I cannot yet find a way of stopping it - so look at Synaptic but use the Terminal with

Quote:

apt-get install --no-install-recommends

TobiSGD · 10-29-2010, 08:29 AM

Now way to select packages during install. If you deselect Desktop and Standard in the TaskSel-part of the installation this is a minimum install. To get even less packages you have to install with debootstrap, but the you will have to do anything else, like installing kernel, installing bootloader, setting up users and passwords yourself.

TobiSGD · 10-29-2010, 08:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by arochester

This website interests me: http://auriza.site40.net/notes/debia...-installation/

When it comes to "5. Install Basic Xfce Desktop" use the first line ONCE (You need to be Root or install sudo). THEN switch to apt-get install XXX and go through one line at a time e.g.

As long as you don't close the terminal it keeps and you do not need to reproduce it.

I think that Synaptic will install recommends, at least I cannot yet find a way of stopping it - so look at Synaptic but use the Terminal with

This all are steps after the minimal installation mentioned by the OP. By the way, you can configure the behaviour of apt (and therefore synaptic) with the files in /etc/apt/, Apt in the Debian wiki, have a look at AptConf and AptPreferences.

beowulfnode · 11-15-2010, 09:45 PM

To get rid of stuff I don't want from a minimal install I like the command

aptitude markauto packagename

This will uninstall the package if nothing has it listed as a dependency, but keep it if something does depend on it. I generally do this to anything that is already installed and I don't think I need/want plus generally all installed packages starting with lib.

you can also go through the aptitude interface with the M and m keys to mark stuff as auto or not. Note that you can mark entire categories of installed packages as auto as well as individual packages. Try and start with any installed meta packages.
However even this does get tedious and I'm looking for a way of getting a list together that I can just paste in to a terminal window or store in a script file.

There's probably some nifty
package list | grep regex | other stuff
command that can help with doing this sort of thing