Hello! This is my first post. Im wondering how I can install pure Linux, with no graphics. I haven't found any posts on this yet. I am a big fan of retro computers and would love to have a Mac or PC that works with terminal only. It would also be nice to know how to install a window manager/GUI, as I would also like to build a Linux operating system from scratch. Linux operating systems that boot from command line interface (eg, BackTrack). All help is greatly appreciated!

Hello. An easy way would be a *Debian* netinst cd without a net hookup (or just don't DL much else,) otherwise *LFS* or *Slackware* plus you could remove\replace the WM from any others even set them to log in CLI first and don't type *startx*...

Good luck and have fun.

CentOS 6.5 and do not install Gnome 2 nor xorg

do a standard TEXT ONLY server install

every distro is able to do that

Check out http://www.linuxfromscratch.org/ it allows you to build your own distro of Linux from source.

In most distros you can UNINSTALL the display manager and you'll be greated with a command prompt and command prompt login. Unfortunately in debian that means an uninstall of gdm3, which also uninstalls gnome. Otherwise you can use startx and .xinitrc to launch an X instance with window manager. In days of old you could modify the /etc/inittab to start at a particular run level which was pre-X. But debian starts X from run level 2, not level 5 like those days of old. And various other changes to the way things are/were done. And coming changes with systemd, upstart, mir, wayland, and other do we really need to change things.

Ultimately if you want full control and to learn about every little part of the operating system you should use LFS (Linux From Scratch) but Slackware could be a good start as it allows you to install with no desktop environment or, say, to install the files for XFCE (a lightweight one) but not start it on boot until you change the default runlevel.

That's why I put ** their (almost) all free to try... first link in my sig has a long list(3) and of course my favorite.

In Debian, you can install sysv-rc-conf (it's in the repos) and use it to customize your runlevels.

I fixed my Debian so that runlevel 3 does not implement the GDM and adjusted my inittab to boot to runlevel 3. I boot quite happily to the command line. Then I set up ~/.xinitrc so I can start X with startx, as nature intended.

happysmash27, take a look at Arch.

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Hmm... I was actually going to look at Arch anyway. But thanks! That makes me want to test it even sooner! Thanks!
Edit: Hmm.... I said thanks two times!

Thanks! Now that I've tested it, that's the purest Linux I've ever seen! Again, Thanks!