I am a relative Linux noob, and I have some questions about what distro I should use for very specific requirements:

1. Noob distro (Just Works, gui installer) BUT with focus on configurability and very few Applications out of the box. I don't want to have to rip out a buch of crap I don't need. I don't need a *mail client* or a *photo manager* or a *chat thingamajiggy*! <disparaging>

2. (This part is solved by Gnome 3 with Cairo Dock as replacement shell, just not the first half. Thanks) I want to use a full featured Desktop environment with cairo dock as panels, and that is easy enough with my good friend xfce, BUT:
I also need some approximation of Mac expose and Win7 aero snap. EDIT: [For those who haven't used Macs recently, expose is like compiz scale and expo.] I am pretty sure that xfwm4 does not have an expose feature (show all windows OR show all workspaces) and if it has window snap I can't find it. Can cairo dock add anything like these? because I don't want to use compiz and I definitely do not want to use KDE. I can't stand the gaudiness or the messiness of the settings manager.

The reason I am putting both of these in one post is because they kind of feed off of each other. I want a distro that comes packaged with whatever DE is the answer to the second question.

If anyone can provide even partial answers, I would be extremely grateful.

Debian (vary versatile 18 years of Linux still my fav out of ???) can be installed and whittled down (or see pic) all easily with a GUI or CLI

Thanks. I've looked at Debian, but the official site gives the impression that there is not a graphical installer. I would love somebody to show me some evidence that I am wrong.

Also, I like the thingy at the bottom of your post. I'm skeptical about free anything except software, but once Fusion power (only waste is sellable Helium) gets cheap enough, it will be clean, dirtcheap power. By the time we notice any detrimental effect on the environment from making the tritium, we will probably have the death of the sun to worry about.

there is live to try and install but next post is best:

DVDs: http://www.debian.org/CD/http-ftp/

Even after reading the page, I'm still not sure I understand whether Debian has a point-and-click installer app on the livecd or not. I am extremely intimidated by installing an entire OS from a command line, and even more intimidated by non-automatic partitioning. The only OSes I have ever installed on anything are Ubuntu official flavors (Glitzy) and Windows 8 (Yech!), both of which are installed the easy way.

(Don't ask why I would be using Win8 for anything. I got it preinstalled, backed it up, nuked it with Xubuntu, decided I wanted to sell the computer, reinstalled Win8, and changed my mind about selling. Currently, it is running Kubuntu (because I couldn't change screen brightness with Xubuntu), which is too gaudy for me, so here I am.)

if cairo dock is a wbar like panel then I suggest you look at e17's panel

now the fun bit
e17 on stable tends to be umm behind e17 source release

closest is debian sid
graphical installers for debian sid are for distros
siduction and aptosid
http://distrowatch.com/table.php?distribution=siduction

http://distrowatch.com/table.php?distribution=aptosid

good luck

Naturally you can use the debian live cd and choose sid but the live cds of siduction and aptosid give you a nice feel for what to expect
--but they don't offer e17 by default but its one click way in your gui package manager but I am a dinosaur
and prefer command apt-get

Obviously using a live cd, any download of e17 means you need to logout and then login but I install from the live cd so don't care

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As long as you don't want to dual boot (and even if) Debian is easy to install

Plus, if you have a second device to then absolutely no worry and doing even tougher stuff.

On distrowatch it says that aptosid and siduction are based on Debian Unstable. How unstable is it actually? I like to stay back from the bleeding edge of development.

To clarify: I'm not really looking for a full-featured DE with a panel like Cairo Dock, but to start with a full-featured DE and replace the panel system. I don't really know what wbar is, but Cairo Dock or glx dock is a full-featured panel system that incorporates the functionality of the xfce panel, the Mac OSX dock (with docklets, etc.), and a framework based on plugins (like compiz.) It also should automatically create a login option for a session that uses Cairo Dock as the panel system. I like it mainly because with a plugin structure, it shouldn't be too hard to add advanced functionality like docklets that fold out of the main dock and window previews. On the website (http://glx-dock.org) it said that it can replace the bits of Gnome Shell that are the most annoying, which is almost perfect.

fair enough I respect choices

Debian has both a graphical and traditional (default) installer. The second is not a command line installer. It is graphical, but does not have mouse capability. So no point-and-click, but who cares? It only requires using the Tab and Enter buttons, and perhaps the Space Bar. And of course there is automatic partitioning.

If you want to try installing risk free use Virtualbox, link the virtual disk drive to Debian*.iso so to install it in a virtual window inside ma¢ to see how easy it is.

ncurses based see attachment

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http://www.linuxquestions.org/questi...854/page3.html (links to more e.g: http://www.linuxquestions.org/questi...3B-4175451416/ ++)