slackware "full ==> what you want " or "minimal ===> what you want" ?
 

Hi all,


Maybe many threads have been written on the subject but still I could not make a decision.

1) Slackware dev team recomends the full install and then remove what you do not need.

2) Other approach is select the packages according what you need.

So which one is the best way to reach wanted slackware installation.

emre

If you're new to Slackware it's best to just install the lot... if you definitely know that you don't want KDE or Xfce, you could remove either or both.

Unless there is an issue with storage space, I see no reason not to install everything, just for the wide variety of tools and options that a full install enables.

One may not want to use kde or xfce as a de/wm, but one may wish to use kmix, or xfce-power-manager, or konsole/Terminal, etc.

cheers,

the thing that you should take in account is that only full installs are supported, so if you decide to exclude something, it's assumed that you know what you're doing and you will take care yourself of any problem that might arise (missing dependencies and so on) from making this choice.

I'm using myself some stripped down installs of slack for some containers that I use for web services, and the list of packages I use for that are very small, but I know that I have to rebuild myself some packages to cut away their dependency on X libraries if I don't want these in my installs and still want to run php on it, just to make an example.

I used to be that way, nit pick through every package un-ticking the ones i did not use, i used to even go so far as deleting man pages and documentation that i never read, and even edit files in /etc/ and once in a while find that later on i needed some of the packages i omitted because something else was dependent on a file within one of those un-ticked packages, nowadays i wont bother and just install everything because it is easier that way, with the large harddrives available nowadays disk space is never a problem for me, i do leave unneeded services turned off,

Unless I have special needs (like a very small harddisks or setting up a server without X) I always go for the full install. It just makes the live easier when installing software from SBo or third party repositories like AlienBob's.

I have an old 'puter that I use as a house printer server. It has a minimal install of Slackware. No X11, no KDE etc. .. just the base system. It depends on what you will be using the machine for I guess. When I install on a computer that I will be physically using on a regular basis I do a full install so that I have everything available when and if I need it. :)

I like to use non-full installs. There are lots of apps I know I am not going to use (and if I needed them, I could install them later from the DVD). It does not make much sense to include stuff you have no use for. It just fattens your system backup archives -which can grow up very fast if you keep long term tracking for them.

Performing a super-minimal install is non really trivial, and I would not suggest such a thing unless you like challenges. My own approach is to surf the package list removing just the packages I am 100% sure I won't miss. You could get XFCE, KDE(I), Y, Emacs and the kernel source out all at once if desired, but just don't complain if you need this stuff later. I use no Thunderbird, so I kick it out. Same with some newsreaders, xv, lots of graphic card packages for chips I don't own, wifi things...

Just don't take it too far, so you don't uninstall something important like an idiot. If you don't know what something is, don't touch it, and you will be fine.

I installed Slackware this weekend (yay!!!) and went withe the full install. As I understand it, there is no advantage (and a big disadvantage, in the risk of missing dependencies) for a beginner/intermediate user such as myself to cherry-picking which packages I want, unless my computer has a very tiny hard drive (less than 8gb).

If you know what you're doing you can do a selective install. We offer support for full installations of Slackware. I always opt for a full install as everything will work out of the box with all dependencies met.

thanks for all reply,

let me rephrase my question on different way..

as all we know that hard disk space is not a big problem today. the problem is when I go with full install it comes with many software that they are similar to each other. I do not want to have many browsers, media players, office suits vs vs. I just want to use one of my personal choise and remove (or do not install at first place) others.

after what I have read here this is what I think to do:

I will go with full install and remove the software that I do not want. So I will not mess with dependency problems. And also I believe that left over packages will not effect on my system performance?

emre

A distro like Arch, Debian, or Ubuntu would be a better starting point for this kind of project, in my opinion. Slackware has a different design philosophy, as some of us tried to explain above...

For example this guide will get you there very quickly and easily, in about a 1gb footprint: http://www.psychocats.net/ubuntu/minimal

I would recommend for someone wanting a very customized system to try ArchLinux. Arch's Pacman utility will only install exactly what is needed for the programs you intend to run.

Arch is somewhat like Slackware in taking a minimalist approach, but I have found their installation to be rather complex, too advanced for most users, and often you'll spend more time setting up everything and testing settings from scratch than using it. Plus, Arch does have the flaw of using too much bleeding edge software. Often Arch is VERY unstable and it's not too often you might end up with a dead and unbootable system.

In my opinion, Slackware's Full Install isn't even that heavy of an install anyways. You can remove anything, but if you aren't sure about dependencies, it might be best to check the Beyond Linux From Scratch's software dependency list and see if any of Slackware's packages you might remove aren't used by something else.

I always go with a full install. Years ago I use to be selective, but then disk space was at a premium. Today I have plenty of room to spare. I don't bother with removing unused programs. I really see no point in going through the work of slimming Slackware down anymore with all of the space available. That, I am a lazy. ;)

The default package maintenance system works best with a full install. You run in to less problems when trying to remove stuff you think you don't need, especially if you compile on your machine. I take it as a whole and just run with it. It really does minimize problems in the long run. Of course you can still be selective but you better makes sure you know what you are removing and the effect it will have. Besides, sometimes I like to see how the other side lives and switch over to Xfce. It nice to have it available. ;)

If you read through many of the Beyond Linux from Scratch documents you can figure out how to exactly strip Slackware down to a bare minimum. I've had it stripped at times down to less than 2.4GB of an installation, and then went to work tearing apart the kernel to pull out unused modules and other drivers and features. All in all, you can really reduce your machine off of unused software if you just read up on stuff enough.