Selecting packages during installation process
 

I am about to have another go at installing Slackware on my 500 GB external harddisk!

I want to install ONLY a CLI, nothing else!

I don't know which packages to select for that?

Hi, Anisha. There is a Minimal Slackware Installation HowTo on the LQwiki, here and on Slackwiki, here (a bit outdated). You might start from there and refine your selection.

Both the links seem to very enlightening in their own way, thanks for posting, I shall try those packages out and post the problems (if any) here in a few days!

Now the following quote is creepy :(
from this link: http://slackwiki.org/Minimal_System#..._group_.5BA.5D

Do I have to do something special here?

Nope. This is a generic warning. If you install a boot loader and something goes wrong, you may not be able to boot other systems already installed on the hard disk (if any). I'd not be worried so much, anyway. :)

Slack usually boots into runlevel 3: CLI, or console, no X, no GUI. So why not do a full install if you've got 500 GB free? It's recommended in the Slackware-HOWTO:

+1 to that. When I first tried Slackware I "knew better". Ha! :redface:

Having a large space doesn't mean that I should fill it up by the things which I don't want. The only reason I wanted to use Arch instead of Slack was that everything which you wanted, had to configured in the system yourself, so there was no question of having the unwanted things.

You could choose the selective option during installation. Choose each package you want.
http://www.slackbook.org/html/instal...p.html#AEN1062
I always do a full install, because though I might not be interested in using or learning about some particular bit of software (say, Apache, or just about every major programming language) now, I may be in the not too distant future. A full installation of Slack gives you a versatile system, out of the box, no need for apt-getting or yumming masses of packages.

Another way to do this would be to install all and then gradually uninstall that you did not want.

Thats what I tried to do here:http://www.linuxquestions.org/questi...13-1-a-820320/

and messed up every thing because the packages are not grouped, individual libraries and config files have to be selected which can be done only if one knows what he is doing so the links colocix has provided I hope will solve my problems :)

Thats what I used to do in OpenSuse all this while and many times it resulted in broken packages and sometimes I even had to do system reinstall!

It was for such reasons that I decided to follow Patrick's advice and install everything (except KDE). I understand and respect your desire to have a minimal system with only the packages you need but balancing the costs (most of which you are discovering first hand!) against the actual benefits, Patrick's advice made sense. The only thing I don't like now is the bandwidth wasted upgrading packages I don't use.

Even if it was easy to install only the required packages, I found that unnecessary time was wasted when I wanted to install another package and did not have the prerequisites.

You can follow my howto here...
...but be warned: it will provide only a bare-bones system (although easily expandable through slackpkg).

Good howto by Slax-Dude. But Anisha's not replying. ?????

Anisha has yet not taken a print out of the minimal packages required to be installed (the paper needs to be kept in front of the eyes during installation) nor she has completely understood Slax-Dude's howto :redface:

But she will, soon!