Hello guys, sorry to bother you all, as this is my first post I´ll introduce myself just a little

Julio Rolandi, 32 years old, from Argentina, IT worker, Windows support at healthcare company.

Here are my specs:

Processor: Intel i5 2500k
Motherboard: AsRock z68 extreme 3 gen3
Memory: 16Gb ram DDR3 1600 Mhz
Video: AMD Ati HD5670 1Gb DDR3 (saving for new VGA !! )
Storage: 1Tb SATA2 Western Digital Blue
Power Supply: NZXT Hale82 750w

Well then, here are my questions:

I´ve tried some distros but I could never get them to install EXACTLY as I wanted...

I would love a distro where I can get the kernel, terminal, some drivers and a desktop, JUST THAT !!!
don´t want no libreoffice, no Python, no galculator, no nothing !!! Well, Iceweasel up and running to find out wich apps I do want would be cool...

Is there a way that I can choose minimal packages to install without having to read about all packages included in a distro to know which are the ones I need ?

Yes, I want to play some AAA games on it, watch movies and code a little... but hey, it´s 2013...

If there´s no way to do a super-clean install, I´ve tried before removing packages and dependencies in Debian 6, but I felt dirty...
As a Windows veteran I´m worried about leftovers, or worse, system integrity,
if someone can assure me that the system is uncompromised in ANY way
after removing packages and dependencies that´s a valid route

One day, I installed just the Debian kernel and terminal, then I was stuck for 3 days reading about different login managers, I just couldn´t decide wich one to use...

Same happened with desktop managers or window managers...

Same happened with audio systems...

Same happened with network managers...

And so on...

If someone is willing to help me out, I´m all ears, I want to learn, I know how to do the homework, I just want someone to point me in the right direction so I don´t get stuck anymore...

Oh, by the way, is it possible to install a distro on VirtualBox and then clone it to my hard drive? If someone says it´s absolutely possible I´ll start reading,
as drivers are in close relation to the kernel, I don´t want kernel panics or leftovers when going virtual to physical.

Thank you all for your patience and please excuse my english

Thank you again !!!

Well, that's really the choice.
If you know what you want, do a minimal install and only install the components YOU need.
If you don't know, install a metapackage and get all the stuff regular users expect to be included by default.

Educating yourself on all the separate components is really your only way forward.
As you discovered, unticking the "standard desktop" during install can be a bit daunting at first, but that is really the best way to discover what you really want/need from your system and how all the parts of a "Desktop Environment" work together.

Adding a WM (fluxbox, openbox, iceWM or such) to a base install, starting it with 'startx', then exploring and adding the functions you want, will give you a nice light system designed by you, for you.

It will also show what bloat you can do without from the more 'monolithic' DE's like gnome and kde.
FWIW there is (at least was - I run XFCE now) more minimal metapackages such as kde-core or so, that don't include a lot of the extra's in the -full packages.

Edit: written from a Debian perspective as that's what I use.
You could also try one or five of the bazillion derivatives that are basically just the parent, with a new wallpaper and selected packages for whatever THEY like, and call it a distro. (yes crunchbang, I'm talking about you )
Maybe one of them is tailor-made for you.

3 members found this post helpful.

Sounds like a AntiX core Install might suit your needs.

I am posting from a base install. There are 64bit images, or a Ubuntu minimal

or Debian Net Install

Heck. I even have a 128MB SD Flash drive install

So it all depends (hint, network iso)on how or what you wanna do. Also computer skillset you have.

Good luck and Happy Trails, rok

2 members found this post helpful.

That´s the problem, for example, I now know that what I´m looking for are minimal metapackages, but don´t know what works or not...

Here´s the list:

kernel ( does it make a difference to use a generic x86_64 vs a specific compiled kernel for my hardware )
terminal
x11 or XFree86 ( or something better )
login manager ( pick user, input password and GO )
window/desktop manager ( I like LXDE )
ethernet and wifi manager ( a ROCK SOLID ONE )
ntfs3g
flac and mkv player ( something like VLC )
support for playonlinux and wine

ext3 or ext4 ??

I´m tired of watching distrowatch and see tons of distros which include lot´s of software that I know I don´t want or need, feel like when I install windows, go to start menu and see the windows media player there...

In fact, if someday I get to install linux as I want, I´ll roll my own distro for my rig and learn how to make an install script and stuff it on a pendrive, updated...

Thank you!

Hi,

welcome to LQ.

I'd like to +1 what descendant_command wrote.

Also, because you already have some experience with Debian and becuase it is sufficiently flexible to meet your needs I suggest you try its latest stable release. Either the strip down or build up approach should work. It's really up to you.

Whichever approach you take, you can always post questions here at LQ if you find yourself getting into any trouble.

Cheers,

Evo2.

Oh my... Loved the TinyCore and SliTaz approach, might want to try doing that on debian 7...

but the core packages seem to have way too much stuff inside to get that small...

Virtualbox is booting my debian iso right now, gonna try a net install and build up from there, just to try

Thank you guys !!! All thoughts are welcome !!!

My thought is that you're approaching this as an experienced Windows user, but Linux is not Windows. As I understand it, the more things you have in Windows, the more complex the registry gets, the slower the computer gets, and it may get more unstable. Is that right? (I've never had a computer with Windows). With Linux, that's not going to happen. If you don't use it, it just sits on the drive and does no harm.

But, if you really want to assemble it yourself, I'd recommend Salix. It's based on Slackware, so very reliable, but it adds many extra programs and gives a choice of desktops and window-managers: Xfce, KDE, Mate, LXDE, Openbox, Ratpoison. The installation disks allow a basic install, which is just what you're asking for:

1 members found this post helpful.

So you want a whole distro..minimal is different to everyone

gentoo/Arch/Archbang/Crunchbang etc..

How much setup time are you willing to put in? If you're a debian kinda guy try crunchbang. If you've got nothing but time then give Gentoo a whirl the choices are endless

1 members found this post helpful.

In debian:

Start with a minimal installation.
During the install de-select the "Desktop Environment" (+"Base System" if you know what you're doing, NOT recommended) and proceed.

Modern kernels support more hardware, if the one from debian just works, keep it (bug and security patches are backported).
run: apt-get install xorg-core xterm with whatever you need OR apt-get install xorg xterm (will install all the X11 stuff, recommended!)
apt-get install "your_preferred_login_manager" (if any)
gdm3 is the default, don't use xdm.

For LXDE (minimal)
apt-get install lxde-core

Network:
apt-get install wicd
OR
apt-get install network-manager
also see: https://wiki.debian.org/WiFi/HowToUse

apt-get install ntfs-3g (this will grab the needed FUSE stuff as well)

apt-get install vlc


Wine needs 32 libs.

Run:
dpkg --add-architecture i386
apt-get install multiarch-support
apt-get install wine playonlinux

ext4 if unsure.

2 members found this post helpful.

Well, that's one thing that doesn't need any attention.

Really, what you are asking for is experience. Either that, or you just assume that your distro (whichever) makes a good choice, and you don't have to worry about it.

Most people start out by assuming that their distro is going to do the job for them, learn and learn and then are equipped with the information to prefer one piece of software above another.

You could try Linux From Scratch, but I wouldn't recommend it, just yet. Maybe read the book (which really is good), but don't attempt LFS yourself until you have a little more experience.

Firstly, don't think that installing a few fewer packages is going to make any noticeable difference to how fast your system runs, and you have enough disk space, so just learn to live with it for a while.

Don't think that your windows experience counts for that much, just yet. If windows is really your only OS experience, so far, it more means that you have much to unlearn, although it might not be that bad if you've had in-depth experience of four or five OSs.

Look, on the desktop I use openSUSE and it, more than most Linux distros, has the reputation of being bloated. It does give me the option of being very selective at install time about what packages get installed (although that's not the default...the default is to let it give you a sort-of generic selection of apps that are supposed to suit some kind of generic office-ish user). But, mostly, I don't bother reducing the apps. It just doesn't do anything to improve the user experience, apart from making some of the menus simpler, and I can cope with slightly longer menus (as much as anything, because I can go around them).

With proper package management, left overs and fragments aren't really a problem; you'll probably have a few config files hanging around for programs that you don't use, but the big problem with that is....?

That's a more serious question (to which the answer is ext4). Assuming that you have eliminated the other options with good reasons, ext4 is more recent, and, correctly configured, is a little faster.

2 members found this post helpful.

Now that´s a good reading you put up for me guys, thank you !!!

About the ext3 vs ext4 question, I´ve discarded other options by lack of knowledge, I really didn´t read all the wikis about them, I just read that ext3 filesystem doesn´t need defragmentation, and that ext4 does have tools to defragment, I would like a filesystem that doesn´t need defragmentation or a thorough scanning after a cold reboot ( not that I like to push the reset button very often... )

About bloat itself, I know I have plenty of disk space, and that unused programs just sit there, but I came to think of it as buying an empty house, and carefully selecting the furniture you know you will like/use, or buy a house with furnitures included, and realize that I don´t like or want or need most of them...

I know that I might seem to be asking for free experience, maybe it´s my way of phrasing it, but suppose I read about a package, get to like it, install it, use it, and suddenly realize that there´s a better package and the one I like is abandoned... That´s what I don´t know and would like to get some hints from all of you, wich packages are a no no, and wich ones have a promising future and are the way to go, I do have time, but I´m not sure if I want to test drive each and every package in 6 distros...

I like the Salix stuff, gonna try it on a vbox before the weekend

6 years ago, my cousin gave me a printed manual of linux from scratch, I knew it was the real deal, but I didn´t have the knowledge nor the patience and I was unsure about the results, this year I´ve decided I had enough windows in my head, so I´m gonna slowly crawl to the linux world, it was a good journey the last 19 years but I feel like I´m missing a world of opportunities

EDIT:

My windows experience has been from 3.11 up to 7 both as a user, a tinkerer, and a computer store repair guy, what I meant to say is that I know how to search for solutions to a problem that doesn´t leave a log, cursed PCI slots by bad IRQ driver management, print proccessor that magically change states, unlinked registry entries, and a long etcetera, my stubborn head makes me dig way beyond other co-workers stop, maybe that could be of help in this linux adventure, say, I know the drill, I know how to ride, but need some semaphores...

END OF EDIT

Thank you all and keep your ideas flowing, my brain will surely bake something out of this topic !!!

Hi,
Sorry but that analogy breaks down because each piece of furniture is a physical thing and indeed it would be very wasteful to purchase furniture you don't need and then throw it out: waste of money and creation of trash. However that's not how it works with Free (and free) software. Downloading it is cheap and fast (how cheap and fast depends on your internet provider), installation is trivial using your package manager. Disposal is free and easy (package manager again) and leaves no trash. Additionally, the relative sizes of furniture/house to package/harddisk is completely different. You can pretty much keep as many packages as you like installed on your harddisk and not use them with them getting in the way. Try doing that with furniture.

I don't see any problem here.

That depends on what you want. Feel free to start new threads if you are interested on opinions about specific web browsers, email clients, media players etc.
Then don't! I like beer, wine and cheese, but I don't feel obliged to try every beer, wine and cheese ever produced. I'll try local ones, or ones that friends recommend or varieties that I'm fond of.

HTH,

Evo2.

1 members found this post helpful.

I´ve just prepared a jar full of coffee and stumbled upon some wikis, I´m sure my next questions would be about debian, slackware or arch on their respective threads, but an educated guess tells me that I´m in for 3 days of reading and assimilating...

Thank you all !!!

1 members found this post helpful.

Hi, good luck and have fun. I say try a bunch, even live; first link in my signature for the rest:

1 members found this post helpful.

Just try them all, one will pick you. There are lots of Slackers here so the help will be immediate. The Arch forums are plenty alive but they tend to be "different". I don't do Debian so I can't offer advice on that.