Hi again everyone,
(sorry if this post is in the wrong area of the forums)

Anyone know of small linux versions that include a desktop?
(i prefer a desktop to command line or terminal)

Being new to everything linux,
its hard to find something i can get comfortable with.
So i though maybe some of you would have some suggestions.

Recently, while i was trying out the modular based 'slax' linux,
I discovered a few things about linux in general than no one really discuses, and things i do not understand.
Like why most modules have dependencies on other things.
(many i find useless personally)

Like how some kde modules depend on google earth.
or where you want some simple text editors not an office suite.
but would have to except it just to have an editor.

I am not complaining about linux in general,
But i just wondered why is there so much bulk to a basic linux distribution. (its no wonder why many linux versions are so big)

Is there a place or way to select what you want or have in a build?

*edit*
i am trying to install the linux distro's in virtual box 5.06,
along with its guest additions. sorry for not mentioning that sooner.
also since im trying to build a testing webserver any distros i try should have easy access and ability to change things at a root level.
not where i have to keep typing annoying passwords to make changes.

I know about the whole root access being a security issue thing,
its been well posted about the risks of root access, but i feel even that should be optional to the pc owner, not the software.

You might like to define "small"
Puppy linux is one of the most popular small distros. I've still got a bootable version on an old 128Mb USB pendrive! Useful for recovering data from corrupt Windows systems.

Not sure where you're coming from here. I'd be more inclined to think that Google Earth is dependent on something in KDE rather than the other way round.
The dependencies are usually libraries, collections of small routines designed to do one thing only and do it well, which are common to more than one application.
Hey! If you're writing a program, why re-invent the wheel? If someone has already written the code to do the thing you want and it's available in the library, use that! As applications are updated, libraries are updated as well to cope with hardware changes, bugfixes, etc. It's a bit like building stuff from that well known Danish building block system. The bricks can be used in more than one construction.

Most distributions come with office suits, text editors, Graphic manipulation programs, some games, utilities, etc. If they have something you don't want, just remove it after installation.

If you're using an Office Suite to edit text I'd think that it's because you just haven't found the text editor yet. vim is standard in virtually all distros though something like nano is more user friendly.

Yes, there are loads of distros, downloading a live CD (you burn and boot the CD, the distro runs in memory so you can check to see if it's what you're looking for before you commit to installing the one which fits your install criteria.) Everybody has different requirements of an OS, check Distrowatch and see what suits you...

Anyway, my

Play Bonny!

What are your system's specs? That may help define what "small" distro may be best to recommend. However, in my opinion (and I'm no Linux expert, mind you, but I switched to Linux in 2013 almost exclusively from Windows), I personally would recommend LXLE. If you have a 32-bit machine, use version 12.04.5. If you have a 64-bit machine you can go for the latest release. www.lxle.net

Why LXLE? It's a lightweight (meaning , light on system resources, so good for older hardware - I use version 12.04.5 on a 10-year-old Sony VAIO laptop with a 1.2ghz Pentium M processor and 1gb RAM, and it works very well, better than Win XP did). You will need about 8.5gb of disk space to install, and access to a DVD burner (or I guess a thumb drive, I never tried installing off USB). It comes pre-loaded with most of the software you will need ready to go, and it has over 100 excellent background images to choose from (or let it rotate them automatically, whatever you prefer). My experience has been that everything (except maybe some of the special function keys on a laptop) works out of the box - video, wireless, USB drives, etc.) and it is a very easy transition from Windows. It's based on Ubuntu, so there is access to the Ubuntu Software Center to install new software - very easy. Install process is GUI and very easy, and easy to install as a dual-boot with a version of Windows (or any other version of Linux for that matter).

The only way to know, give it a try.

Lightest you can get is with Gentoo. But on weak hardware you cannot install using Gentoo Handbook, there are ways to build a custom Gentoo install binaries on a more powerful computer.

Nothing in kde is dependent on google earth. I'd be curious to know how you cam to that conclusion?

Some Linux versions are big because people want them that way. There are options, if you want to create your own basic Linux go to the Linux From Scratch site where they explain how to build your own. If you want small, TinyCore or NanoLinux were less than a 20MB download and had a GUI.

Hi....

Lubuntu is another lightweight distribution but not as light as some of the others. You can also give Zorin OS 9 Lite a try, too.

Regards...

Quirky...

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

hi Soadyheid,
Sorry, by small i mean both in size and what gets installed by default.
"slax" was around 200 MB for the basics.
puppy linux is ok,
but it is much like the other live cd distros with the stuff that gets installed.

as for dependencies, it is likely just the way the modules were built for slax,
that made me think that, an example is the amarok module they have,
or kdeadmin
where it shows "This module requires:"
like i was looking just for kuser, but to get kuser there i had to get the kadmin & its dependancies. by the time you get those dependancies you have to get mother things which have more dependencies and so on. by the time your done you have to add like 10 extra things just to have the 1 you originally started out looking for.

i think my main problem is that i am trying to find something that works in virtual box.
and i was having trouble getting the newest guest additions to install on "slax".

distro watch is a good site, its also where i found "slax".

Many distros allow a basic installation.

The Salix installer offers 3 choices: Full, Basic (with GUI), and Core (CLI only). The Fluxbox version will also give you extra lightness.

Bodhi just installs a light GUI system (Moksha desktop, forked off Enlightenment) with the Midori browser and Synaptic package-manager. Then you pick your own software.

Hi MX372
I am using virtual box 5.0.6 & its guest additions on a windows xp host.
my host PC (winxp) is an acer x1200 cpu- AMD Athlon X2 5000+ / 2.6 GHz
and about 2.5 gb of ram.
(many distro's like ubuntu choke on it, they get to resource depended)

i havent had much luck with Ubuntu,
but i will give LXLE a try.

thanks.

hi Emerson,
Ive tried to install Gentoo from live cd's, but they never worked out for me.
i dont know if it was the live cd or the fact i was trying to install it on virtual box.

Hi yancek,
Those 2 you mentioned sound promising, i will definitely give them a try.
they sound like what im looking for, provided i can add what i want to them.
as i am trying to build a testing webserver in virtual box.

What live CD did you use, most popular is SystemRescueCd, but you can use any recent Linux CD that boots in VBox and allows shell access.

thanks ardvark71, will give them a try.

Running a cd sized distro on a I5 computer myself.

It has core, base, full, libre, isos that all are small but powerful.
You pick whether you want to be stable, testing, unstable, or experimental
Comes with command line scripts like smxi

Debian linux net installs.
Arch linux net installs.

But you said There is no desktop environment in what I am running. Just a Window Manager.