Some general linux newb questions
hey, i've been getting into linux and am really trying to learn it inside-out...i'm running debian sarge right now on my laptop with the 2.6.7 kernel from the sarge dist.
i realllllly want to make a nice, clean, efficient system without a lot of extra crap on it and that is where my questions come in...
i originally tried to install woody but ran into some problems getting my network card to work because of the older kernel version (didn't have my driver and so i couldn't set up the network in the install and created some issues down the road i wasn't quite prepared to deal with, though i think i could get it now) so i went and tried sarge instead, though the first time i tried it didn't work for some reason. well, got it working this time...real basic install, just installed X with apt-get and all that, installed synaptic also...
but my issue is that when i had woody installed and going, the list of running modules was always very small (well i didn't have the sound set up or anything i don't think either so it's no surprise) with sarge though, it autodeteced a LOT and my lsmod list is over 2 pages long now, and i swear like 10+ of them have to do with sound of some sort. i'm wondering if going through and compiling the kernel myself will cut down on all that excess? (well i assume it's excess, it seems like a LOT of modules) i just want to have the basic drivers going that i need to work...
also noticed that it seemed like ran X some stuff during the boot up and likely loaded up more modules including the video driver it uses...can i keep X from running any of that until i am ready to actually use it?
and last one...is there a way to easily check what packages are installed? I'm left kind of leary from years of windows usage that when you uninstall something, you likely still have a bunch of crap from it on your system...just kind of wondering how linux handles that. is apt-get remove the best way to remove packages/programs?
sorry for perhaps silly questions...
Last edited by Levitate; 08-04-2004 at 07:27 PM.
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