So maybe this is just delusion setting in after spending too much time in lab looking at x86 code (pretty cool class though). But after having slack installed for a while I've come to the realization that I want to know EVERYTHING. Seriously though, after doing the full install I find myself always configuring a lot of stuff and wanting to know what I'm doing. The problem is the full install has just so much stuff on it its hard to tell what I need. Ideally I would like to only install and properly configure just what I want and nothing more. My major goals are to have a system set up with the following:

A programing capable environment (C,C++,x86,etc...)
An IDS with Snort/mysql/apache/php/ACID
SSH for remote login
Graphical web browsing w/adobe installed for pdfs
XMMS for my music
Mplayer for videos
An office program for writing papers
CUPS for printing but not shared over the network

So far I've got everything set up except for the IDS. Knowing this, why am I asking for advice on minimization? 2 reasons: I'm interested in speed, and security. So now to the open ended question:

Without doing a kernel compile what is the best way to get a slackware system minimized with the goals listed?

...and with a kernel compile what is the best way to get a minimized with the goals listed in mind?

I guess what I'm looking for is an open ended discussion of what different people do to get their systems exactly they way they like them without all the fluff that slows things down and makes the system insecure.

OK, first thing I did was decide on what text editor I really wanted to use and then un-install all the rest...........I use VI or VIM if you will........and took out jove, emacs, joe.....etc.........then I took out all the IRC chat programs.......I don't do IRC so no sense in having all those things taking up space...........

I find it somehow annoying after removing stuff in pkgtool.

I am having similar issue of running out of disk space so i fired up pkgtool to uninstall stuff. I chose something massive such as java library and uninstallation finished with no error.
upon running df -h
disk usage changed from 85% to 100%!
What's wrong? Are the files moved instead of deleted?

also, where will the files go after using rm to delete 'em?
and what command should i run to check disk space used for a particular folder and its sub folders?

just install the packages you need from series "a" and then add the packages you need from the other series one by one... you'll end-up with an install consisting of only the packages you need...

you can also personalize the slackware cd so that when you do a "full install" you'll get just what you need/want and nothing more... you could even include slackpacks of the software which isn't currently included in slackware, like acid and mplayer, for example...

just my two cents...

This might help
http://www.linuxquestions.org/questi...ht=xushi.co.uk

Try these:
http://amigolinux.org/docs/minstall/index.htm