Installing a minimal Ubuntu installation with a minimal Gnome desktop

Original Post are from http://linuxuser.se/~lassekongo83/2009/05/installing-a-minimal-ubuntu-installation-with-a-minimal-gnome-desktop/

Don’t mind my old guide, this one will explain it a bit better. If you’re like me and don’t like all the software Ubuntu comes with by default you can install a minimal base system without any extra software like OpenOffice, Evolution, Gnome Games for example. You could also install Debian only if you prefer a very stable system. I prefer Ubuntu though because of the more recent up to date software in the repositories.

Getting started

If this is the first time that you install a minimal Ubuntu installation you can test it in a virtual machine before you install it on your main computer. I highly recommend that. Even if it’s a very easy process you may get trouble later on. Try VirtualBox if you want to test it in a virtual machine. You’ll now need the Alternate installation CD – http://www.ubuntu.com/getubuntu/downloadmirrors#alternate or the minimal installation CD – https://help.ubuntu.com/community/Installation/MinimalCD

When the Alternate CD is booted you must select your language. Then press F4 and select Install a command-line system. Press enter and start installing. The installation process should be quite straightforward if you have an internet connection and all. No need for me to explain all the easy steps. Same goes for the minimal CD except that you need to type CLI before you start the installation instead of pressing F4.

Installing a graphical user interface

So your system is up and running and you’re logged in with your new user in the command line. Now for the fun, building your own installation with the software you want. Before you continue, run sudo apt-get update && upgrade to upgrade your Ubuntu installation to the more recent up to date software. Now you need a user interface, run: sudo apt-get install xorg gdm gnome-core to get a graphical login manager and a minimal Gnome desktop. The current system isn’t very pretty when you start Gnome, to change this you can install some gtk-engines and themes with sudo apt-get install gtk2-engines human-theme. Now it’s all up to you what software you want to use, so check http://packages.ubuntu.com/ to see what software you need. You’ll probably want a browser and an archive-manager – sudo apt-get install firefox file-roller gdebi. Have fun with the rest. Gnome without a lot of bloat feels much better.