What, exactly, is in the "Base System"?

[Thorny]

Thorny, can you be any more of an arrogant ass? Jeez... people ask questions to learn.

Sure, I could but I choose not to.

You are correct in that some people ask questions to learn, however, some do not.

[prairiedad]

Thorny, can you be any more of an arrogant ass? Jeez... people ask questions to learn.

Sure, I could but I choose not to.

You are correct in that some people ask questions to learn, however, some do not.

Not just an arrogant ass, but one who doesn't read the posts he flames very carefully. What I said was (emphasis added):

But the failure, since rectified, isn't the point...it is the unhelpful use of terms like "base system" and "standard utilities" and "Debian DE," nowhere defined, that I (and some of you, too) are taking issue with, I guess. I'm a new Debian user, mostly Fedora and Arch and long ago Gentoo...who should I turn to to talk about some of these things?

This has nothing to do with my knowledge of how Linux works (I am not new at Linux at all, just new at Debian and it's somewhat poorly written installer) it is only a question about whom to contact (if not via the forums) to suggest simple changes in the wording of the installer that would obviate the need for this entire, largely unedifying, thread. If the installer asked: "What desktop would you like to install? If you leave Debian Desktop Environment checked, you will receive Gnome. You may also add one or more other DEs, listed below, or uncheck all boxes to receive a "bare-bones" system consisting of only..." X, or whatever is in, say, Arch after pacstrap.

The whole point of my post was to suggest that the installer's text is mediocre, and that the documentation is inconsistent, as the using of Google (which I do always, whatever Thorny may think) directed me to this very thread, wherein various users had wholly different ideas about what the installer does or doesn't install!

So, to recapitulate, whom would I contact to make suggestions about changing the text of the installer...full stop.

[Head_on_a_Stick]

whom would I contact to make suggestions about changing the text of the installer

See https://www.debian.org/MailingLists/ & https://www.debian.org/Bugs/Reporting

[dasein]

So, to recapitulate, whom would I contact to make suggestions about changing the text of the installer...full stop.

You could always file a WISHLIST bug against the installer. But don't get your hopes up; historically, the installer team is notoriously resistant to just about any/all UX suggestions.

P.S. (to both you and @Horizon_Brave): Picking unnecessary fights with long-standing contributors is probably not in your best interests.