How to install Debian Squeeze with minimal GNOME using CD-1

[realnubnut]

1. Download CD-1 iso which contains GNOME

2. Install your way but when you come to "Software Selection" unselect everything to make sure only the core of the system (base) is installed.
Uncheck the pre-selected "Graphical desktop environment" and "Standard system utilities"

3. Finish the installation, reboot then log in to CLI

4. Prevent apt from suggesting/installing recommends:

Code: Select all

# touch /etc/apt/apt.conf
# nano /etc/apt/apt.conf

apt.conf contents:

Code: Select all

APT::Install-Recommends "false";
APT::Install-Suggests "false";

5. Install minimal GNOME off CD-1

Code: Select all

# aptitude install gnome-session gnome-themes gnome-terminal xserver-xorg-core gdm3 gnome-control-center gnome-applets gnome-screensaver file-roller gnome-icon-theme hicolor-icon-theme dmz-cursor-theme libgtk2.0-bin linux-sound-base

You may prepare a script for this beforehand if you like (name it gnome_minimal.sh for example) with this contents:

Code: Select all

#!/bin/bash
# simple script to install a minimal GNOME on Debian Squeeze
aptitude install gnome-session gnome-themes gnome-terminal xserver-xorg-core gdm3 gnome-control-center gnome-applets gnome-screensaver file-roller gnome-icon-theme hicolor-icon-theme dmz-cursor-theme libgtk2.0-bin linux-sound-base 2>&1 | tee -a gnome_minimal.log

Run the script:

Code: Select all

# sh gnome_minimal.sh

6. Done

7. After you log in to your GNOME desktop, do "aptitude update" then "aptitude install gnome-media"

[friarath]

Thank you very much for this! I have an obsession for installing ONLY the stuff I want/need and not have to have things like evolution & epiphany so this is perfect.

I did have to install xorg and xserver-xorg-video-nouveau afterwards to get video working.

Then to get normal desktop functionality I add:

Code: Select all

aptitude install -r synaptic menu brasero gnome-keyring file-roller

aptitude install cups  

aptitude install -r system-config-printer

aptitude install alacarte app-install-data alsa-base alsa-utils bzip2 eog gksu gcalctool aspell-en hunspell-en-us totem-mozilla totem-plugins gstreamer0.10-ffmpeg gstreamer0.10-plugins-bad gstreamer0.10-plugins-ugly libvisual-0.4-plugins gconf-editor simple-scan imagemagick sane-utils evince gdebi gnome-disk-utility ia32-libs rsync  gnome-system-tools gnome-session-canberra gnome-system-monitor gnome-power-manager gvfs-backends xsltproc libcanberra-gtk-module gnome-media

wget ftp.mozilla.org/pub/mozilla.org/firefox/releases/4.0.1/linux-x86_64/en-US/firefox-4.0.1.tar.bz2

[infestor]

very nice guides! thanks.

[golinux]

Yes, this looks very interesting. Something to give a try when there's nothing else going on.

[phenest]

When I do a minimal install of Gnome, I only install gdm3:

Code: Select all

apt-get install gdm3

Due to dependencies, this will also install X and a minimal desktop, with no apps. An alternative to Step 5.