Ubuntu without pre-installed software?

[compdoc]

Don't know why, but sometimes when I send mail carriage returns & linefeeds
go missing and several lines become one line. I just wanted to clean up my
last email. Hope this works..

***
This seems the least painful way to create a minimal system, but still
preserves the original Unity desktop and basic system services. 

It boots fast too, since no unnecessary services like Bluetooth and Network
Manager are installed...

Install Ubuntu Server, selecting what you like:

OpenSSH server (recommended)
LAMP Server* (optional)
Print server (recommended)
Samba file server (recommended for Windows networks
    even if you are not sharing)

*When asked, be sure to enter a password for mysql 
   and write it down.

Then run:
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get dist-upgrade

To install Unity:
sudo apt-get install --no-install-recommends ubuntu-desktop
sudo reboot

These are required for Dash (HUD) and Nautilus:
sudo apt-get install unity-lens-applications gvfs-backends

Then install some basic programs:
sudo apt-get install firefox gnome-disk-utility gparted ntp 
sudo apt-get install mailutils nullmailer smartmontools 
sudo dpkg-reconfigure nullmailer (if needed)

And then to clean up a little...
sudo apt-get autoremove