Ubuntu without pre-installed software?

[Tom H]

On Tue, Sep 18, 2012 at 9:55 PM, Liam Proven <lproven at gmail.com> wrote:
> On 18 September 2012 22:57, Tom H <tomh0665 at gmail.com> wrote:
>> On Tue, Sep 18, 2012 at 12:32 PM, Liam Proven <lproven at gmail.com> wrote:


>>> As for a minimal, customisable Ubuntu - well, the netinst ISO is a
>>> good suggestion. Failing that, there is Debian!
>>
>> netinst?! I don't think that Ubuntu has such an ISO. :)
>
> Yes it does. Here you go:
> https://help.ubuntu.com/community/Installation/MinimalCD

My point was that it isn't called netinst...


>> I don't think that an Ubuntu install will be larger or significantly
>> larger that a Debian one for the same WM or DE.
>
> Nah, there is not a lot in it. Debian is a bit smaller and runs a bit
> better on low-end hardware, but it doesn't have Ubuntu's graphical
> startup and shutdown screens, replacement init dæmon and thus fast
> bootup and shutdown times and some other niceties.

I'd like to see some hard data on that no just some claim based on the
meme that Debian's more geeky/nerdy and therefore has a smaller
footprint. I mostly install X-less boxes of both Ubuntu and Debian and
there's basically no difference. I suspect that this extends to WMs
and DEs. You'll also see that I said "significantly" because I've
noticed that Ubuntu sometimes adds extra dependencies to packages
(bizarrely IMO).

On the speed front, I'll take Ubuntu's upstart to Debian's sysvinit anyday!