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19 Jun 11
I'm looking for a functional distro that does not ship with pre-determined software which you can uninstall as many times as you want but it will still be reinstalled every few updates .
I want to pick and choose my own software, and I only want updates for what I have installed .
Is there a distro that can help me accomplish this ?
19 Jun 11
Yes, there are several distributions that let you choose all your software packages yourself. Here are some examples:
[ul] [li]ArchLinux[/li] [li]Debian[/li] [li]Slackware[/li] [li]Gentoo[/li] [/ul]
ArchLinux, Gentoo and Debian Unstable are rolling-release distributions, which means that new packages are being released into the repositories as soon as they're available upstream. Debian Testing, Debian Stable and Slackware instead make stable releases from time to time, where package versions are frozen and only bugfixes and security updates are released during the lifespan of that release.
ArchLinux and Debian are primarily based around binary software packages fetched from online repositories, with automatic dependency-fetching and so on. Slackware uses binary packages without dependency checking, but there are multiple third-party package managers for Slackware that adds support for online repositories and dependency fetching. Gentoo is based around an automated build system called Portage, that compiles each program for your machine, and let's you customize everything with USE-flags and MAKE-flags. This requires some time for maintenance, though.
They each have a bit different philosophies, so it's up to you to choose the best one for your use.
19 Jun 11
AstarothMastemaRavenclaw wrote:
I'm looking for a functional distro that does not ship with pre-determined software which you can uninstall as many times as you want but it will still be reinstalled every few updates .
I want to pick and choose my own software, and I only want updates for what I have installed .
Is there a distro that can help me accomplish this ?
If you really want to control what's installed on your system go for Gentoo although it has its drawbacks.
For simplicity... Debian or Archlinux (KISS philosophy!!!)
Regards
19 Jun 11
Thank you . I am currently taking studious notes on installing and configuring Arch, as the last time I tried I was left completely dumbfounded when it came to manual configuration of text files .
I personally don't like Debian all that much, because the install is too automated ..
Which is why I am going the Arch way as soon as I learn how to get around a few learning curves .
20 Jun 11
Many distros offer a "Base" install, even fedora, which I use, can be installed without a DE or other misc. packages. Starting from there, you can add what you want. Back in my Debian days, I always started with a base install.
20 Jun 11
Really ? When I tried Fedora the other day it was a disaster in a box . O_O
I am starting to get Arch, but even with my persistent studying of every.single.document.out.there. I failed to properly edit the /etc/rc.conf file and as a result, could not continue with post-install operations .
Now I am considering what you told me about base installs .. Might completely change my views on most distros that worked for me but always had a particular flaw to turn me off . Interesting . Thanks . ^^
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