On Fri, Sep 24, 2010 at 12:55 PM, Mark Goldshtein <mark.goldsht...@gmail.com> wrote: > On Fri, Sep 24, 2010 at 9:37 PM, Javier Vasquez <j.e.vasque...@gmail.com> > wrote: >... > > If you have couple of minutes, would you, please, to expand your > comments about a system without desktop environment? Targeting a > laptop.
In both the laptops I manage: 1.- Dell Inspiron 600M (my dad's). 2.- Compaq 8510w (from work). I don't have a desktop environment such as kde, gnome, xfce, or any other. In my dad's I call startfluxbox from ~/.xsession, and have xdm installed and working, that's it. For the one from work, as I'm the only one using it, I don't even have a session loader installed, to start X I just call startx, and again, I just call startfluxbox from ~/.xsession. I've lived that way for so long that I don't like bloated (my opinion, not to start a discussion) desktop environments... Things might change, but I still feel confortable this way... > Is that enough to install a base system, bootloader, then reboot, I don't know what a base system is. For squeeze (I had recently to install it in other boxes, also without desktop environment) the first thing I did was to change the configuration that by default now sets APT to always install "recommended packages": % cat /etc/apt/apt.conf.d/00InstallRecommends APT::Install-Recommends "false"; That I did through the installation process, since with "recommends" there's a lot of unnecessary (according to me) software installed. Then I didn't install anything else than the minimum required. The default coming from squeeze might do. Then I start installing the applications I want, including power management, fluxbox, X, alsa stuff, etc... Without using tasksel, since most of such tasks are not good for me. I always install build-essential, and some additional compilation stuff, plus other applications for office, web browsing etc. This is my approach, doesn't mean you have to follow though. BTW, I use aptitude in ncurses mode to install, and select/unselect some dependencies... > install "acpi" packages you have mentioned, xorg and then a window > manager? > Is there dependences on 'xorg', which allow a proper xorg installation? There's a package Xorg which automatically triggers lots of dependencies such as xserver-xorg. I do install more stuff. I don't like xserver-xorg-*-all, I go and unselect them, and instead select just the input devices, video devices etc that I need. I don't like installing everything. Then I also shoot for several fonts not automatically selected by Xorg, like TTFs, and terminus (the one I use for console and X terminals)... > Please, correct me, I am sure I have missed a lot of useful system > components. Like xscreensaver, for example. Xorg was having lots of problems with memory management with Xscreensaver on the Dell inspiron laptop. There's a reported and unfixed bug about it, so I completely dropped xscreensaver. I use instead a combination of: xlockmore xautolock I think that provides all I need in terms of screen saving. And more now that I'm trying to play green a bit, :-) So I just have blank screen to minimize power consuption, :-) Please notice that what works for one, doesn't mean works for everyone. A lot of people is happy with desktop environments, so it might be they work OK for you... -- Javier. -- To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to debian-user-requ...@lists.debian.org with a subject of "unsubscribe". Trouble? Contact listmas...@lists.debian.org Archive: http://lists.debian.org/aanlktin7rqhukc1vt2mw_=+f4d+y0vu0b1w4kg3fi...@mail.gmail.com
