Standard advice from me: use the expert install (available under "Advanced
options", I think, from the standard netinst / DVD .iso image. Uncheck all
except standard install (and perhaps SSH server) - no X, no desktop
environment. That gives you a bare, text mode install with < 400 packages
in total. Build on from there. You can drop to a single user shell from the
installer to install extra packages if you really must - or you can just
reboot and use apt/apt-get to check and see what's involved at that point.
If you use wifi - you mght want to add at least any required firmware and
nmcli to get you started.[For myself, I always try to make the first
install be at the end of a cable to avoid wifi problems.]
It does need you to be command line capable. If you really have no
bandwidth, it might mean you need to buy DVDs to bootstrap the system. Be
aware, as you go, that an install from DVD media is only correct up to and
including the first boot - there will always be updates to install after
the first OS install.
On Wed, Sep 9, 2020 at 1:27 PM Richard Owlett <rowl...@cloud85.net> wrote:
> IIUC the goal of Debian designers might be summarized as maximizing
> functionality for the broadest possible audience. And when there is a
> large enough audience for "power tools" there are Debian Pure Blends.
>
> That works very well *most* of the time.
>
> But when it doesn't, it is VERY annoying ;{
>
> Problems include:
> 1. Download bandwidth or data cap constraints.
> {aggravated by treating "recommends" as "depends"}
> 2. Very large undesired packages {e.g. LibreOffice}
> 3. Applications cluttering menus for which one uses a better
> alternative. {I prefer SeaMonkey over Firefox}
>
>
> My proposed alternative is to leave unchecked all options on the
> "Software Selection" menu[1] and create appropriate pseudo-packages to
> be installed with "apt-get --no-install-recommends"
>
>
> MY QUESTIONS
>
> 1. How do I find which packages are explicitly installed by checking a
> specific box {primarily Mate}?
> 2. How do I search the repository for those packages that have a
> priority “standard”? [2]
> 3. Especially when installing from an .iso on a flash drive, how do
> I run apt-get before closing the installer?
>
> TIA
>
>
>
>
> [1] Figure 4.13 of
>
> https://www.debian.org/doc/manuals/debian-handbook/sect.installation-steps.en.html
> [2] 6.3.5.2. Selecting and Installing Software
> https://www.debian.org/releases/jessie/i386/ch06s03.html.en
>
>
>
