Request: Need a smaller ubuntu

[kutchbhi]

The thing is I am on a 20GB hard-disk, A full-install although possible is just not a viable option for me. SO I went for the usb install.
which worked great , except that I keep running out of space on the 1 GB pendrive .. Apparently it is not possible to reduce the size of a usb install of ubuntu (is it?)


In short I need a smaller version of ubuntu .can't afford a larger HDD right now


Can I ask someone to upload a remastered version of ubuntu , with large packages removed ?? Like open-office, cups . Maybe bring the iso to about 300-400 .
Unless of course something like this already exists :)


Please note that I don't need a 'fast distro' (ubuntu is fast enough for me), just a smaller remastered ubuntu to fit in my pen-drive.

Thank You!

[Kareeser]

Have you tried the Server CD? It only comes with the packages needed to run, and nothing else (although the installer will ask if you'd like to install server software)

[ashmew2]

Hi there , Take a look here : https://help.ubuntu.com/community/Installation/MinimalCD

[Sand & Mercury]

Yep, use a minimal image. It can be a bit of a pain because the process is hardly automated, but you'll end up with a very slim distro in size.

Consider getting a larger USB drive too, they're dirt cheap these days; my old 1GB drive packed it in a while back so I bought a new 8GB one for about 90 lei; that'd be roughly equivalent to perhaps $25-30 US.

[pauna]

The thing is I am on a 20GB hard-disk, A full-install although possible is just not a viable option for me.

The minimal CD as discussed above is probably your best bet, but alternatively you could try Jaunty Netbook Remix, which fits into a 1GB USB stick.

I installed the remix version to an EEE PC with 4GB+16GB SSD disk space.

It is possible to get rid of the Netbook Remix GUI after installation and go back to classic Gnome desktop, although the switch does have a bug where it loses the Gnome panels. Solution is here http://ubuntuforums.org/showpost.php?p=7081942&postcount=8

[XubuRoxMySox]

There is a very lightweight distro based on Ubuntu but very minimal. It's called Crunchbang Linux (http://crunchbanglinux.org) and it rocks!

It's prob'ly not for newbies (like me, actually) because it really doesn't have a familiar desktop environment, just the window manager. I added LXDE (http://lxde.org) (also a very lightweight desktop environment) to my Crunchbang for a custom-made "Ubuntu Lite" for my older computers.

-Robin

[PacSci]

Customizing your own Live CD isn't very hard. I ran through the tutorial at https://help.ubuntu.com/community/LiveCDCustomization, and it created a nice, working distro.

If you don't want to go through the full effort of customizing it by command line, you could try UCK (the Ubuntu Customization Kit) or Reconstructor.

This might be an interesting project for me, though.

[PacSci]

Sorry for the double post, but I've decided to take on the challenge. A few questions first:


A vanilla CD of Ubuntu Intrepid is OK, right?
Any particular large packages you want to be free of? OpenOffice is a given, you mentioned CUPS in your post, and I'll probably trade Evolution for Thunderbird, but is there anything else you don't want right off the bat? (One thing I might recommend removing is the GIMP.)
Conversely, any large packages I might slash that you want to keep? (Or any packages that you want added?)
Do you have preferences for Web browser, media player, etc.? If not, I'll use Firefox and Banshee, unless they end up using too much disk space.
Any preferences as to the system's appearance? (As in widget theme, desktop background)
Do you want to keep the installer, or have this be just a Live CD? (Cutting the installer would save quite a bit of space.)


I'll get started right now on a vanilla Intrepid install, unless you change your mind.

[mikjp]

You might get for free a second used HDD that you could use in addition to the old one. Install Ubuntu or some lightweight distro (e.g. AntiX) on the second HDD and use the old for /home.

Greetings,

mikko

[kutchbhi]

Sorry for the double post, but I've decided to take on the challenge. A few questions first:


A vanilla CD of Ubuntu Intrepid is OK, right?
Any particular large packages you want to be free of? OpenOffice is a given, you mentioned CUPS in your post, and I'll probably trade Evolution for Thunderbird, but is there anything else you don't want right off the bat? (One thing I might recommend removing is the GIMP.)
Conversely, any large packages I might slash that you want to keep? (Or any packages that you want added?)
Do you have preferences for Web browser, media player, etc.? If not, I'll use Firefox and Banshee, unless they end up using too much disk space.
Any preferences as to the system's appearance? (As in widget theme, desktop background)
Do you want to keep the installer, or have this be just a Live CD? (Cutting the installer would save quite a bit of space.)


I'll get started right now on a vanilla Intrepid install, unless you change your mind.
gee Thanks! I didn't expect this :)
1. Yes
2.. openoffice, gimp , evolution , thunderbird, cups , bluetooth/camer/scanner support.. I need nothing!and If I do, I can always get them!
3. brower - well I use opera, and smplayer for media player but I can take care of that myself. Just need the big stuff removed
3.a ) please don't remove anything related to compiz/ati
4. - appearance - add your name to the wallpaper so I know who to thank ;)
5. I don't want the installer , but would like to do a usb install


THanks again!

btw I did have a go at UCK, had to do a lot of h

[lswb]

I have a complete ubuntu/gnome installation with dozens or perhaps hundreds of extra programs installed in a 12GB partition. Do you have a lot of media files or something that is taking up space on the 20GB drive?

[kutchbhi]

^sort of
@pascsi :- You may want to stall.. This Ubuntu -mini- remix seems to fit my bill. https://launchpad.net/ubuntu-mini-remix

[PacSci]

Okay. I'll work on something else then - I've been wanting to try out Reconstructor for a while, and now that it has Hardy/Intrepid/Jaunty support...

[kutchbhi]

Guess I'll need your help after all. Ubuntu mini remix , didn't even boot for me. Its probably just to be used for reconstruction.

So if you are doing this , then feel free to remove stuff. I'll be happy as long as I can apt-get..

Thanks1

[ashmew2]

Sorry for the double post, but I've decided to take on the challenge. A few questions first:


A vanilla CD of Ubuntu Intrepid is OK, right?
Any particular large packages you want to be free of? OpenOffice is a given, you mentioned CUPS in your post, and I'll probably trade Evolution for Thunderbird, but is there anything else you don't want right off the bat? (One thing I might recommend removing is the GIMP.)
Conversely, any large packages I might slash that you want to keep? (Or any packages that you want added?)
Do you have preferences for Web browser, media player, etc.? If not, I'll use Firefox and Banshee, unless they end up using too much disk space.
Any preferences as to the system's appearance? (As in widget theme, desktop background)
Do you want to keep the installer, or have this be just a Live CD? (Cutting the installer would save quite a bit of space.)


I'll get started right now on a vanilla Intrepid install, unless you change your mind.

GO! PacSci :guitar:

[Phreaker]

Crunchbang?

[Sublime Porte]

I have a remaster I did which is only 240mb, just over 1gb installed, but it uses LXDE not gnome and has pretty much nothing installed, I use it on my older machines, and then load on whatever apps are suitable for the specific machine.

[PacSci]

I don't have time to get started on it again today before I have to leave, but I will get working on it as soon as I get home this afternoon (about 5 PM EST, or 10 PM UTC if my conversion skills are right). I'll shoot for about a 400MB image file.

[XubuRoxMySox]

Crunchbang?

Yup, Crunchbang (here (http://crunchbanglinux.org)). It was created from a minimal Ubuntu and designed to be lightweight and speedy. I "customized" mine to include LXDE (http://lxde.org), available in the Ubuntu repositories (which Crunchbang uses) and can be installed effortlessly using Synaptic. It is the finest true "Ubuntu Lite" distro that I've ever seen. And with the LXDE on it, it is truly "newbie friendly."

-Robin

[stwschool]

Actually crunchbang in it's pure form is user-friendly enough for most users if you just add a menu to the panel to make that a little less obtuse.

Btw if you want a fast linux but don't mind it being non-ubuntu check out Slitaz. It's bloody tiny but it's good.

[sertse]

It may well be, but if you're talking about pushing remastering to it's limits, nothing beats Debris Linux.

Ubuntu GNOME, (yes GNOME) fitted into 180mb CD. And it's gnome is very fast, even in lower hardware, considering it's Gnome.

Downloadable http://debrislinux.org/index.php ....unfortunately it uses Gutsy which is at EOL. A Hardy version will hopefully be coming out soon, the dev came back again recently.

[snowpine]

Tiny Core Linux (10mb) or SliTaz (30mb). SliTaz has an awesome utility (tazusb) for installing on a USB drive.

(Neither project is based on Ubuntu though, if that's a dealbreaker for you.)

[kutchbhi]

I don't have time to get started on it again today before I have to leave, but I will get working on it as soon as I get home this afternoon (about 5 PM EST, or 10 PM UTC if my conversion skills are right). I'll shoot for about a 400MB image file.
Thanks, but I found my distro
I used PcLinuxOS minime 2008. Its sitting nicely on my pen drive taking only 550 mb with kde running. STill have to configure it though

[cmay]

actually someone did make a smaller ubuntu iso. http://grubbn.org/otheros/showthread.php?tid=365

i tried it live and there will be made new iso soon . its better than linux mint i think.
its not a official remix however.

[PacSci]

I'm going to need to cut some more packages, so I'll remove extraneous language packs. I assume that you want English, any other languages you want to keep?

Also, do you want to keep Nvidia-related packages? I know you mentioned ATI.

[kutchbhi]

@Pasci, I think you missed my previous reply! I don't need the smaller ubuntu anymore. Sorry if I wasn't clear in my lst post

[stwschool]

@Pasci, I think you missed my previous reply! I don't need the smaller ubuntu anymore. Sorry if I wasn't clear in my lst post
You may not, but others will undoubtedly find a use for it. Personally I'd love a nice base ubuntu install with just firefox, synaptic and a window manager so I can just build up from there.

[kutchbhi]

^ Oh ok then, I tought he was making it for me, when I didn't need it anymore..

[anticapitalista]

^ Oh ok then, I tought he was making it for me, when I didn't need it anymore..

You asked someone to make one for you, he offerred, you accepted, he asks for more info to make the distro better for you, you don't want it anymore.
Hmm.

[CJ Master]

You asked someone to make one for you, he offerred, you accepted, he asks for more info to make the distro better for you, you don't want it anymore.
Hmm.

There's nothing wrong with this. If the OP found a distro that fit what he needed, there was no reason for Sci to do unecessary work. I don't quite see the need for the criticising post of yours.

[anticapitalista]

There's nothing wrong with this. If the OP found a distro that fit what he needed, there was no reason for Sci to do unecessary work. I don't quite see the need for the criticising post of yours.

Well maybe because PacSci has already done lots of 'unnecessary work' for the OP.

[PacSci]

@kutchbi: Yes, I did miss the first post - sorry.

At any rate, I was running out of packages to remove anyway. GNOME is pretty heavyweight. I'm thinking that I'll shelve the "small Ubuntu" project for now - there's Crunchbang, Debris, and others, as other posters have mentioned. Sorry if anyone was waiting on it, but I've got a disc to make that's more immediately useful.

@stwschool: I was thinking about doing something similar to that, from scratch. The only difference is that mine would have VirtualBox, and would be used as a minimal OS for virtualization. Still, something like that would be a good test for making a Live CD from scratch.

@anticapitalista: I didn't mind - it was a good learning experience for Reconstructor.