[ILUG] Minimal Desktop / Workstation Install [long by now !]

[Rick Moen]

Quoting Breathnach, Proinnsias (Dublin) (breatpro at exchange.ie.ml.com):

> The idea is that I'll be able to get a reasonable (looking) desktop
> and have the nice features that users expect (including an
> MSoffice-compatible suite), and the receipe for doing so ... the
> hardware isn't the issue, and we do appriciate that it's going to be
> slow ... I already have it working here, it's just that the space is
> more of an issue ...

If you're going insist on using Red Hat 7.2 with 2 GB of available
disk space, then you're going to have to learn how to pare down the
installation appropriately -- and then use something like SystemImager
to stamp out disk images.  Expect to spend some time working out the
list of packages you need, and eliminating those you don't (dependencies
permitting).  "Recipe"?  You're dreaming, again.

> ...the question is more "What utils would be considered _necessary_
> for a user workstation - before you get to the OO.org / Evolution etc
> stage ?"

I might be the only person having this problem, for all I know, but I 
can't tell from the above what you mean by "utils" or by "before".
Are you asking what packages (in general, not just utilities) from RH
7.2 are essential to a pared-down workstation configuration that will
then host OpenOffice.org and Evolution?

If so, then (1) you really can and should determine that through direct
experience.  See for yourself.  And (2) you're giving such inconsistent
information, I can't see how the question can be answered at all.

In particular, you have said several times that hardware will not be the 
issue, once you get the expected higher-grade machines than the current
P133, 64MB RAM, 2GB SCSI HD machine.  However, you didn't say what sort
of eventual target machines can be expected.  4.3 GB hard drives?  9 GB?  
128 MB RAM?  256MB?

Those things make a huge difference.  Linux-supporting desktop hardware
can in some cases be fairly feeble, and in other cases must be very well
equipped, depending entirely on what software it must support.  The GIMP 
is RAM-hungry, as are Evolution, KMail, the usual KDE and GNOME
configurations, and to a degree OpenOffice.org.  OpenOffice.org grabs a
1/4 GB of disk space.  The Enlightenment desktop takes huge gobs of
processing power.  And so on.

-- 
Cheers,   The difference between common sense and paranoia is that common sense
Rick Moen     is thinking everyone is out to get you.  That's normal; they are.
rick at linuxmafia.com      Paranoia is thinking they're conspiring.  -- J. Kegler