On Mon, 12 May 2008, Mike wrote:

> Still playing with my new box+OS and how to wade through all those
> install options (Too used to Slack 10.2). Does anyone have any URLs
> to lists/tips/etc. of the minimum stuff to install and still have a
> sensibly functional system for home use? I'm thinking IceWM here,
> MPlayer, Firefox etc. No haxoring, servers setups, or extended "run
> the world plus screen-saver" capacities, just the basics.
>
Unless you have limited hard drive space the simplest solution is
to install it all. I can't imagine 12.1 is a big leap in size, and
I'm only using 3.7gigs for Slack 12.

Installing things doesn't mean you have to use them, yet having
them installed means you don't fuss over what's needed and what's
not needed. It's also nice and easy to play with new things, you
just have to call them rather than install them (and maybe having
to figure out what package first). You can play with all the
window managers, trying them all and seeing how some are nearly
identical.

When you use the system, then you can decide what you don't need
because you'll know what you are actually using. So if you have
it installed for months and don't use emacs or vi, then you can
be reasonably sure you can live without one or the other or both.

Michael