I don't know if this hypothesis is correct. But I can see a resolution here. People that don't know what they're doing would be best served having common software installed (I think). Otherwise, without basic application suites, they mistakenly assume that's all there is...and it won't do.
People that do know what they're doing can pretty easily do whatever they want. Ie, they can uninstall stuff (though depending upon their initial cluefulness, they may break their installation badly in the process).
Am I missing something? Solus install is pretty basic and not overly loaded with fluff anyway (imo). I usually have to add only about 5 packages to get pretty much everything I immediately require (though obviously, I keep adding stuff as something comes up). I was thinking yesterday that I needed a disk upgrade (lol). Or maybe I just decrease my windows install and give Solus more of it.
In these days, disk space is cheap and it's better to have more apps I think.

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  • Post #12

I don't get the hype with minimal installs. It won't slow your machine down whether it has LibreOffice or not.

    [deleted] Linux is about choice, control and transparency. Sure, having LibreOffice will not slow anyone down. But removing it and then hunting down and removing dependencies and then installing another office suite does slow down the deployment.

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        • Post #14

        XerXes And Solus is about home computing and providing sane ootb experience. I can't even remember how much time I spent on "deploying" my home desktop that I had to install only once about two years ago

            But how many times are you going to 'deploy'? Once or twice I would think.

            [deleted] That's not the point and I don't look at it from my perspective alone.

            People are moving to Solus from other distros or Windows, because it has a certain good reputation. And that reputation could be improved by having a base minimal install.

            I can give you an example:

            1. User is moving from Windows 10.
            2. He doesn't want Firefox or Thunderbird or Gnome MPV or Rhythmbox or Libreoffice and many other things
            3. He wants Chrome/Opera, Kodi, Geary, and many other things.
            4. Updating the system is pointless after installing, because he will only be smashing Solus servers, wasting bandwidth and time updating software he doesn't need.
            5. So first he has to remove stuff he doesn't like, which will waste time, he will then want to remove dependencies, which will waste time even more and he could potentially brick the system while doing it.
            6. Then he installs software he needs.
            7. Update the rest of the system
            8. ???
            9. PROFIT!

            Instead of:

            1. Install base system
            2. Immediately upgrade to newest packages
            3. Install only the software he likes/needs
            4. All set in 10 minutes as opposed to 40.
            5. Reputation of Solus as both casual and advanced user friendly distro is increased.
            6. Ubuntu provides minimal install. Is Solus worse than Ubuntu? 😃 JK

              Well for one, there are FAR more maintainers on the Ubuntu side, Solus is a small distro. Ubuntu also has corporate backing, ie getting paid for doing job.

                I actually like this idea, to have a choice in the installer, just to untick a tickbox or something, and you will only get the bare minimum.

                I would love it.

                To uninstall a lot of stuff (as I always have to do) right after a "clean" install is not a good experience for people who want to decide themselves.

                dbarron I can't say for sure, but "blacklisting" applications from installing and then maintaining said "blacklist" in future releases should not be all that hard.

                I mean Solus already maintains Budgie, Mate, Gnome and plans to maintain Plasma too.

                When I said to Ikey - "core Solus team should maintain only Budgie and let other DE's be respins maintained by the community, he said - it's. not that big of an issue to maintain other DE's"

                Another thing is - there's this thing called Windows 10 LTSC. It doesn't have most if the MS BS pre-installed. No Cortana, no Edge, no Windows Store and the like. You can postpone updates and many other things that were considered normal and "how things should be"

                I can assure you, users would buy this version like hot cakes if they could, but they can't, cos it's Enterprise only.

                Many users want a clean OS that they control and it's setup the way they like as fast as possible.

                Now Solus defaults are very good and I'm sure a lot of people will say "hey, this us good enough for me, that's all I use anyway" and it's fine, 2 thumbs up for Solus team. I'm just saying that if a minimal install feature is not that hard to implement and maintain - it would be a good thing to have. That's all. Solus devs are gonba do what they gonna do anyway, no matter what I say.

                    No, just that it's one more thing (and you know that the last straw can break the camel's back?). I agree not a big thing, but a lot of little things add up to mountains.

                      dbarron in my line of work, I also say "No" more often than "Yes", because I know how quickly the "Yes'es" add up.

                      I made my case and defended it. It's up to the team to consider it. And if no is no, I'm fine with it.

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                        • Post #22
                        • Edited

                        Well, I think Josh just stated it the best. I don't think an user transitioning from Windows 10 would mind the existence of Geary or Rhythmbox.

                        JoshStrobl

                        Our target is not the same people that would want to customize the hell our of their system, build loads of packages from scratch just because they can, have minimal installs, etc. Those people can install Arch or Gentoo. As I've mentioned before, our market is not the 1% that already uses Linux (or trying to woo a few percentage of that 1%), it's the 99% that does

                          Forget the Windows 10 discussion. It would be nice for people that just want a pure clean install.

                          This option should be available for all distros out there.

                          I am brand new to this whole Linux thing - I don't think I even have 4 months yet. I ended up over here at Solus because it was the exact opposite of other Distros - - - which is the point of why I picked it.
                          Do I have to use the whole ( apt get - sudo - dd - terminal crawl down this rabbit hole Stand on your left foot while rubbing your belly ) to add somethnig that I have to go chase down from a totally different website. Then guess what nope not 5.0.1.2 you have to get 4.9.3.11 for your install and you have to get it from this site ( insert url ) / guess what the wife did , correct nothing it was absolutely lost on her. Myself I have crashed every single distro I tried that in.
                          I can tell a seasoned Linux user from a person with no tech bouncing around in them at all by what I have read on the help sections of the distros I have had problems with. Soon as they tell the person you want to go in to the terminal - the person is thinking I don't need a train or a plane - why do I need to go in to a Terminal ? The whole terminal was lost on me for a full month, and I still would rather be infested with Fire Ants then use Terminal.
                          It's not that I can't learn all of it if I wanted to, but I have better things to do then sit in front of a computer all day learning all of it. With Solus I downloaded the ISO / left click write to USB / shoved USB in computer and turned on the comp - then it self installed, left click install OS icon, left clicked through the install prompts, and done.
                          The system has not crashed yet, not a single error, I have yet to need to mess around with in " dd or terminal or bash files " and that makes this Old Man very very happy.
                          It makes my Wife Very Happy as well , and A Happy Wife is A Happy Life - don't care about the monikers or handles or nick names. I get homemade cookies, a warm meal, and clean clothes with out the need to ask or beg.

                          Keep Solus just like it is it is great , for those of us that don't want to keep fiddling and piddling with it after it's installed.
                          Souls from what I noticed as a new user of Linux proves it does not need to be overly complicated or labor intensive to end up and a working simple easy to understand straightforward install.

                          So much for my / no I am going to just scroll on by - I am not wading off in the middle of that.

                          P.S. I am running Solus Budgie on a very small resource limited notebook. Worked well enough to make this post.

                          XerXes Your comment has been deleted. Their post / contribution to this discussion is perfectly fine. Future remarks of this nature will result in account suspension.

                            Account suspended. Geez I wish people could just have civil discussions. Anyways, everyone feel free to continue this discussion. Believe it or not, I am interested in hearing your thoughts on why you would want a minimal install.

                              XerXes - come on now - I was simply offering a view from a different perspective.
                              From a user who comes to Linux or i.e. in this case Solus with zero Linux experience.
                              The wife has not the time nor interest to learn all the things Linux is capable of doing.

                              I merely gave an example of the simplicity of the install in this case Solus. Some linux require a tad more interaction and a couple distro need a lot. Solus just happens to be more straightforward - point and click, read click type of install.

                              The intent is not to create anger or animosity but simply to offer a perspective from a non-linux users point of view.

                                XerXes I can assure you, users would buy this version like hot cakes if they could, but they can't, cos it's Enterprise only.

                                I think you overestimate how much the average user cares about any of that. Hint: They don't. The average user just wants their stuff to work, and get stuff done. The people who care about things like customizable software installation and minimum installs are not the average user.