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RPiAwesomeness
Asked: 2013-12-28 17:01:00 +0800 CST

Difference between Lubuntu Mini Core and Lubuntu Mini Desktop

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I'm looking at using the minimal install for Lubuntu 13.10 on a Power PC iBook G4. I was originally going with the full Lubuntu 12.04 for PPC version on USB, but as of yet I have been unable to boot from USB and the DVD doesn't boot.

So, I looked into using the minimal install, as it can fit on a CD. However, I'm not sure whether to go with the Lubuntu 13.10 Mini Desktop or Lubuntu 13.10 Mini Core?

What's the difference? Is it the number of non-essential packages included (like Abiword, Leafpad, etc.) or what?

Thanks!

installation

2 Answers

  1. Best Answer

    You are correct that difference is the packages included in each option.

    Installation options for minimal, core, and full desktop are given at Lubuntu Minimal Install.

    The minimal version is the same as the standard ubuntu-minimal metapackage. The list of packages included is given at Saucy ubuntu-minimal.

    The core version is installed on top of minimal. The list of packages it provides is given at Saucy lubuntu-core.

    The packages in the full version are listed at Saucy lubuntu-desktop.

    Keep in mind that the minimal install does not include a graphical desktop at all. The core install has a basic lxde desktop, but does not include certain graphical tools like network-manager-gnome. If you are dependent on wifi, you will need to set it up manually or install NetworkManager from removable media before you can do updates or install additional packages.

    The minimal install uses, I believe, a textual installer similar to the Ubuntu server and Debian textual installer.

    PowerPC is no longer officially supported but is supported by the community. See PowerPC FAQ in the Ubuntu wiki for more information.

    PowerPC downloads are also linked from the wiki. Most of the links take you to the daily builds (14.04), but you can get to other releases by navigating the directories.

    A PowerPC iso for Lubuntu is available. You should be able to just install the full Lubuntu with that image and not worry about starting with the minimal install.

    The list of packages in the PowerPC image, by the way, is given in the ubuntu-13.10-desktop-powerpc.manifest. If in the end the regular install won't run on your computer, you would need to do the minimal install, then download and burn the full PowerPC image to use the media as a repository to install the rest of the packages.

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  2. I don't know the specific packages, but the difference between core and desktop in any in general Ubuntu distributions it seems safe to extrapolate:

    Core is the "core" requirements for the system to minimally function and no more. Usually this means no Desktop or Xorg is installed. However, as this is called Lubuntu core, I seems safe to assume Xorg and LXDE are installed, but no extra widgets, applications or helper scripts, such as a graphical network manager will be present.

    Since core is the base requirements for any system, all of core should be contained within any other Lubuntu distribution, as such, Lubuntu Mini Desktop. Or to rephrase, Lubuntu Mini Desktop should have ALL of the packages in Lubuntu Mini Core, plus some extra packages to make it usable to an average user, like a graphical way to configure your internet connection.

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