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This might be just one time observation but minimal installation took more time than the normal installation. Then I looked at the logs while installation, and observed that some software packages like libreoffice,Thunderbird, Transmission ... are being removed. So my question is

Does ubuntu-desktop minimal installation just installs all packages that the normal installation installs and then removes some?

If yes, why? why install them in the first place?

EDIT

Just to be clear:

"Minimal installation" is a new option in the Ubuntu 18.04 Desktop installer, not to be confused with the minimal ISO (see tag "ubuntu-minimal")

Aven Desta
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  • Hmmm. My minimal installations are much faster than Desktop, and a bit faster than Server. There are several possible "minimal" images that you could mean. Edit your question to clearly show us exactly which Ubuntu .iso you are using, and which installation options you are selecting. – user535733 Mar 06 '20 at 23:50
  • @user535733, by minimal installation, I meant minimal desktop installation. Ubuntu lets you choose if you want a minimal or normal installation, during the ubuntu-desktop installation. I am referring to that. If you hover over the ```minimal-install``` tag, you'll see ```"Minimal installation" is a new option in the Ubuntu 18.04 Desktop installer, not to be confused with the minimal ISO (see tag "ubuntu-minimal")``` – Aven Desta Mar 07 '20 at 05:50

1 Answers1

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Ubuntu install DVD's are of the type "live DVD" https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Live_CD

A live DVD is a copy of the authors installed OS, compressed to usually a 1.? to 3.? GB "squashfs file" ( = an OS image ). Thus everything is installed at OS install time by simply uncompressing the squashfs file. Hence the short install time. The installed files are registered as "installed packages" in the apt data base.

If surplus packages for some reasons are installed, they will be removed in the OS install process. ( apt remove [package name] ).

Knud Larsen
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  • Couldn't the Ubuntu developers just create a live DVD, that has only the minimal packages. Why go so far as to install all packages then remove some, instead of not installing them in the first place? – Aven Desta Nov 28 '20 at 08:12
  • Many of the main Linux distributions have a full selection of {DVD.iso´s, Live-DVD.iso, Minimal-DVD.iso, cdrom sets, a small netinstall.iso}. .... Ubuntu has one choice: A live DVD.iso . – Knud Larsen Nov 28 '20 at 13:47