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Topic: How to make DSL smaller?, Is this also ReMastering?

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QmQ

Group: Members
Posts: 17
Joined: May 2005

Posted: May 07 2005,23:00

Hmm well that's exactly what I wanted to do in the first place, but I don't seem to be doing it right.
I need to remove a lot of non apt-get things that I do not need, but I have no idea where to find them. I know how to remove [delete :P ] FireFox and Siag but all those other programs I just can't find. I'm too new to linux to know where to look... But I'm trying :>

Anyway, after removing [or deleting] this stuff:
- Firefox
- Siag
- XMMS
- Ted [apt-get name was ted-common, I've found out that it's a text editor]
and remaking the ISO everything boots fine and works apart from the X background & icons. It doesn't simply show up and I have not the slightest idea why that is.
Any ideas?

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--=[ QmQ ]=--

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Posted: May 08 2005,03:45

Quote (QmQ @ May 07 2005,19:00)

and remaking the ISO everything boots fine and works apart from the X background & icons. It doesn't simply show up and I have not the slightest idea why that is.
Any ideas?

I think you are still trying to do that chroot thing. This will work with the original Knoppix distributions because they are pure Debian and the dependencies are fully consistent with the items on the package catalogue. The apt-get and dpkg utilities rely very heavily on the correctness of this catalogue to know what files you actually have on your system. Whenever a new software is installed (or old software modified) in a non-Debian manner (such as in DSL), the Debian tools will have no clue about this. Therefore, when you delete the Debian software using the Debian tools, you might remove some files that are needed by the non-Debian things.

My advise for you will be this: if you want to learn how to remove things, first learn how they got there in the first place.

For example, suppose you want to remove software ABCDXYZ. Search the net for the source tarball of this software (take note of the version) and unzip it somewhere on your system. Read its README and INSTALL (and Makefile if possible) files for ideas on how this software will be installed. Take note of parameters such as the default value for --prefix (/usr, /usr/local, /usr/local/ABCDXYZ, ...) and things to which this parameter is acually prefixed on. Then you will have some idea on the possible locations of the files on the system. Then if the Makefile is available, browse through it to look for the rule "install:" and the commands following it. This will tell you what things actually get installed to which locations. After noting these things down, browse through the DSL directory tree to look for these items (remember that John had to remove many things such as documentation files).

This way you do not depend on the Debian tools. And this way you get to understand what your "Programmer's DSL" will be doing when you actually get to use it later.

QmQ

Group: Members
Posts: 17
Joined: May 2005

Posted: May 08 2005,13:39

Well, that sounds like a good idea. I shall try.

So I do this:

1. Run original LiveCD DSL
2. Install gnu-utils.dsl and dsl-dpkg.dsl
3. Figure out what is where and how it got there
4. Make a copy of /KNOPPIX/
5. Based on the information I got in point 3 remove the things I don't need from that copy.
6. Recreate the KNOPPIX file and make a new .ISO

Correct me please if I'm wrong anywhere.

I just have a question about point 3 here.
Do I want to remove all things manually?
What I mean is some programs are just untared and some are installed by which I mean that they're somehow on the system's list.

For example XMMS:
It's on the apt-get list but I don't apt-get remove it. I find it's homepage, get the tarball, analyse it and then remove it manually right? What about it's availability in the system? I mean it's presence on the apt-get list. Even when I remove it manually it'll still be there right? And DSL will think it's still installed. So how to do that in a 'clean' way so that I don't crash it all.

I hope I made myself clear enough to be understood cause when I read what I've just written I myself get confused. :blues:

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--=[ QmQ ]=--

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Posted: May 08 2005,18:42

Quote (QmQ @ May 08 2005,09:39)

Even when I remove it manually it'll still be there right? And DSL will think it's still installed. So how to do that in a 'clean' way so that I don't crash it all.

DSL does not know, and it does not have the ability to know. Only the Debian package management tools will have to know. And that is why you first create the "Programmer's DSL" by adding stuff to it, then you start removing things manually. So essentially, you make use of the Debian package management (a.k.a. apt-get) to retrieve the things you need, and not use it to remove things.

On the other hand, if you were John or Robert or ke4nt1 or cbagger01 or ..., then you obviously would know which things in DSL are Debian and which are not and which Debian things are safe to purge out using Debian tools without affecting the non-Debian things.

18 replies since May 05 2005,17:07

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