Re: linux distro for ratpoison/minimalist config on laptop?

Greg Minshall <[email protected]> writes:

> hi.  i normally run on a Mac (and run rp under Apple's X), but now i'm
> interested in using Linux on a PC laptop.
>
> i don't want a "desktop environment", but do want X in order to run RP,
> emacs, firefox, gnuplot, etc.
>
> i'm a Linux newbie (but BSD oldie).  it seems if i load, e.g., Ubuntu,
> it deals with my hardware (ethernet, wifi, suspend/resume), but comes
> with a plethora of what i assume to be desktop software, stuff i don't
> want.
>
> any suggestion on a distribution, or what i should do post-install to
> get rid of the crud (but maintain the functionality)?
>
> thanks for asking this list, but it seems the most cultural-compatible.

Do you want auto-mount of USB drives?  How about NetworkManager?  If you
want to use it, are you content with nmcli?  What about various apps
that depend on a system/notification tray?  Skype?  Dropbox?  All this
is to say, you might not want as minimal a system as at first you think
you do.

Food for thought,
Ross