I’m looking for a Debian based distro that has the same install process as arch. I hate bloated distros and haven’t been able to find anything yet. Anyone know of a distro like this?
You will want the argument
--no-install-recommends
Also I advise to
- use sid
- use BTRFS
- use pipewire, systemd, Wayland
- use Flatpaks for user apps
That way you will have a modern Distro with updated and not breaking apps with often official support, and the base is Debian but not thaaat Debian.
Your answer is in the official Debian installation guide:
D.3. Installing Debian GNU/Linux from a Unix/Linux System
Thanks you, finally a non removed who doesn’t understand that arch isn’t installed through calamares or debian-install
Glad I could contribute something.
If you want more tips: Choose the channel that suites you best. If you like arch, you probably like rolling distros. You could skip the stable channel and go for testing or unstable and that’d provide you with an experience alike a rolling release model. That isn’t officially supported… Debian focuses on getting security patches into stable, not necessarily the other channels. That’s why stable is recommended. However, the other ones work great and Debian usually do a good job with keeping them well-maintained, too. I run testing on my laptop and I like it.
AntiX-Core is what you need. I found a ‘stable LTS and true minimalist system’ without dbus, elogin, and systemd. You can check the installation here from anticapitalista. Create this from VM, snapshot, and install on your device.
It doesn’t matter what the question is antiX is the answer.
Apart from antiX in recent years making tremendous strides in being truly systemd free it is more stable than debian, since systemd keeps releasing more and more buggy complexities such as systemd-boot
antiX also has stable/testing/unstable branches, but experience from the past proves that even sid/unstable is a very usable daily work system. Sid is close to arch but +5 architectures x2 32/64
Just… Install arch?
Maybe Bunsenlabs will do ? : https://www.bunsenlabs.org/installation.html
And you can install Debian with the net install iso https://www.debian.org/CD/netinst/ and then choose as minimal as you prefer.
I’m looking for a Debian based distro
I hate bloated distros
So… Debian?
It would be nice if it installed a bootloader, but bootloaders got left behind in 2022 when installing debian actually works for me
Debian server… maybe
The glacial pace of release will annoy the F out of all the shiny stuff chasers in this community.
You are indeed drawing a line between tinkerers (interested in the ‘best’ system) and users looking for stability, so they can actually do shit. I fall in the second category and imho an OS should be invisible.
If you lived through 3.0 nothing feels glacial.
Just use Testing or unstable
Debian is extremely bloated if you install a desktop and dont actively block installing all the soft deps
You can install Debian like Arch. Look at debootstrap and/or the Debian manual under manual installation. It’s actually a pretty streamlined process, especially if you’re coming from Arch.
honestly doing a minimal install no DE just base utilities and a shell and apt is the way to go. Just install the packages you want and go from there. I also recommend Sid for that arch feel but be sure to install apt-listchanges and apt-listbugs to help with upgrades.
I recommend installing aptitude for a nice ncurses interface and then browsing the metapackages tree for an easier time installing stuff. You can configure aptitude on whether you want it to install recommended or suggested packages, so if you want the minimal, just disable both.
Aptitude also has great visual handling of orphaned dependencies.
- download the Netinst ISO
- install Debian without any GUI or “bloat”
- ???
- profit
Debian itself never works. It fails to install a bootloader no matter what iso I use.
I’d be the last person on earth to defend debian or systemd-boot that has turned linux into a garage project, but could it be that you are booting the image in legacy/bios mode and attempt an EFI installation? This is hackish to do since /sys/…/efi… doesn’t exist.
If you insure you are booting in efi mode then it should work out. If not chroot into the installation and follow the procedure of installing the bootloader manually.
Oh I had to go into my bios to select debian. ITS ALIVE!!!
I remember my first time using a UEFI system
https://minios.dev/ + ventoy
You can debootstrab your debian yourself. It’s not the same as arch but even more configurable
Debian. The basic install is very bare bones.
Just install arch if that’s what you want.
Otherwise, RTFM - debootstrap.
Debian Sid, tho?
If I well understood you, what you want is Debian with a great intaller. Don’t search anymore, there is the great Spiral Linux! Enjoy it.
a great installer
Please say you don’t mean the Flatpak GUI manager.