12-21-2014, 12:26 AM
I have come very late (perhaps too late?) to this debate as I am still trying out various Linux distros and find it hard to keep up with all the forums. I'm not going to comment on the "which browser" debate, but focus on the original question. I offer thoughts as a WinXP refugee and non-techie newcomer to Linux.
1) CD versus DVD is not the key criterion. I don't think squeezing new releases of LL on to a CD is critical. DVDs are cheap, and are probably much more widely used. Most disk drives now handle both CDs and DVDs. If new users are really stuck with old computers that can't cope with a DVD, they are probably going to be looking at something even lighter than LL (like Puppy). The pursuit of "Lite"ness is rather because.......
2) What's important is that Linux Lite should be "lite" in operation. I don't know if I'm typical, but what attracted me was that LL would - I hoped - not make heavy demands on CPU, RAM, and graphics-processing (on all of which, older computers are "underpowered") when actually running.
3) A browser is important to newcomers. First, newbies are more likely than seasoned distro-hoppers to run their choices - or shortlist - of Linux distros for extended Live sessions, over weeks or months. If no browser is included in the Live media, then this severely limits the scope for newbies to check out how LL works with music, video, Flash, etc etc. Having a very limited browser capable only of accessing the online webpages is a neat idea, but I suspect will cause frustration.
4) Choice of browser still matters. For EU competition reasons Microsoft has long been obliged to invite users to choose if they want an alternative to bundled IE. Linux (open-source, community-based) has traditionally tended to look to Firefox (ditto) - and given how widely FF is used now, it is still the most sensible default. It is surely very simple to offer the option to change via the software manager once a distro is installed if a user has a personal preference for an alternative.
5) If slimming the Linux Lite package is the objective, then look at other options. Everyone, but everyone, needs a browser, either from the start (in Live session) or certainly as soon as they install. It is an essential, and is needed from Day 1. If the LL package needs to be pruned, then target those elements which are discretionary, or less "urgent", or much more a matter of individual choice. I can think of two potentially bulky areas which could be tackled - as follows:
6) One possibility would be not to include the entire LibreOffice bundle - which is big - in the initial package. I have tried one distro (can't now recall the name) which just included LibreOffice Manager. This meant that after installation or when office-software was needed, the Manager could 'call down' the relevant component of LibreOffice for installation. (Another sizeable piece of software is Gimp: could that be left out for users to install later - in the grounds that new users are unlikely to be doing much image-editing until after they have installed the OS?
7) Can the Games-related software be pruned? Games - and the software to run them - are often bulky too. More to the point, while everyone has to browse, not everyone is into games. Could Steam be left out - for those who wanted it to install it later?
I confess I have no idea how much space would be saved (compared to omission of a browser) by any of my suggestions. But I do think that cutting out the browser is not the best move: I suspect that having no normal browser for use in Live sessions may deter, or alienate, potential new users.
1) CD versus DVD is not the key criterion. I don't think squeezing new releases of LL on to a CD is critical. DVDs are cheap, and are probably much more widely used. Most disk drives now handle both CDs and DVDs. If new users are really stuck with old computers that can't cope with a DVD, they are probably going to be looking at something even lighter than LL (like Puppy). The pursuit of "Lite"ness is rather because.......
2) What's important is that Linux Lite should be "lite" in operation. I don't know if I'm typical, but what attracted me was that LL would - I hoped - not make heavy demands on CPU, RAM, and graphics-processing (on all of which, older computers are "underpowered") when actually running.
3) A browser is important to newcomers. First, newbies are more likely than seasoned distro-hoppers to run their choices - or shortlist - of Linux distros for extended Live sessions, over weeks or months. If no browser is included in the Live media, then this severely limits the scope for newbies to check out how LL works with music, video, Flash, etc etc. Having a very limited browser capable only of accessing the online webpages is a neat idea, but I suspect will cause frustration.
4) Choice of browser still matters. For EU competition reasons Microsoft has long been obliged to invite users to choose if they want an alternative to bundled IE. Linux (open-source, community-based) has traditionally tended to look to Firefox (ditto) - and given how widely FF is used now, it is still the most sensible default. It is surely very simple to offer the option to change via the software manager once a distro is installed if a user has a personal preference for an alternative.
5) If slimming the Linux Lite package is the objective, then look at other options. Everyone, but everyone, needs a browser, either from the start (in Live session) or certainly as soon as they install. It is an essential, and is needed from Day 1. If the LL package needs to be pruned, then target those elements which are discretionary, or less "urgent", or much more a matter of individual choice. I can think of two potentially bulky areas which could be tackled - as follows:
6) One possibility would be not to include the entire LibreOffice bundle - which is big - in the initial package. I have tried one distro (can't now recall the name) which just included LibreOffice Manager. This meant that after installation or when office-software was needed, the Manager could 'call down' the relevant component of LibreOffice for installation. (Another sizeable piece of software is Gimp: could that be left out for users to install later - in the grounds that new users are unlikely to be doing much image-editing until after they have installed the OS?
7) Can the Games-related software be pruned? Games - and the software to run them - are often bulky too. More to the point, while everyone has to browse, not everyone is into games. Could Steam be left out - for those who wanted it to install it later?
I confess I have no idea how much space would be saved (compared to omission of a browser) by any of my suggestions. But I do think that cutting out the browser is not the best move: I suspect that having no normal browser for use in Live sessions may deter, or alienate, potential new users.