Achieving a No-Bloat, Bare-Bones Debian GNOME Setup

In this article, I’ll document all the steps to achieve a stripped-down, minimal Debian installation with GNOME without the unnecessary bloat.

Steps for a Minimal GNOME Debian Install:

1. Start with a Minimal Debian Installation: I began by following the Debian installer GUI, opting for a minimal setup. When prompted to select additional software, I unchecked the option for the desktop environment, keeping only the web server, SSH server, and the system tools. This gave me a bare-bones Debian install, with just the essential system utilities and no GUI applications.
   
   
2. Install Essential GNOME Components: To set up a minimal GNOME desktop environment, I installed only the core GNOME session and related tools:
   
   sudo apt install gnome-session gnome-shell gnome-control-center gnome-terminal
   
   These packages provide the GNOME session manager, the shell, the control center for settings, and the terminal—just the essentials. No extra apps like GNOME Maps or Photos were installed.
   
   
3. Purge ifupdown and Prepare for NetworkManager: Next, I purged ifupdown to make room for NetworkManager:
   
   sudo apt-get purge ifupdown
   
   While this reboot isn’t strictly necessary, I chose to reboot the system to ensure all network configurations were reset and the system was in a clean state.
   
   
4. Install NetworkManager: With ifupdown removed, I installed NetworkManager to handle network connections:
   
   sudo apt install network-manager
   
   While it could’ve been installed without rebooting, I followed the traditional reboot approach to ensure that NetworkManager would properly start on boot.
   
   
5. Configure NetworkManager: Upon reboot, I confirmed that NetworkManager wasn’t automatically managing my network interface. I edited the configuration file to enable management of all network devices:
   
   sudo nano /etc/NetworkManager/NetworkManager.conf
   
   I set managed=true under the [ifupdown] section. After saving the changes, I restarted NetworkManager:
   
   sudo systemctl restart NetworkManager
   
   
6. Final Reboot and Network Setup: After another reboot, everything was working as expected. NetworkManager was now managing my network interfaces, and I had a fully functional internet connection.

Conclusion

By following these steps, I successfully created the most minimal GNOME environment ever on Debian, using only the core GNOME components necessary for the desktop environment. With this foundation in place, I can now add any other software I use while maintaining a clean and minimal system.