Ubuntu is a great distib but if you want a simple web server with php/mysql support you might wanna try the Ubuntu “father” Debian. The small installation cd ( 160 Mega ) can be downloaded from this link.
Spending a lot of time in Ubuntu made me acquainted with a lot of the basic commands. But I wasn’t really prepared for what Debian can offer the new user. It’s Ubuntu without the ease of use.
Let’s start with the basic CD. The distribution we are interested is ETCH. This contains the minimalistic wrap up so you can install Debian with no extra packages. You have to go back in time and install it without a modern GUI.
But the process is simple , you can partition your drives and after a few questions you have to set a root password and a user password.
The second shock was the lack of repositories added by default. You don’t have access to anything unless you start updating the repository file and make an update.
The sudo command is not installed in DEBIAN. You can use su to change the user to root and start messing with the config files.
Start edit the repository config file with vi :
vi /etc/apt/sources.list
And add this info
- deb http://ftp.debian.org/debian/ etch main contrib non-free
- deb-src http://ftp.debian.org/debian/ etch main contrib non-free
Next update your repository.
apt-get update
The best thing about installing Debian is the realization of how much Ubuntu distro evolved for the benefit of a first time user.
What DEBIAN lacks on the small installation cd :
1.A GUI install interface
2.Default added repositories
3.sudo command
You are ready for the next step : Installing Apache with PHP And Mysql Support.