Yaron, thanks for your input on what packages to keep.

For those of you who don't understand what I'm doing, I'm creating a lightweight version of Linux Mint Debian Edition.  antiX Linux proved that it's possible to lighten a heavyweight distro.  As a result, antiX Linux is 100% compatible with the Debian software repository (just like MEPIS) but gets as many speeding tickets as Puppy Linux.  The new Swift Linux has a similar mission as antiX Linux, but the parent distro is Linux Mint Debian Edition.

Swift Linux is aimed for the underpopulated lower portion of the Linux market.  The idea is to combine the power of Linux Mint with the lightness of Puppy/antiX Linux so that it works well on 10-year-old desktop computers with no resale value.  If all goes well, Swift Linux will be the premier replacement for Windows XP and an alternative to Ubuntu for FreeGeek.  (I wonder if FreeGeek is sticking with Ubuntu or looking for a replacement distro.)

A special challenge of Swift Linux is to INCLUDE LibreOffice Writer, Calc, and Impress WHILE still fitting onto a CD.  I know that even small software repositories have LibreOffice, but since LibreOffice is widely used, I'd like to give my users the convenience of having these packages preinstalled.

There are many parallels between antiX Linux and the new Swift Linux - IceWM, ROX pinboard, SLiM login manager, and the logout/reboot/shutdown scripts.

Keeping GNOME from Linux Mint Debian Edition is NOT a viable option for any lightweight distro, including Swift Linux.  GNOME has its merits, but being lightweight isn't one of them.  Puppy Linux and antiX Linux proved that user-friendliness can be lightweight.

I don't need to keep the Swift Linux ISO under 700 MB forever - just for the next several years.  When Swift Linux joins the DVD club, DVD burners need to be universal on 10-year-old computers, and the remaining holdouts need to be limited to distros like TinyCore Linux, SliTaz Linux, Puppy Linux, antiX Core, and antiX Base.

-- 
Jason Hsu
Founder and lead developer of Swift Linux http://www.swiftlinux.org