Minimal version of Whonix-Gateway

Support
1

Could you prepare the minimal version of Whonix-Gateway, the console/terminal version only? Many of us don’t use the GUI and tons of apps included there. The updating unneeded packages hurts on internet from GSM network. And the size of disk image is around 4 GB, max of many pendrives. Nobody cares about it? What do you think about that? Thanks for all developers and testers for your great work.

2

Edit by Patrick:

There’s work being done on simplifying building Whonix from source which should make modifying Whonix easier.

3
Nobody cares about it? What do you think about that?
We discussed this previously (I don't find the respective thread atm). It was changed with Whonix 7 to make it more user/newbie-friendly. Personally I feel just the way you do. You outlined some reasons for your opinion already. I'd like to add, that a bloated Gateway highers the attack surface significantly (which somehow seems to be kind of a contradiction with Whonix' goals to me).

Anyways, as Occq already pointed out, you may build a “hardened”/minimal Gateway from source still.

Not sure if a continued discussion about the matter is appreciated? If it actually is, taking the opportunity, we also could continue the general KDE bloatware/resource-hog discussion btw :stuck_out_tongue:

Edit by Patrick:
attack surface addressed here Why is the the gateway image almost as big as the workstation-image? - #4 by Patrick

4
If it actually is, taking the opportunity, we also could continue the general KDE bloatware/resource-hog discussion btw :P
While I'm at it (again), I'd like to point Whonix developers to at least two attempts known to me to make KDE less bloated and thus useful on lower-end hardware.
  1. Kubuntu Low Fat in Launchpad
  2. hackweek9: Lightweight KDE Desktop project - updated | blogs.kde.org
5

Regarding a minimal version (no desktop environment or additional applications). Can it be done by only modifying 30_skip_packages file and telling it what packages to skip?

Example:

## This file is part of Whonix.
## Copyright (C) 2012 - 2014 Patrick Schleizer <adrelanos@riseup.net>
## See the file COPYING for copying conditions.

whonix_build_script_whonix_package+=" whonix-shared-desktop-kde "
whonix_build_script_whonix_package+=" whonix-shared-kde-accessibility "
whonix_build_script_whonix_package+=" whonix-workstation-default-applications "

Website says more is needed but I thought I’d ask. Making a skip-this script is a great idea.

https://www.whonix.org/wiki/Physical_Isolation#Terminal-Only_Builds_.28Optional.29

6

That would work, but that would be quite difficult for non-developers, it would would require:

Using a build configuration folder outside of Whonix’s source code folder is much simpler as per:

(Whonix ™ Source Code Introduction)

7

Yes,John Howard better to build it from source yourself,but it need more knowledge to use.
Im also care about it,but right now it stands next after preferable for me now.

8

Looking at the control file, whonix-workstation-langpack-common and whonix-shared-desktop-langpack-kde don’t get installed by default, yes?

What about whonix-workstation-extra-applications?

9
Looking at the control file, whonix-workstation-langpack-common and whonix-shared-desktop-langpack-kde don't get installed by default, yes?
Yes.
What about whonix-workstation-extra-applications?
Also doesn't get installed by default.