Upgrade to minimal Gnome Desktop Environment (Gnome Shell) from minimal F18 install

[German Rios G]

Silent version: Example for my hardware, you need to adapt it a little for yours

# yum -y install yum-presto

1. # yum -y install mesa-dri-drivers xorg-x11-drv-evdev xorg-x11-drv-synaptics xorg-x11-drv-nouveau gnome-shell gnome-js-common gnome-panel network-manager-applet
   
   
2. # yum -y install alsa-firmware iwl5000-firmware alsa-plugins-pulseaudio xdg-user-dirs-gtk
   
   
3. # yum -y install plymouth-theme-charge
   # plymouth-set-default-theme charge --rebuild-initrd
   # grub2-mkconfig -o /boot/grub2/grub.cfg
   
   
4. # useradd -c "Your Pretty User Name" -g users -G wheel your_user_name
   # passwd your_user_name
   (When you press enter in the above command, it will be prompt to you for a password for your user name)
   # hostnamectl set-hostname --static your_host_name
   
   
5. # ln -sf /usr/lib/systemd/system/graphical.target /etc/systemd/system/default.target
   
   
6. # systemctl enable --force gdm.service
   
   
7. # yum -y install gnome-terminal google-droid-sans-mono-fonts gedit nautilus
   
   
8. # yum -y install firefox
   or
   # rpm --import https://dl-ssl.google.com/linux/linux_signing_key.pub
   # echo -e "[google-chrome] \nname=google-chrome \nbaseurl=http://dl.google.com/linux/chrome/rpm/stable/x86_64 \nenabled=1 \ngpgcheck=1" > /etc/yum.repos.d/google-chrome.repo
   # yum -y install google-chrome-stable

# reboot

Verbose version:

This approach is useful for ensure you only install the things you are going to use in a gnome shell desktop environment and do not fight with the anaconda installer in this regard.

Requirements: A minimal installation of Fedora 18 Spherical Cow and a working internet connection.

Note #1: In my specific case, I did this installation from my wired network that is supported out of the box

Note #2: I did so because my wifi card needs the firmware iwl5000-firmware and I can not install the "Hardware Support" group in the anaconda installer

Note #3: yum-presto strip down the total downloaded packages and consequently save time in the installation

1. Mandatory
   
   mesa-dri-drivers: Needed for display gnome-shell
   xorg-x11-drv-evdev: Needed for input key strokes
   xorg-x11-drv-synaptics: Needed for mouse support
   xorg-x11-drv-your_graphics_hardware (intel, nouveau [Nvidia], ati, openchrome [VIA], etc.): Needed for video
   gnome-shell: Self explainable
   gnome-js-common: Needed for gnome-shell to render
   gnome-panel: Needed for the fall-back mode
   network-manager-applet: Needed for the network manager interface to display the configuration of your networks
   
   
2. Optional
   
   alsa-firmware: For certain sound cards if you like to enable sound in your system
   your_wifi_card_family_name-firmware: For certain wifi cards if you like to enable wifi connection
   alsa-plugins-pulseaudio: For the applications like pepper flash inside of chrome/ium and others, without native support for pulseaudio
   xdg-user-dirs-gtk: Sets the Gtk bookmark file and tracks changes of the locale to notify the user on login about changed directory names
   
   
3. plymouth-theme-your_favorite_theme: Theme for the graphical boot
   grub2-mkconfig -o /boot/grub2/grub.cfg: This is for generate a properly updated list of boot options in the grub after the previous command (Off topic: this applies when you install a kernel update too)
   
   
4. Add an administator user
   Note #1: The -c parameter is for a comment about the user, and it is used for the gnome shell as the user name displayed in the right upper corner of the screen, you can skip it and change it later through users accounts in the gnome control center
   Off topic: My system is in english, but my name have a special accent, so for the contend of my -c parameter I need to run before the creation of my user account # loadkeys us-acentos this temporary change the layout of my keyboard and then go back again to use # loadkeys us
   
   hostnamectl set-hostname --static your_host_name: This is the name of your computer in the network, you can skip it and change it later through details and device name in the gnome control center
   
   
5. Set boot in graphical mode by default
   
   
6. Set the Gnome Desktop Manager (gdm) by default
   
   
7. Applications
   
   gnome-terminal: Terminal emulator
   google-droid-sans-mono-fonts: A font for use with gnome-terminal
   gedit: Text editor
   nautilus: File manager
   
   
8. Additional
   
   firefox or google-chrome-stable: maybe for look up a post installation guide and finish the installation of your desktop

PD: Sorry for my English, it is not my native language, and for the post, this is my firts one

[DBelton]

Very good post I possibly have been going about the install all wrong since they stripped out the customize packages option. I was going about it like install the desktop, and strip out what I don't want. But your method appears to be the better option. Install the bare system and add what I want. I am in the process right now of installing F18 RC2, but I believe I will re-install and try just the bare minimum install and add what I need, comparing the times it takes to get the system I want.

Originally Posted by German Rios G

[*]Set boot in graphical mode by default
Note: I tried first with graphicalmode.target but it does not work, and I do not why

Did you try graphical.target? It's not graphicalmode.target as you put above, it's graphical.target

[German Rios G]

About the time! of installation, two things comes to my mind, the first in the net installation depends on your internet connection speed the yum-presto can strip down the total downloaded packages and speed up a little the overall time result, the second is setup and use the dvd repository if someone is interested in that method, tell me, and I will update the post to include it!

About the misspelled in the graphical.target I am going to check it out, but I am pretty sure in the moment that I did it, I ran a ls in the directory and typed the right name

[bkahuna]

[*]# useradd -g wheel -G dialout your_user_name
[*]# yum -y gnome-terminal google-droid-sans-mono-fonts gedit nautilus

in useradd, should include -m for creating home directory, and possibly -s for changing the shell (to zsh, imho). and initial users as wheel? maybe users, with -G wheel,audio,video,lp,dialout

I think you meant to have yum -y install gnome-terminal...

Great guide! I was looking for something like this for my laptop when F18 comes out.

[German Rios G]

me and my fingers! Thank you, I already include the missing install, for the another hand about the add user section I thing you are right with the groups, with respect of the creation of a home folder and set a bash it is the useradd default behavior

[AdamW]

I don't know why you're adding the user to dialout. There's no reason for it. We don't do that when creating user accounts through firstboot or system-config-users.

I think there's some distros with hacks that abuse the dialout group as a way to give users access to certain /dev nodes, but Fedora doesn't do that.

[German Rios G]

Got it! and corrected! only add to the wheel group