Linux Alternatives to XBMCbuntu

I've been using XBMCbuntu for the last 6 months and fine it reasonable, its slow to boot and seem overkill for my needs. Don't really need all the extra crap like Chromium and flash etc. My HTPC is an HTPC and that is all.

Unfortunately OpenELEC doesn't offer enough customization for my needs, to make my tuner cards work I need access to the root file system which OpenELEC doesn't allow.

Are there any alternatives out there that are like the old XBMC Live, without the underlying desktop and crap? I've had a look and can't find anything

You could always uninstall the "extra crap" from XBMCbuntu via Synaptic if it's closer to your needs than OpenELEC. Or you could roll your own Linux to suit your specific needs and then install XBMC as an application.

I agree with you PANiCnz, it operates just like mythbuntu with the wm, logins, etc. Worse if it crashes or your exit out, unlike live which would auto start. I had some issues trying to remove the wm's and greeter, etc. so I went to basic 12.04 minimal install and compiled the latest version of xbmc with the libcmyth addon to use with mythtv-backend.

Problem is what use to be a 2 to 2.2 GB of total storage with XBMC live including browser, flash and all the additional extras I use to now approaching 5 GB (Windows anyone). If you wanted XBMCbuntu at one time you could follow a wiki to roll your own stb and that was great for a few years. It would be nice with XBMCbuntu to have an expert install during installation where you could select different components that you want, rather than all the additional stuff that is added that takes away from the stb feel. Nothing like needing a keyboard to login to either ubuntu or xbmc after a crash or exiting. Live was much better with than the current implementation. Do we really need lightdm, greeter, unity, etc.?

agreed. I like to have a desktop on one of my boxes. I found that XBMCbuntu always had tiny fonts and spent a good evening trying to fix the fonts. In the end, I installed Lubuntu and xbmc-standalone.

For my other htpc having no desktop is much preferred. The advantages of xbmcbuntu are nonexistent from my perspective.

XBMC is superb software. But it doesn't need a desktop.

Install minimal district of choice (I went with Oneric) install xbmc-standalone with dependencies. Xbmcbuntu type experience without the extra bloat.

Hi,

since I like to have

1) a real desktop in background [maintaining and other non HTPC tasks that are easier to manage with a desktop] (so OpenElec is out)
2) but a small and clean system at all [speed] and
3) it has to be based on a well known distro that is convenience food [support]

I did it that way:

Ubuntu 12.04 Server (LTS) ['cause for its longterm support and it's free of desktop crap -.Lubuntu/Xubuntu/Kubuntu - all suck, are much more bloated than necessary]
+
apt-get install lxde [lxde rockz - lightning fast]
+
pulse-eight eden xbmc repo [latest PVR ppa]

That's it - boots up in less than 20 secs but is still a full featured and long supported desktop, less than 100 MB RAM, less than 1 GB of space ..

LastCoder has hit the nail on the head all othe Desktop Enviroments require massive installation sizes, extra packages etc

Iirc you could install the old xbmc live and just update to the newest xbmc with apt-get

+1 for an Ubuntu minimal install...covers PANiCnz's original needs.

It starts with a 12 MB ISO - how's that for no bloat?

Starting with a Ubuntu minimal installation and installing only the absolute minimum + xbmc isn't that difficult. 5he first time I did that it took me about two hours to have everything running and configured the way I wanted, with some help via google. I am a experienced Linux user, but it's no rocket science.