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Ubuntu Quietly Raises Install Image Size to 2GB (omgubuntu.co.uk)

Posted by msmash on from the not-so-minimal-on-size-anymore dept.

Joey-Elijah Sneddon, reporting for OMGUbuntu: You can expect to see a larger Ubuntu desktop installation image by the time the Yakkety Yak yips out. Developers are currently debating the exact size limits that official flavours will adhere to, with some favouring a 2GB hard limit while others are looking to go full-DVD size at 4.7GB+. Canonical's Steven Langasek explains the plans for Ubuntu 16.10 Yakkety Yak: "I've finally gone ahead and bumped the limit on Ubuntu desktop images to 2GB for a minimally-sized USB stick; this gives us a new limit that I think we will care about, while also leaving us headroom so we're not constantly fighting it back down to the line." The Ubuntu ISO is supposed to be around the 1GB mark but has creeped past this in recent releases. The current Ubuntu 16.04 LTS desktop .iso is 1.4GB.

12 of 154 comments (clear)

  1. With 32 gig usb sticks so cheap ... by BarbaraHudson · · Score: 3, Interesting

    With 32 gig usb sticks so cheap, there's no reason not to make it the size of a full dvd or more. This way, multiple installations would not have to individually download tons of packages. It would "just work."

    --
    "Transparent" is a shit show that trades on every stereotype going. A man in drag is NOT a transsexual.
    1. Re:With 32 gig usb sticks so cheap ... by LichtSpektren · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Ubuntu's not just for the developed world. There are many places where a 2 GB USB stick costs more than the average daily wage.

    2. Re:With 32 gig usb sticks so cheap ... by HouseOfMisterE · · Score: 3, Informative

      FAT32 max file size is 4GB.

    3. Re:With 32 gig usb sticks so cheap ... by justthinkit · · Score: 3, Informative
      Windows:
      Overcoming the Windows 2GB Caching Limit

      Typically, a Windows process running in the 2003 operating system environment can access up to 2GB of address space. This memory is split between actual physical memory and virtual memory. Basically, the more processes that are running on the system, the more memory will be committed to reach the full 2GB address space.

      When memory consumption approaches the 2GB limit, the paging process increases and performance begins to degrade.

      Linux:
      2GB Filesize limit

      Q: Is there any way around the 2GB file-size limit in Linux? Are there any stable patches to fix it?
      A: Short answer: In a practical sense, no. The 2GB limit is deeply embedded in the versions of Linux for 32-bit CPUs:

      Even if most hardware and software these days do not have these concerns, why break things for some systems?

      --
      I come here for the love
  2. In before accusations of bloat by LichtSpektren · · Score: 5, Informative

    The main reason why the .ISOs have grown is because lots of language support packs have been integrated directly into the installer. The size of the rest of the system has been relatively the same since 14.04.

    1. Re:In before accusations of bloat by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Funny

      Easy solution there. Integrate Esperanto into the installer and make all other languages an available download.

    2. Re:In before accusations of bloat by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Funny

      Great, someone's going to approve your idea to add Esperanto (and Klingon/Sindarin/Dothraki) but they'll reject your idea to have the other languages be download-only. Now you've increased the bloat.

    3. Re:In before accusations of bloat by aliquis · · Score: 3, Funny

      Also, N.B. they still offer GUI-less installs and netinstalls.

      Which require more than one floppy I assume! BLOAT!

  3. Multiple sizes by kreuzotter · · Score: 3, Insightful

    There is no reason not to have different ISO sizes. I would love to have an ISO that fits on a CD AND one that is 32GByte big.

    1. Re:Multiple sizes by LichtSpektren · · Score: 4, Informative

      You're in luck. Try the Ubuntu Core iso, or the netinstall.

  4. Target should be 2 or 4GB, not 4.7GB by davidwr · · Score: 5, Insightful

    If 2GB is a "debatable" target, the next "step up" is a 4GB USB, not a 4.7GB DVD/ISO image.

    Actually, just under 4GB if you are going to create an ISO image. You need to leave a little room on the USB stick for boot sectors, UEFI boot partitions, and other overhead so the end user can turn the ISO into a bootable USB stick. So either set the limit for the ISO image at 1.9GB or 3.9GB, but not 4.7GB.

    Also, if the ISO itself is bigger than 4GB, it can't be stored on a FAT-32 formatted USB stick. Many people still use FAT-32 for cross-platform storage devices.

    --
    Knowledge is how to play a game, intelligence is how to win, wisdom is knowing what game to play.
  5. Re:Yakkety Yak? by jittles · · Score: 3, Funny

    Yakkety Yak.

    Don't talk back.