Ubuntu – How was Ubuntu first developed

customization

I am not a noob to Ubuntu. I have been here for a while. The question I am going to ask is basically requiring an explanatory answer, possible with examples. My question is simple. It is as below:-

Everyone says, Ubuntu was developed from Debian, by tripping down so many thing, adding something else, giving custom displays, branding, images or backgrounds, etc. My question is how do they do it.
Was it by just installing a minimal Debian distro in a computer system, adding and making changes to that system, adding Ubiquity installer to the installed distro, and then creating an iso file ?

Consider the two scenarios.

Scenario 1

  1. They mount a CD ISO image

  2. Remove unwanted packages

  3. Add branding

  4. Make customizations

  5. repack the ISO

-OR-

Scenario 2

  1. Install a Debian distro in the PC

  2. Remove unwanted packages, and install new ones to the installed OS

  3. Apply custom brandings to the installed OS

  4. Make customizations in the installed machine

  5. Add an installer to the installed OS

  6. repack the ISO

What is actually happening ?

Best Answer

The heart of the distribution is the package archive, so they started by creating an archive (archive.ubuntu.com), and copying the debian source packages there and building them on the build daemons. Then they proceeded to modify many packages and update the archive, before finally declaring it the first release of Ubuntu, and building fresh cd images from the archive.

The live cd and ubiquity came about several releases later. Initially the install cd used debian-installer: what we now call the alternate/server cd.

Related Question