Do a Desktop install and then do apt-get remove ubuntu-desktop; apt-get autoremove and poof, you're almost as lean on install as you would have been installing from the Server disc to start with.

If you want to install a Linux desktop and server, you'd typically choose two different distributions. With Trisquel, you get both in one. But are the tradeoffs worth it?

So allow me to clarify: I believe the time has come when a major, dedicated, server-only Linux distribution is needed. This distribution does not maintain any desktop packages or dependencies ...

1 10 Key Differences Between Desktop and Server Virtualization Deployments. by Chris Preimesberger. 2 Predictable vs. Unpredictable Workloads. The load on a virtualized back end is quite predictable.