Ubuntu can be seen as quite bloated on a default desktop install­a­tion, this guide aims to provide tips and solu­tions for cut­ting down on the cruft and also will provide you with some applic­a­tions that are not quite so resource hungry as altern­at­ives. More here

For install­a­tion I use the min­imal CD image, this will save doing a large num­ber of updates once the install­a­tion is com­plete. Information can be found here. In this scen­ario we will be using the 32-bit 8.04 “Hardy Heron” image. Download here: MinimalCD. If you are not entirely famil­iar with burn­ing ISO images to discs, take a look at BurningIsoHowto.