An official copy comes with Firefox, Amarok or Banshee, Evolution, games, etc. Is there a distro that comes with only the necessary packages, like synaptic to make the system stable, and nothing else?
Ubuntu minimal install CD or Ubuntu server. If you then run this script (source):
sudo apt-get -y install gnome-core gdm network-manager-gnome
fast-user-switch-applet human-theme x11-xserver-utils
tangerine-icon-theme gnome-themes-ubuntu ubuntu-artwork
jockey-gtk gnome-screensaver gnome-utils
you get the most minimalistic gnome you can get.
From that link
... memory usage from around 250-350mb to about 80-90mb. All of the themes are there, the network-manager, gedit, restricted hardware tool, etc. ...
