I originally thought about pre-installing Apache, PHP, SMTP/POP3, NFS, MySQL and all the server stuff I could think of to make this a "server in a box" respin, but then I luckily came to my senses and remembered that server sysadmins don't want any extra, unneeded services running that might prove to be security holes, so I just made this the bare minimum MX installation as a platform to build on by installing just what they want and nothing else, just as Manyroads did with his Minimal respin as a basis for building other MX respins with different DEs and tiling WMs. He actually did most of the work, I just removed even more things than he did. I asked myself "Is this needed on a server?" based on memories of my computer support/IT/sysadmin days in a prior lifetime*. When in doubt I left it, but when I was sure I removed it: audio, bittorrent client, extra wallpapers, Java all went byebye. Sysadmins
do sometimes need Web access when they're at a server's console so I installed a lightweight web browser, and every computer should have a text editor to read READMEs if nothing else, so I put featherpad back. I also reinstalled Samba so it could do file and printer sharing OOTB, and people can install additional packages (and disable or uninstall samba) if they want to make a web server, mail server, DNS server or whatever, plus things like intrusion detection and system monitoring packages.
Someone could get a low-end file & print server like this:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/QNAP-TS-469L-D ... SwRcZcaY5G
and set it up with a RAID and some sort of additional backup solution like
https://www.ebay.com/itm/HP-Storagework ... SwJqVc~3hP
install this respin, and set up samba shares for a network file server with every user having their own share on the server to save their files to, so if their computer died they wouldn't lose their data. Around $500 for a little office file server complete with tape backup: not bad! The only thing I'm not sure of is whether or not MX supports a software RAID controller for those who want to set up an old desktop PC that they already have as a file server instead of buying dedicated hardware, such as for home use when they want to just throw something together from their junk pile and spare parts stash without spending any money.
A person could also use this respin as a basis for making a system meant for "serious" use as opposed to typical desktop PC use, such as pen testing and similar security work for example.
A Linux server OS isn't so much a matter of having a lot of features, it's about simplicity, robustness, performance and security (Most are headless and don't even have a GUI.) MX has the first three in spades, and it's always up to sysadmins to secure their own systems anyway. MX
is very quick to provide patched kernels whenever a new exploit or vulnerability is found, so I don't see any reason why this distro shouldn't be used as the basis of servers in a smaller, non-enterprise environment.
*I remember installing NT Server and being irritated at how long it took as it was copying .bmps and .wavs, as if a server needs those. I think even the games were included. This is more or less an MX version of NT Server with its GUI console but without all of that irritating cruft that if I were Microsoft I would have left out of their server products.
