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So in theory, the minimal virtual machine option should be used if you are using virtualization technology. The gains would be a faster kernel without the bloat of consideration for many types of drivers. This is because the hardware list in virtual machines is much smaller.
Conceptually this is similar to the Stripped Solaris approach I refined from Tony Bates back in 2008.
Results
Here are the differences between a minimal virtual machine, minimal and normal using Ubuntu 10.04.4,
| Line Item | Minimal Virtual Machine | Minimal | Normal | Recently Ubuntu Snappy 15.04 | Stripped Solari 10 (Just for Fun) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Packages | 213 | 313 | 356 | 2 core packages containing minimal utilities | |
| Tasks | 84 | 85 | 87 | 174 | |
| Memory on Initial Boot | 73,980k | 86,584k | 171,392k | 167,051 | |
| Disk Space | 557M | 791M | 851M | 639M | |
| Key Advantage | Reduced fat due to uniformity of virtual machines. | Minimal to run a normal Server. | Upgrade core OS as 1 package and revert btw OS upgrades quickly. Made for pure Cloud. |
Using the minimal virtual machine install, I did find that I wanted some packages back documented as Recommended Tools in the Bonsai Framework Ubuntu setup process.
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