I've used sparklines that were updated "automatically" from the values in a database. The software in question tracked the coffee consumption pr. person in the lab, and displayed it using sparklines on a web page (no longer online). The sparkline code was a PHP snippet I found on the net somewhere. There must be plenty of prior art.

The ubuntu-desktop package is a meta-package and its only purpose is to make sure certain other packages are installed. The worst that can happen during an upgrade is that you miss out on new packages that are considered by the devs to be desired on the default desktop.
If you're worried about breakage, fake OO packages would worry me more.

No you don't. Just remove the ubuntu-desktop package.

The Gimp is in Ubuntu main (see https://edge.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/gimp )

Ubuntu wants the installation to fit on a single CD. Most other distros, including Debian, distribute on DVDs, but unless you receive a hardcopy from somewhere, it can be problematic to download if you have a slow or unstable Internet connection, and basically, on the DVD image you download lots of software you don't need or want. CDs are much more manageable, and once the system has been installed, you can carry on customizing your system.

With the growing number of drivers and kernel modules, occasionally software needs to go from the CD image, and here, as in writing, the rule is: "kill your darlings." Nobody *wants* to get rid of The Gimp (like others have said, it's a seminal application) but taking a hard look at the facts, you need to admit that The Gimp is a program you need to spend lots of time with to be able to use efficiently, and users who want it can get it faster than you can say: "in a few clicks." (Well, almost :-))

OTOH, a photo app is valuable to have on the install image when you have to win the hearts and minds of users coming from other OSes... it's all a part of fixing Ubuntu bug #1.

dooooohhh, isn't that what we try to do every night, Brain?

I just ordered a Dell Mini 10 from Dell Denmark and they can only deliver the machine with Windows XP pre-installed. I ordered via the phone, and was offered a discount of ~$35. I have no use for XP and plan to install Ubuntu on the machine when it arrives.

Unfortunately, my machine will also count in Balmer's statistics.