Why doesn't the Minimal image support UEFI?

Question

Why did the Ubuntu team not add UEFI capabilities to the Minimal iso?

Solution

The Ubuntu help only stated it lacks them:

Note: While the minimal iso image is handy, it isn't useful for installing on UEFI-based systems that you want to run in UEFI mode. The mini iso lacks the proper files for booting the computer in UEFI mode. Thus, the computer will boot in BIOS compatibility mode, and the installation will be in BIOS mode.

And a bug report got triaged with a ....

This issue can be fixed by copying the whole 'EFI' folder of http://cdimage.ubuntu.com/daily-live/current/wily-desktop-amd64.iso into the USB storage made by http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/dists/wily/main/installer-amd64/current/images/netboot/mini.iso.

Or use this how to.

... but there is no actual source stating why it lacks (U)EFI. I have not seen anyone claim it is due to a copyright issue (that was my 1st assumption). At the moment I would state: because nobody cared about adding it.

Comments

[oldfred]

You can use the Server installer and not install anything. That is only slightly larger than the minimal. The server install runs tasksel where you select all the options you want and with no options selected it is a small install.

[Hipe99]

Triaged, I think, doesn't mean closed, as it is assigned to someone.

[bviktor]

Thanks a lot. Based on this info, I wrote a little script to do this automatically: noobient.com/2019/06/25/ubuntu-18-04-uefi-network-installer