Some packages are more central than others. For instance, the basic container image for a popular Linux distribution has only around 150 packages (and yes, it i

Some packages are more central than others. For instance, the basic container image for a popular Linux distribution has only around 150 packages (and yes, it includes curl, which counts as two packages because the library and the command are packaged separately). A text-only "server" install of that distribution probably adds another hundred or so (for things like kernel, firmware, bootloader, ssh daemon, and so on). Even a full desktop install of that distribution, with lots of extra junk installed on top, doesn't get anywhere near 8000 packages.