Tested various ways of installing 24.04.2 Minimal Install in a VM.
1-- If you de-select:
Install 3rd party s/w for graphics & wifi
Download and install support for additional media formats
the kernel is still updated from 6.11.0-17 to 6.11.0-24.
2-- If, in addition to 1 , you also specify:
Dont connect to the internet
the kernel is still updated from 6.11.0-17 to 6.11.0-24.
3-- If you disconnect the machine from the internet by unplugging the cable and hiding it,
the install takes about 4 times longer than normal
but the kernel is not updated, ie 6.11.0-17 is installed.
So silently updating the kernel seems like an implementation choice
and while I can see that there are sensible reasons for doing this,
the option
Dont connect to the internet
really should be honored.
So, in this case, it seems we might have an “Answer” but not necessarily a “Solution”.