there are many ways to go about this. the simplest is probably to install lxde and then disable the login/session manager so it doesnt boot to a gui by default.
id go a slightly different way myself though, with plain openbox and a few programs as i see fit. no login / session manager. you'd start it by typing this is what id install:
Code:
sudo apt-get install xinit openbox thunar lxappearance obmenu obconf leafpad tint2 chromium-browser
xinit does the startx stuff
X server will get pulled down with openbox
thunar is a file manager
lxappearance is for setting gtk themes
obmenu and obconf are for configuring openbox menu and general settings
leafpad is a text editor
tint2 is a taskbar
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