HOWTO: XFCE4 with no Gnome

[SFN]

I've seen posts about getting down to XFCE4 after install but what I wanted was just XFCE4 from the start. Nothing else. I found a sight in French that had the info I needed so I thought I'd redo it for you all here.

This is geared towards an x86 install. If you are installing on a PPC system, the acpi stuff may not work for you. Actually, it may not work on an x868 system either. It all depends on your hardware.

This is short and sweet as I figure if this is what you're looking for, you probably don't need too much hand-holding.

(I should add that after completeing this, I had what I wanted but it turned out that I actually had no idea how much I'd miss Gnome. So, I'm back to the normal install.)

Boot with the CD inserted. At the initial prompt, type "server" and presss enter. This will get you your bare (or bare-ish) install. Once the install is complete and you are logged in, change your sources.list to include the universe, multiverse and, optionally, MPlayer repositories. Instructions are here.

(NOTE: In those instructions you will see a line that reads

sudo gedit /etc/apt/sources.list

Since you did the "server" version of the install, you won't have gedit available to you. You can use either vi or nano. So replace that line with either

sudo nano /etc/apt/sources.list

or

sudo vi /etc/apt/sources.list

If you're new to Linux, you'll probably find nano a lot easier to use than vi.)

Then do

sudo apt-get update

Once that is done, do

sudo apt-get install x-window-system-core xfce4 synaptic gnome-sudo gdm acpi acpid powermanagement-interface mozilla-firefox

Firefox is not at all necessary but most people seem to want it so I threw it in there. Take it out if you want.

Reboot and you will have a very bare install using XFCE4 without Gnome. From there just apt-get your way to your own little custom Xubuntu. (I said it!)

[benplaut]

<snip>
Reboot and you will have a very bare install using XFCE4 without Gnome. From there just apt-get your way to your own little custom BLEEP. (I said it!)

that's a bad word!

[Rodrigo]

Thaks for the how to!, I'll try it right away!!!

[Brian McConnell]

I just did a fresh install on both a G5 ppc and a Celeron 700mhz box. Both are exactly what I wanted. I had previously executed this with warty, but with much less efficiency.
The gdm instead of xdm is a nice touch.
right on.

[meki]

thanks!!!
working great!

[nicholaspaul]

I have a PIII 733MHz/128 RAM/ 3.4 HD system running xcfe4 with no Gnome, and I did it just like you said I just had to install ssh, samba and beepMediaPlayer and I have my own Xubuntu that only takes up 606 Mb. I love it! Perfect for just playing mp3s and nothing else. And I can control it from any other computer in the house (another PIII/700 Ubuntu machine, a Powerbook and a P4 with Windows XP)

Whats wrong with Xubuntu?! Sounds like a great spinoff to me! Is it really a bad word?

[SFN]

Whats wrong with Xubuntu?! Sounds like a great spinoff to me! Is it really a bad word?

No, not really. Mr. Shuttleworth had said in an interview that he liked the idea of an "XFCE-buntu". People quickly latched on to the idea and started referring to it as Xubuntu. Eventually, a thread about the idea of Xubuntu was started here. Then a second. Then a third. As always happens when new ideas are presented, some people got bent out of shape. Not just here but in other forums as well. The Ubuntu community though, in its (so far) typical fashion, didn't get too rattled. It was a pretty interesting exchange. (That is, for me, what makes Ubuntu kick large amounts of butt - open dialogue, helpful suggestions, good people.)

Check out the threads here: http://ubuntuforums.org/search.php?searchid=861177

[Brian McConnell]

No, not really. Mr. Shuttleworth had said in an interview that he liked the idea of an "XFCE-buntu". People quickly latched on to the idea and started referring to it as Xubuntu. Eventually, a thread about the idea of Xubuntu was started here. Then a second. Then a third. As always happens when new ideas are presented, some people got bent out of shape. Not just here but in other forums as well. The Ubuntu community though, in its (so far) typical fashion, didn't get too rattled. It was a pretty interesting exchange. (That is, for me, what makes Ubuntu kick large amounts of butt - open dialogue, helpful suggestions, good people.)

Check out the threads here: http://ubuntuforums.org/search.php?searchid=861177

I'd say Xubuntu sounds like a crappy name, but a great idea as far as XFCE+Ubuntu. There again, I don't like the "first letter adoption to names" thing that seems so popular with GNU/Linux programs ala Kubuntu or what have you.
I have that 700mhz Celeron with 384mb RAM box and without this thread, I'd not know what to do with it
An .iso of this nature for both x86 and PPC is certainly useful.

[nicholaspaul]

Oh, I always thought the naming convention of most linux things was pretty silly - like the self-referenced abbreviations! Too funny. But thats the way it is. Personally I think Xubuntu would just be in keeping with that convention. C'est la Vie.

But then i thought OSX sounded like Oh yes sex....

[pdk001]

thanks for tip, i will try it later