simple GUI?

[jwarburton3]

I just installed 9.10. Is there a basic GUI available?
ubuntu-desktop installs a lot of programs (such as open-org) that I do not need.

Is there a package that will install just the desktop, and then I can go thru the packages and install what I want?

Thanks for any ideas.

Joe

[leandromartinez98]

If you want to "go though packages" you mean that you want
synaptic installed. Then, you probably can install the synaptic
package, which will install as a dependency the basic gnome
desktop.

[maxsideburn]

WHICH desktop are you wanting? There's XFCE, Gnome, KDE, LXDE, and several others...

As a side note, if anyone knows how to install XFCE WITHOUT installing the entire Xubuntu-Desktop package please let me know, thanks.

[maxsideburn]

For simple GUI I would try install XFCE or WindowMaker

sudo apt-get install xubuntu-desktop

or

sudo apt-get install wmaker

[jwarburton3]

Thanks for the replies.

I didn't really want to install 500+ packages such as "ubuntu-desktop".

I was looking for something that installed just the necessary packages for the GUI, not alot of extra programs.

Joe

[oldos2er]

There isn't one GUI, there are several. The smallest in terms of hard disk space used is probably LXDE, which you can install by running sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get install lubuntu-desktop.

[XubuRoxMySox]

As a side note, if anyone knows how to install XFCE WITHOUT installing the entire Xubuntu-Desktop package please let me know, thanks.

Yup! Use Synaptic and install "Xfce" instead of "Xubuntu-desktop." You just get the Xfce environment without all the extra stuff. You can (and should, IMO) add Xfce-Goodies" as well.

The same applies to LXDE (super-lightweight, but still immature and buggy as hell): If you install "Lubuntu-desktop" you get abuncha extra stuff (and right now it frankly sucks), but install just "LXDE" and you get the way-kewl uber-lightweight newbie-friendly (but immature and buggy) desktop and it's apps.

-Robin

[nothingspecial]

Install Ubuntu minimal or server then


sudo apt-get install gnome-core gdm network-manager-gnome human-theme x11-xserver-utils tangerine-icon-theme gnome-themes-ubuntu ubuntu-artwork jockey-gtk gnome-screensaver gnome-utils

Then reboot

[sakisds]

Also you could install xubuntu-desktop without recommends, you will get basic gnome, but without a tone of applications with this:

sudo apt-get install --no-install-recommends xubuntu-desktop

Also you could use IceWM, its really lightweight, but not really newbie-friendly. To install it use:

sudo apt-get install icewm icewm-*
(You can also don't include "icewm-*" but i recommend it)

[ugm6hr]

Also you could install xubuntu-desktop without recommends, you will get basic gnome, but without a tone of applications with this:

sudo apt-get install --no-install-recommends xubuntu-desktop


Not true. xubuntu-desktop install xfce.

For a basic xfce:

sudo apt-get install xfce4

Although, I'd recommend adding the following to make it slightly less basic:

sudo apt-get install catfish xfce4-mixer
The former is a simple file search GUI, and the latter is an audio volume GUI.

For a basic Gnome, this might help explain what all the various packages add:
http://distrowatch.com/weekly.php?issue=20081215#feature
However, it is easier to start minimal and add than work in the reverse direction.

Although, it is possible to work backwards...
Use both the commands here: http://www.psychocats.net/ubuntu/purexfce but just remove the && sudo apt-get install xubuntu-desktop at the end of each line.

Hope that helps.