desktop environments

[ged25]

I'm trying to decide whether to install Ubuntu, Kubuntu or Xubuntu. I decided to try them out one by one and then choose.
I read that you can install one desktop environment on top of another using "sudo apt-get install".
I want to know the difference between doing the above and separately installing each of them with a cd.
Thanks...

[Ozitraveller]

I would recommend trying the live cd's first!

yes you can have the 3 DE's install at the same time, they will show up on the login screen on the sessions menu and you can set 1 as the default. They way to do it is to install one of the first eg. Ubuntu from the cd and then install the others from the repo.

[snowpine]

I'm trying to decide whether to install Ubuntu, Kubuntu or Xubuntu. I decided to try them out one by one and then choose.
I read that you can install one desktop environment on top of another using "sudo apt-get install".
I want to know the difference between doing the above and separately installing each of them with a cd.
Thanks...

You can install as many desktop environments as you want, and choose between them from the login screen. However, you'll have a lot of duplication/redundancy: three different text editors, three file managers, three media players, etc. Maybe you are okay with that, but I prefer to keep my menus clean. :) Therefore I recommend trying each Live CD, picking the one you like, and sticking with it.

If you change your mind, it is easy to switch at any point using these tutorials:

http://www.psychocats.net/ubuntu/puregnome
http://www.psychocats.net/ubuntu/purexfce
http://www.psychocats.net/ubuntu/purekde

[UbuntoJO]

It's messy to have several DE's....try the liveCD's and see what you like the best....Gnome might be a good place to start. I use gnome mainly because I have a couple of paid programs that work best in gnome. Everyone's different.

[Isengrin]

[...] However, you'll have a lot of duplication/redundancy: three different text editors, three file managers, three media players, etc. [...]

But then, you can just uninstall the two you don't use. It's not as if they were needed by the DE.
I think installing the DE/WMs in the installed system is faster and let's you try them better.

[snowpine]

But then, you can just uninstall the two you don't use. It's not as if they were needed by the DE.
I think installing the DE/WMs in the installed system is faster and let's you try them better.

Try removing Nautilus from Gnome... see what happens. :)

[Isengrin]

Try removing Nautilus from Gnome... see what happens. :)

I don't use GNOME, but just to see what happens I installed it without Nautilus... and everything worked as always. xD

[hariks0]

Rather try all 3 DE's and tons of application preloaded with mp3 and DVD support etc from the same live DVD ! Download the Ultimate edition 2.5 based on Karmic from here. (http://ubuntusoftware.info):popcorn: