Xubuntu and Gnome Shell?

[tpprynn]

I wondered how well it might work to install Xubuntu rather than Ubuntu and then add Gnome Shell/3.2 to switch from time to time. I'm currently using Sabayon but it has some problems when running on battery power, and it happens to be Xubuntu 11.10 that I downloaded this week rather than Ubuntu 11.10. I was thinking it might be better than any potential clash with Unity. (I don't mind Unity but there are still big errors of taste with its appearance that would irritate me.)

Will adding Gnome Shell to Xubuntu be a big download? I use fixed useage Mobile Broadband so it might not be worth it.

Thanks.

[gsmanners]

On my system, it would be about a 30MB download. I can't say it would be that for yours, but my system is pretty close to a default Xubuntu so it really should be.

[tpprynn]

It went well and was 26mb. Not too bad on this netbook either, slightly laggy compared to my pc, but not as much as Unity. Now I can happily fidget back and forth between Xfce and Gnome.

[drawkcab]

I tried this on my netbook and it worked fine and was a bit snappier than the full ubuntu install.

On the other hand, when I tried to install Gnome Shell over Lubuntu, some of the menus did not display properly making it unusable.