[kwlug-disc] Ubuntu with all-desktops-in-one ?

[B.S.]

Just go into whatever the equivalent to advanced package selection is and add the additional gui. You may need the advanced setup cd to do have that option, or it may be a boot option, I forget, but the ability to add additional packages is there, somewhere. Any iso should allow you to do this, just bear in mind its favourite will be on the local iso and the other likely have to be downloaded. You may have an initial wrestle at first boot if it picks your less preferred GUI, but by default it remembers the last used environment and keeps using it until you choose otherwise.

IIRC, instead of individual packages, there's even a task or role selection screen where you can choose as many as you like of kde, gnome, xde, xfce, none, (ad infinitum?)


Alternately, install the additional gui after the iso load is up and happy. e.g. In Ubuntu to get the better gui is just an 'aptitude install kubuntu-desktop'.

You may have an initial wrestle over display manager, be it gdm, lightdm, kdm (best option for kde), or other, but again, once set you should be gold. When you try to add a conflicting manager you are asked which one to use as default, so you'll know.

I don't think this is any different for Debian IIRC vs Ubuntu Server (or Ubuntu command line only?). Even Debian's own gui flavours probably behave similarly to what you have observed.

For KDE, you might want to be judicious in your choice of package. There are light (kde-plasma-desktop) / medium / heavy KDE, or full blown Kubuntu desktop, packages.

I've long lost my link for the names for each heaviness, but 
http://packages.ubuntu.com/trusty/kubuntu-desktop shows you what comes with everything. In there you can see baser kde packages it depends on, so are candidates for lighter loads.

Past experience (and I think Khalid's too) is that trying for the bare minimal kde load gets you into dependency hell when you try to selectively add other kde bits. I've seen other references suggesting the full beastie be loaded, then selectively remove things, but I've gotten into the same dependency hell that way, too. Trying to get rid of one thing shows others that you want will be removed as well, etc., etc.

I'll guess adding these will add kde sufficiently: apt-get --no-install-recommends install kdm plasma-desktop kwin kde-workspace

https://help.ubuntu.com/community/InstallingKDE may be what I was thinking of. https://wiki.debian.org/KDE and http://www.distrogeeks.com/install-kde-desktop-environment-ubuntu/ also seems topical.


Khalid posted not long ago about installing a command line only system, then adding kde. You might want to review it.
( http://kwlug.org/pipermail/kwlug-disc_kwlug.org/ )



----- Original Message -----
> From: William Park <opengeometry at yahoo.ca>
> To: kwlug-disc at kwlug.org
> Cc: 
> Sent: Monday, August 10, 2015 4:04 PM
> Subject: [kwlug-disc] Ubuntu with all-desktops-in-one ?
> 
> Hi all,
> 
> With Debian, you can install all desktops (kde, gnome, xfce, etc) from
> ISO at first, and then choose the desktop when you log in via gdm/kdm.
> 
> Is there a version for Ubuntu which allows you to do that?  Right now,
> you have to choose/install different ISO for each desktop.
> 
> Or, do I have to start with "minimal install", and then install the
> desktops afterwards?  But, I don't know if gdm/kdm will pick up the
> desktops.
> -- 
> William
> 
> 
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