Importance of ubuntu-desktop

[Markus Schönhaber]

04.12.2009 16:53, Steve:

> On Fri, 04 Dec 2009 13:23:22 -0000, Markus Schönhaber  
> 
>> 04.12.2009 11:28, Steve:
>>
>>> ubuntu0desktop isn’t required and can safely be removed
>>
>> I was about to shout "NO!". And looking at the output of
>> aptitude show ubuntu-desktop
>> seems to back this up:
>> [...]
>> | Description: The Ubuntu desktop system
>> |  This package depends on all of the packages in the Ubuntu desktop  
>> system
>> |
>> |  It is also used to help ensure proper upgrades, so it is recommended
>> that it not be removed.
>>
>> OTOH, it also shows:
>> | Package: ubuntu-desktop
>> | State: not installed
>>
>> I see this on a clean install of a 9.10 Ubuntu Desktop. What gives?
>>
> I assume you have removed something that has taken ubuntu-desktop with it,  
> as I have.

No, it's a relatively fresh Karmic installation from which I haven't yet
uninstalled anything.

The explanation is much simpler: aptitude's output I posted above is,
although correct, completely irrelevant nonsense wrt the topic, since it
was run on a Karmic *server* I was ssh'ed into. This happens when you
have fifteen shells open and lose the overview.
Sorry for the confusion.

> Interestinglg under Dapper it said the following:-
> 
> 
> This package depends on all of the packages in the Ubuntu desktop system
> 
> It is safe to remove this package if some of the desktop system packages  
> are not desired. However, it is recommended that you keep it installed,  
> because it is used to carry out certain upgrade transitions (such as  
> adding new packages to the system).
> 
>  from Hardy onwards it’s as above.

OK, it indeed seems that removing ubuntu-desktop is something which
should only be done if you know what you're doing and you can make sure
you remember what you did before you upgrade the system.

-- 
Regards
  mks