Importance of ubuntu-desktop

[frank]

> Moreover I'd consider it likely that the average user will not connect
> missing packages after an upgrade to the removal of ubuntu-desktop
> months ago. 

Sure, but really there is no need to wait for upgrades to experience
trouble. I removed cups in ubuntu 8.10. Result: lengthy useless repair
efforts and a clean ubuntu re-install.

I'm not going to experiment with my 9.10 now. The cups service is disabled,
the update-manager is still hammering me.

The only real option seems to be "pin". But the documentation I can find
refers to a file /etc/apt/preferences which does not exist, seems to have
been replaced by a series of little files in several sub-dirs. Anyone
has a link explaining the new syntax?

Thanks.


frank