[xubuntu-users] Switching ubuntu -> xubuntu

[Mike Kupfer]

Kevin O'Gorman wrote:

> My desktop was originally Ubuntu. I added xubuntu-desktop and like it
> fine.  Is removing stuff really going to make this Xubuntu, or should
> I install Xubuntu on a spare partition and switch to that?  Or maybe
> use an xubuntu CD for an update?

It depends on what your goal is.  If you're just interested in the
overall desktop environment, then there's little harm in leaving the
GNOME apps lying around.  (Or at least, that's been my experience ever
since I started using Xfce with Jaunty.)  You likely won't get the same
theming on boot as you would with a fresh Xubuntu install; you'll have
to decide whether that's important to you.

One drawback to keeping unused packages is that you could waste
bandwidth downloading updates for them.  Again, you'll have to decide
how important that is for you.  I usually delete the larger packages and
let the rest get updated.

A couple other random thoughts on the subject:

The psychocats page includes the overlay scrollbar packages in its list
of packages to delete.  I'm not a big fan of the overlay scrollbar, but
I can't say I particularly like the alternative scrollbar, either.
It's pretty easy to switch from one to the other, though, so you could
try both and see which one you like better.

I've found that if I start from a fresh Xubuntu install, there are a few
Ubuntu packages I want to add, like the LibreOffice packages and baobab.

regards,
mike