[xubuntu-users] Is there a way to get a list of added packages so they can be re-installed after a clean installation (as opposed to upgrade)?

[Ralf Mardorf]

On Thu, 2014-05-08 at 13:52 +0200, Ralf Mardorf wrote:
> On Thu, 2014-05-08 at 13:49 +0200, Ralf Mardorf used the wrong account
> for this list and wrote:
> > On Thu, 2014-05-08 at 12:41 +0100, Chris Green wrote:
> > > I'd really prefer to do a clean new installation occasionally rather
> > > than doing a distribution upgrade.  On one system in particular I have
> > > a number of issues which I think would probably be sorted out by doing
> > > a clean installation.
> > > 
> > > It's easy enough to make a copy of (or use a different partition) for
> > > /home so that that can be restored.
> > > 
> > > The difficult bit is to get back all the extra packages I have
> > > installed in addition to the basic ones installed with Ubuntu/Xubuntu.  Is
> > > there any reasonably clean and easy way to get a list of added
> > > packages that one could feed into apt-get (or dpkg) to re-install all
> > > the extras?
> > 
> > Synaptic provides such an option somewhere in the menus. I'm booted to
> > Arch Linux now, so I can't take look at it. However, Synaptic is a
> > backend for apt, apt provides this too.
> > 
> > Another way seems to be to use dpkg:
> > http://askubuntu.com/questions/17823/how-to-list-all-installed-packages


While reading the link more or less completely I sent to the list, after
I sent it, I noticed this:

"You can use Synaptic to save the current state of your installed
packaged. In Synaptic, select "file/save markings", Enter the name of
the file to save the state to, and make sure to check the "Save full
state, not only changes" box.

The file saved from this can be loaded into a new machine using
"file/read markings" in Synaptic."

:D