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Re: Debian/Debian Gnome



Dear all:

selecting

[*] Debian desktop environment

is definitely NOT(!) "superfluous".

Having a look at the control files of the two "task packages" e.g.

task-desktop
task-gnome-desktop

reveals the following:

Package: task-desktop
Source: tasksel
Version: 3.81
Architecture: all
Maintainer: Debian Install System Team <debian-boot@lists.debian.org>
Installed-Size: 6
Depends: tasksel (= 3.81), xorg, xserver-xorg-video-all, xserver-xorg-input-all, desktop-base
Recommends: task-gnome-desktop | task-xfce-desktop | task-kde-desktop | task-lxde-desktop | task-gnome-flashback-desktop | task-cinnamon-desktop | task-mate-desktop | task-lxqt-desktop, xdg-utils, fonts-symbola, avahi-daemon, libnss-mdns, anacron, eject, iw, alsa-utils, sudo, firefox | firefox-esr, cups
Section: tasks
Priority: optional
Description: Debian desktop environment
 This task package is used to install the Debian desktop.


Package: task-gnome-desktop
Source: tasksel
Version: 3.81
Architecture: all
Maintainer: Debian Install System Team <debian-boot@lists.debian.org>
Installed-Size: 9
Depends: tasksel (= 3.81), task-desktop, gnome-core
Recommends: gnome
Section: tasks
Priority: optional
Description: GNOME
 This task package is used to install the Debian desktop, featuring
 the GNOME desktop environment, and with other packages that Debian users
 expect to have available on the desktop.


You definitely have to install the "task-desktop" package by selecting "Debian desktop environment". Otherwise, necessary dependencies for the GNOME Desktop environment will miss from your installation. For all other "task-<name_of_desktop_environment>-desktop" "task packages", the same condition holds true and installation of the specific Desktop environment with fail with fatal errors.


Best
Sebastian

_______________________

Dipl.-Chem.
Sebastian Kraus

Email: sebastian.kraus@tu-berlin.de


On 11/6/25 03:47, Max Nikulin wrote:
On 05/11/2025 21:23, Bigsy Bohr wrote:
On 2025-11-05, Max Nikulin wrote:

  From my point of view the menu should be without the parent checkbox:

- Desktop environment
    - [X] GNOME (recommended)
    - [ ] KDE
    - ...

That would be clearer, yes, because the parent checkbox is what we call
*superfétatoire*.

To evaluate if it can be changed, somebody motivated should should check debian-installer bug tracker and related mailing lists for reaction of developers to earlier complains concerning this menu.

It would also be nice to have succinct descriptions of the desktops,
like

    - [X] Gnome (forget about it if you don't have oodles of RAM and a
      modern CPU.

I do not use GNOME, but there are users who like it. That is why, I believe, the description should be neutral, e.g. "GNOME (Recommended for RAM > SOME Gb)". Otherwise for developers your opinion sounds like some noise that is annoying, but unavoidable (some users will be unhappy anyway).

I am skeptical concerning increasing complexity of installer to examine hardware and to set default option and to present some description explaining the choice.



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