long time xubuntu user, now on 24.04.
debian comes with embedded programs like libreoffice, which I use, but versions are very old and I like using the newest versions available. with debian 12.5 I could use flatpak to get the newest version, but could I then get rid of the pre installed old version?
debian’s default graphics look also prehistoric. Can I change that installing other styles? (that’s what they’re called in xubuntu: adwaita, greybird…)
with debian you are asked to choose the environment: xfce, mate… how troublesome is to change those after installation?
Surprising that debian 12.5 is 0.7 GiB large, whereas the xubuntu 24.04 is 4 GiB. This doesn’t mean that xubuntu has bloatware, but simply much more pre installed packages, right?
Debian stable will always prioritize stability and provide you older versions of applications. Even Debian Sid(their testing/rolling release version) gives you less than bleeding edge versions of apps. You can always install your own versions by downloading from provider or building yourself but if you’re wanting more current software, I’d consider another flavor of linux.
You can always install other themes, icons, etc. to get the look you want, Debian is just the underpinnings of the desktop. Using XFCE there is no different than using it in another distro.
The size difference is because of preinstalled applications, as you suspected. Some call it bloat, others just understand that Ubuntu is trying to cater to “set it and forget it” user.
Not sure what you’re on about… Sid and testing are usually pretty damn near bleeding edge.
While this is generally true, there are sometimes exceptions to this, especially during the freeze.
Even unstable slows down during the freeze, as the usual way to get stuff into testing is through unstable, and packagers, especially of large collections or important dependencies, opt not to disturb the freeze by dumping a bunch of bleeding edge stuff in there. Consequently you also get more new stuff in unstable shortly after a new Debian release.
It’s very simple to have multiple desktop environments installed. You can select which one to use from the login screen, or launch X from a console and then start the DE from the command line.
It would be no problem to remove the office software you’re not using. I doubt that’s connected to any other packages through dependencies.
To answer questions 1, 2, and 3:
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Yes you can 👍
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yep, do your rice. Maybe visit the Unixporn community.
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For the most part (in MY experience) changing DEs only involves installing the desktop package, choosing your login manager, and then removing the old DE and its native apps (unless you want to keep them)
Yes, Xfce is lightweight; which may be seem crude.
If you select Mate or Wayland/Plasma then you would probably enjoy it more visually.
Once installed, you can select a new desktop environment at login. There’s generally a dropdown or menu item that would list all available.
With those other desktop env., you can say goodbye to that 0.7GB, though.
with debian you are asked to choose the environment: xfce, mate… how troublesome is to change those after installation?
I just install whichever ones look interesting, and pick the one I want to use, today, from the drop down, on the login screen.
