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?
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)
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.
I could use flatpak to get the newest version, but could I then get rid of the pre installed old version?
Of course you can and if you decide to go down this route you should take a look at Flatseal that can help you with flatpak permissions and theming.
debian’s default graphics look also prehistoric. Can I change that installing other styles?
Debian installs Desktop Environments without any theming, just plain vanilla DEs and in most cases, expecially with XFCE, they are not that pretty out of the box. You can still theme it to look and work the way you prefer.
with debian you are asked to choose the environment: xfce, mate… how troublesome is to change those after installation?
sudo apt install new-desktop-environment, log out and log back in selecting a different desktop in the display manager: piece of cake
This doesn’t mean that xubuntu has bloatware, but simply much more pre installed packages, right?
Keep in mind that the 0.7gb debian image is the “netinstall”, which pulls software from repository instead of installing it directly. There are also debian “DVD” images that can be up to 4gb as well. And yes, Xubuntu has more bloatware but not as much as you might believe
Why do you not switch from Xubuntu to Linux Mint ? Mint is a derivate of Ubuntu but without Snap.
I tried several other desktops on debian before settling on xfce. Never had a problem switching between them. A choice of a dozen or so gtk themes is available (try “apt list | grep theme”) including adwaita and greybird.
