Bug#1119018: tasksel: "Debian desktop environment" should default to gnome-core
On Sun, Oct 26, 2025 at 8:43 AM Paweł Starzyński
wrote:
>
> On Sun, 26 Oct 2025 10:30:13 +0100 Pascal Hambourg
> wrote:
>
> > Wouldn't it be weird to leave "Debian desktop environment" selected and
> > expect no desktop environment to be installed ?
>
> Maybe Polish translation is faulty, then. In Polish it states: "Podstawowe
> składniki środowiska graficznego Debiana", which I'd translate to "Basic
> elements of Debian's DE". This, I think is misleading: one thinks, that
> something very basic would be installed and gets full-blown GNOME.
>
>
> > This is a separate issue, and would require e.g. a new "Minimal GNOME"
> > task, and maybe renaming "GNOME" as "Full GNOME".
>
> I sincerely think, that something like this should be done. IMO recently
> Ubuntu made a good decision to default to more stripped down GNOME. I think
> that Debian should do the same and default to gnome-core, with option to
> install Full GNOME. I think that more minimal approach is more in tune with
> Debian's policy than Ubuntu.
Please open a separate bug for the specific request of adding a
minimal GNOME option ("task") to Debian's installer.
I think bug 1119018 should be closed because there is not interest now
in having the "Debian desktop environment" option change to install a
different task than how it already works. It cannot default to a
"minimal GNOME" task because that task does not exist yet. You need
the other bug fixed first.
Thank you,
Jeremy Bícha
Bug#1119018: tasksel: "Debian desktop environment" should default to gnome-core
On 26/10/2025 at 13:46, Paweł Starzyński wrote: On Sun, 26 Oct 2025 11:51:35 +0100 Holger Wansing wrote: In the installer, don't select a desktop environment, only choose the "standard system" task. Then login into your new system as root and call "apt install gnome-core" to get your "Minimal GNOME" for example. I know that's a way for doing it, but: 1) With such approach we don't need tasksel at all 2) Isn't it recommended way to install such things like DE, by using tasksel?- so that system can properly deal with packages dependencies? apt deals with package dependencies just fine. But tasksel also deals with some kind of task dependencies on other tasks, languages... defined in tasksel-data. For example when run during initial installation (or later with --new-install), tasksel selects language tasks for the chosen language, and if a desktop environment is selected then it also selects desktop language tasks for the chosen language and desktop environment. Not installing a desktop environment during initial installation has another side effect: NetworkManager is not installed as part of the standard system so the installer network configuration is copied into /etc/network/interfaces instead of NetworkManager configuration. If NetworkMananger is installed later manually or as part of the desktop environment dependencies, the network interface used during installation will not be configured not manageable in NetworkManager until it is removed from /etc/network/interfaces.
Bug#1119018: tasksel: "Debian desktop environment" should default to gnome-core
On Sun, 26 Oct 2025 11:51:35 +0100 Holger Wansing wrote: > Hi, > > Pascal Hambourg wrote (Sun, 26 Oct 2025 10:30:13 +0100): > > > Many users prefer more minimal GNOME install > > > > This is a separate issue, and would require e.g. a new "Minimal GNOME" > > task, and maybe renaming "GNOME" as "Full GNOME". > > Is this "Minimal GNOME" a typical use case? I think there are many users who prefer gnome-core over gnome-desktop. > We cannot add entries for all possible variations, only the typical ones. > If you have special requirements, you can do this by hand. > > In the installer, don't select a desktop environment, only choose the > "standard system" task. > Then login into your new system as root and call > "apt install gnome-core" > to get your "Minimal GNOME" for example. I know that's a way for doing it, but: 1) With such approach we don't need tasksel at all 2) Isn't it recommended way to install such things like DE, by using tasksel?- so that system can properly deal with packages dependencies?
Bug#1119018: tasksel: "Debian desktop environment" should default to gnome-core
On Sun, 26 Oct 2025 10:30:13 +0100 Pascal Hambourg wrote: > Wouldn't it be weird to leave "Debian desktop environment" selected and > expect no desktop environment to be installed ? Maybe Polish translation is faulty, then. In Polish it states: "Podstawowe składniki środowiska graficznego Debiana", which I'd translate to "Basic elements of Debian's DE". This, I think is misleading: one thinks, that something very basic would be installed and gets full-blown GNOME. > This is a separate issue, and would require e.g. a new "Minimal GNOME" > task, and maybe renaming "GNOME" as "Full GNOME". I sincerely think, that something like this should be done. IMO recently Ubuntu made a good decision to default to more stripped down GNOME. I think that Debian should do the same and default to gnome-core, with option to install Full GNOME. I think that more minimal approach is more in tune with Debian's policy than Ubuntu. Regards.
Bug#1119018: tasksel: "Debian desktop environment" should default to gnome-core
Hi, Pascal Hambourg wrote (Sun, 26 Oct 2025 10:30:13 +0100): > > Many users prefer more minimal GNOME install > > This is a separate issue, and would require e.g. a new "Minimal GNOME" > task, and maybe renaming "GNOME" as "Full GNOME". Is this "Minimal GNOME" a typical use case? We cannot add entries for all possible variations, only the typical ones. If you have special requirements, you can do this by hand. In the installer, don't select a desktop environment, only choose the "standard system" task. Then login into your new system as root and call "apt install gnome-core" to get your "Minimal GNOME" for example. Holger -- Holger Wansing PGP-Fingerprint: 496A C6E8 1442 4B34 8508 3529 59F1 87CA 156E B076
Bug#1119018: tasksel: "Debian desktop environment" should default to gnome-core
(Not sending reply to the submitter because gmail would reject it)
On 26/10/2025 à 08:50, Paweł Starzyński wrote:
> We have de facto duplicate entries- if user chooses "GNOME"- it leads
to full GNONE install, the same if "Debian DE" is chosen.
No, they are not duplicates. task-desktop ("Debian desktop environment")
only recommends either of a number of task-*-desktop desktop environment
tasks. task-gnome-desktop ("GNOME") is first in the list of alternatives
so will be installed only if available and no other desktop environment
is selected. With custom installation sources (CD or mirror) not
providing task-gnome-desktop, another available desktop environment
would be installed instead.
Moreover, it may be against one's intentions, one might think that when
GNOME (or other DE) won't be checked, no DE will be installed, and in
fact one gets GNOME if "Debian DE" won't be unchecked.
Wouldn't it be weird to leave "Debian desktop environment" selected and
expect no desktop environment to be installed ?
Many users prefer more minimal GNOME install
This is a separate issue, and would require e.g. a new "Minimal GNOME"
task, and maybe renaming "GNOME" as "Full GNOME".
Bug#1119018: tasksel: "Debian desktop environment" should default to gnome-core
Package: tasksel Version: 3.81 Severity: wishlist X-Debbugs-Cc: [email protected] Dear Maintainer, I think that current situation in debian installer's tasksel stage, leads to confusion. We have de facto duplicate entries- if user chooses "GNOME"- it leads to full GNONE instal, the same if "Debian DE" is chosen. Moreover, it may be against one's intentions, one might think that when GNOME (or other DE) won't be checked, no DE will be installed, and in fact one gets GNOME if "Debian DE" won't be unchecked. Many users preffer more minimal GNOME install and such move would address their needs. Regards, Paul -- System Information: Debian Release: 13.1 APT prefers stable-updates APT policy: (500, 'stable-updates'), (500, 'stable-security'), (500, 'stable') Architecture: amd64 (x86_64) Kernel: Linux 6.12.48+deb13-amd64 (SMP w/4 CPU threads; PREEMPT) Locale: LANG=pl_PL.UTF-8, LC_CTYPE=pl_PL.UTF-8 (charmap=UTF-8), LANGUAGE not set Shell: /bin/sh linked to /usr/bin/dash Init: systemd (via /run/systemd/system) LSM: AppArmor: enabled Versions of packages tasksel depends on: ii apt 3.0.3 ii debconf [debconf-2.0] 1.5.91 ii liblocale-gettext-perl 1.07-7+b1 ii tasksel-data3.81 tasksel recommends no packages. tasksel suggests no packages. -- debconf information excluded
