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I installed Lubuntu, but only because that was the only Ubuntu flavour that I could put on the USB I had at the time. I originally wanted Xubuntu. I wonder if I could switch to Xubuntu by installing xubuntu-desktop and removing lubuntu-desktop (just to save some space).

Would that make my system unusable? Would it replace default software? Would it work?

Zanna
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xuwenbuwer
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    it is easy to install xubuntu sudo apt install xubuntu-desktop. Hard to remove lubuntu, I would leave it – Panther Mar 26 '18 at 14:09
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    I agree with @Panther. You can damage the desktop environment (DE), that you want to keep, if you try to remove the other DE. – sudodus Mar 26 '18 at 14:34
  • You're not likely to actually "damage" anything, but you should install the new meta-package first, prior to removing the old one. You might end up with some dangling packages installed, but should be generally OK. "Is it a good idea?" though is a subjective question, so I've voted to close this as primarily opinion based. – dobey Mar 26 '18 at 15:09

1 Answers1

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Problem: 'I installed Lubuntu, but only because that was the only Ubuntu flavour that I could put on my USB I had at the time.'

There are workarounds for this problem: If you only have a small USB pendrive or a CD drive (not DVD), most [or all] Ubuntu and Ubuntu community flavour iso files might be too big.

  • Use an Ubuntu mini.iso if you can boot in BIOS mode (alias CSM alias legacy mode).

  • Use an Ubuntu Server iso file and and avoid installing server packages. The 64-bit server iso file makes a boot drive that can boot both in UEFI and BIOS mode.

    • If there are still problems (for example with the graphics of the installer in UEFI mode), you can try a compressed image file according to this link.

In both cases the iso files are smaller than the iso files with graphical desktop environments (standard Ubuntu desktop and the community flavours Kubuntu, Lubuntu, ... Xubuntu).

  • The mini.iso file sizes are very small, typically around 60 MB,
  • the Ubuntu Server iso files sizes are less than 1 GB (as are most of the Lubuntu iso file sizes),
  • the sizes of the other iso files with graphical desktop environments are between 1 GB and 2 GB (typically smaller than or around 1.5 GB).

You can select xubuntu-desktop during the installation, or install it afterwards, when you have booted into the text mode interface, and then you will get Xubuntu.

sudodus
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