So I was using Tasksel to install the MATE desktop env to try it out as an alternative to GNOME.
After that lengthy installation of MATE, MATE itself worked, but when using GNOME again, GNOME slowly started failing. Mostly using the Desktop Links of Nautilus, which broke. Nautilus only worked when started from the terminal and leaving that open.
This started days ago and I tried reinstalling Nautilus and its depending packages several times. No avail. Uninstalled Caja as I thought it may interfere.
Today I booted into recovery mode and used tasksel there inside GUI mode in a Terminal, still not sure how I got into GNOME from recovery mode...
It listed MATE as U but uninstalled ubuntu-mate-desktop anyway.
After a while, I noticed Symbols vanish, fonts being missing, etc until all I was left was the wallpaper.
After reboot, it went straight into shell.
How do I get back into GNOME, when tasksel just apparently uninstalled the whole system? I can't use APT there, the network seems missing.
Tools like the initramfs thing are missing for some unknown reason too.
Oh, I am... Well was... Using Ubuntu 18.04 latest updates.
How can I recover my system?
Was tasksel always this volatile?
/usr/bin/apt-get? If you can, then you can do/usr/bin/apt-get updateand/usr/bin/apt-get install ubuntu-mate-desktop– tudor -Reinstate Monica- Oct 09 '18 at 06:35