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Ubuntu 12.10 – Installing GNOME Desktop

richardsplanet — Tue, 23 Oct 2012 20:17:05 +0000

These instructions are for installing the GNOME Desktop in Ubuntu 12.10 running the Unity Desktop.

Installation instructions may be the same or similar for other versions of Ubuntu or for other Linux distros, but no guarantee is made.

If you are changing desktops because you are totally lost / confused by Unity, I suggest reading this tutorial and giving Unity a chance. The mentioned tutorial is for Ubuntu 12.04, but should be the same or very similar for 12.10. Eventually, I will have an updated tutorial for 12.10.

Of course, if you really hate Unity, then GNOME Desktop is an alternative desktop.

Some images may be clicked for full sized versions.

What is it?

GNOME Desktop is GNOME Shell bundled with a number of additional applications.

GNOME Shell is not the same as the classic or traditional desktop most users are familiar with. It is a desktop that requires 3D hardware capability (if it is not available, then the system loads the GNOME Fallback Session). GNOME states that most 3D graphics cards manufactured after 2007 (or so) should be suitable.

Who is it for?

This is for those users who want the GNOME 3 desktop along with all the extra program files bundled with it.

If you just want GNOME Shell without all the additional packages and programs, choose to install GNOME Shell instead.

If you are not interested in the GNOME 3 desktop and want a more traditional/classic desktop environment I recommend installing GNOME Session Fallback.

If you want a true GNOME 2 (traditional/classic) desktop experience, then you need to install MATE.

MATE is a fork (a development branch that has split from the main branch) of the original GNOME 2 project to preserve it.

GNOME 2 is no longer supported or developed – it has been superseded by GNOME 3.

MATE is the new GNOME 2.

Note: most people want GNOME Shell or GNOME Session Fallback. Installing GNOME Desktop will install a lot of extra applications that you will probably never use.

A better solution is to install GNOME Shell or GNOME Session Fallback and later install those additional applications you want.

What it looks like

The straight-out-of-the-box look of the desktop is:

While it might look similar to the traditional/classic desktop, it is not. Clicking on the Action item (or tapping the Windows or Super key) will bring up a Unity style pane with some decorations on the side:

GNOME Desktop will install 542 MB of files and data to your hard disk.

Contrast this with 84.5 MB for GNOME Shell or 35.5 MB for GNOME Session Fallback. Do you really want those ~460 MB of extra programs installed?

From the Command Line

If you are comfortable with Linux and know how to use the command line and apt-get then the command is:

sudo apt-get install gnome

Detailed instructions for accessing a command line can be found here.

Note: during installation, you are likely to get a message box asking which display manager you use. It is safe to use either one.

gdm is installed with gnome.

lightdm is the display manager shipped with Ubuntu.

Basically, the difference between the two is that your login screen will look different.

Afterward, you need to restart your system.

From the Ubuntu Software Center

Launching the Ubuntu Software Center

1) Tap the Windows (Super) key to bring up the Dash panel:

Note: tapping the Windows keys means pressing it as though you intend to type it. It does not mean holding down the key (holding down the key does something else).

Ubuntu calls this the Super key

2) Type Ubuntu Software Center into the search field:

Note: as you type, search results will be displayed in the Dash Panel below.

You can stop typing when Ubuntu Software Center is the leftmost item in the panel.

3) Press the Enter key. This will select and launch the Ubuntu Software Center

Note: pressing the Enter key automatically selects the top, leftmost item in the Dash Panel. This is why it is not necessary to type everything.

Note: if, for some reason, you switch focus or change focus from the search field, then pressing Enter will not work and you will need to select the icon using your mouse (or navigate using your keyboard). This is definitely an issue Ubuntu needs to address with the Dash.

4) Type gnome into the Ubuntu Software Center search field. This will bring up related entries.

5) Click on the entry The GNOME Desktop Environment, with extra components – this will highlight it in orange:

6) Click on Install:

If you receive the following error message:

See this article for a possible solution.

Note: I haven’t encountered this error with Ubuntu 12.10, but I believe it is still possible.

7) Enter your password and click Authenticate:

8) After installation is finished, click on the System icon in the upper right corner of the desktop and select Shut Down… from the drop down menu:

Note: it may be enough to just log out and log back in using the new desktop, but it doesn’t hurt to restart either.

9) Click on Restart:

Selecting the Desktop

After the system has restarted, it is necessary to select the new desktop from the login screen.

It is only necessary to select the desktop the first time after installation. Ubuntu will remember your your selection for future logins.

You can even install multiple desktops and switch between them.

10) Click the icon in the top right of the Login box:

11) Select GNOME (you also have the option of selecting GNOME Classic which is just the Session Fallback version):

12) Click on OK:

13) Login as normal:

Notice the icon in the upper right hand corner has changed to a different icon. Some, not all, desktop environments will display an icon there.

This provides a quick way to know which desktop environment you are logging into.

The post Ubuntu 12.10 – Installing GNOME Desktop appeared first on Complete, Concrete, Concise.

Ubuntu 12.04 – How to Completely Uninstall / Remove GNOME

richardsplanet — Fri, 29 Jun 2012 23:18:04 +0000

These instructions are for Ubuntu 12.04 running the Unity desktop on which GNOME was installed using either the Ubuntu Software Center or sudo apt-get on the command line.

The instructions may be the same for other versions of Ubuntu, but no guarantee is made.

When GNOME is installed in Ubuntu 12.04, it installs several packages and libraries it requires as well as some optional packages. Not all these packages and libraries are uninstalled when you uninstall GNOME. Several packages (like epiphany-browser and gnuchess) do not get uninstalled.

Quick Uninstall

This is not recommended because it will remove all packages normally installed with GNOME. This may include packages you previously installed (like epiphany-browser or gnuchess) or packages previously installed by other applications.

Note: this uninstall command assumes GNOME was installed on a fresh Ubuntu 12.04.

1) Open a terminal (instructions can be found here).

2) Enter the following command (it is very long and a single line):

sudo apt-get purge --auto-remove alacarte bogofilter bogofilter-bdb bogofilter-common browser-plugin-gnash cheese  cheese-common cups-pk-helper dconf-tools desktop-base ekiga epiphany-browser  epiphany-browser-data epiphany-extensions evolution evolution-common  evolution-plugins evolution-webcal fonts-cantarell gdebi gdebi-core gdm  gedit-plugins gimp gimp-data gir1.2-accountsservice-1.0 gir1.2-caribou-1.0  gir1.2-clutter-1.0 gir1.2-cogl-1.0 gir1.2-coglpango-1.0 gir1.2-folks-0.6  gir1.2-gdesktopenums-3.0 gir1.2-gee-1.0 gir1.2-gjsdbus-1.0 gir1.2-gkbd-3.0  gir1.2-gucharmap-2.90 gir1.2-json-1.0 gir1.2-mutter-3.0  gir1.2-networkmanager-1.0 gir1.2-panelapplet-4.0 gir1.2-polkit-1.0  gir1.2-telepathyglib-0.12 gir1.2-telepathylogger-0.2 gir1.2-upowerglib-1.0  gir1.2-xkl-1.0 gjs glchess glines gnash gnash-common gnect gnibbles gnobots2  gnome gnome-applets gnome-applets-data gnome-backgrounds gnome-contacts  gnome-core gnome-dictionary gnome-games gnome-games-extra-data  gnome-icon-theme-extras gnome-icon-theme-full gnome-js-common gnome-panel  gnome-panel-data gnome-session-fallback gnome-shell gnome-shell-common  gnome-themes-standard gnome-video-effects gnotravex gnotski gnuchess  gnuchess-book gtali hamster-applet iagno imagemagick imagemagick-common  indicator-applet-complete inkscape libbabl-0.0-0 libblas3gf libbonobo2-0  libbonobo2-common libbonoboui2-0 libbonoboui2-common libboost-iostreams1.46.1  libboost-program-options1.46.1 libboost-signals1.46.1 libboost-thread1.46.1  libcapi20-3 libcaribou-common libcaribou0 libcdt4 libcheese-gtk21 libcheese3  libclutter-1.0-0 libclutter-1.0-common libclutter-gst-1.0-0 libclutter-gtk-1.0-0  libclutter-imcontext-0.1-0 libcluttergesture-0.0.2-0 libcogl-common  libcogl-pango0 libcogl9 libept1.4.12 libevolution libgc1c2 libgdict-1.0-6  libgdict-common libgegl-0.0-0 libgfortran3 libgimp2.0 libgjs0c libglade2-0  libgnome2-0 libgnomecanvas2-0 libgnomecanvas2-common libgnomeui-0  libgnomeui-common libgnomevfs2-extra libgraph4 libgsl0ldbl libgtkhtml-4.0-0  libgtkhtml-4.0-common libgtkhtml-editor-4.0-0 libgtkmm-2.4-1c2a libgvc5  libilmbase6 liblapack3gf liblqr-1-0 libmagick++4 libmagickcore4  libmagickcore4-extra libmagickwand4 libmozjs185-1.0 libmusicbrainz4-3 libmutter0  libmx-1.0-2 libnetpbm10 libodbc1 libopal3.10.2 libopenexr6 libpanel-applet--0  libpathplan4 libpst4 libpt2.10.2 libseed-gtk3-0 libwmf-bin liferea liferea-data  lightsoff menu menu-xdg mutter-common netpbm notification-daemon odbcinst  odbcinst1debian2 perlmagick python-gmenu python-gnome2 python-lxml python-numpy  python-pyorbit python-uniconvertor quadrapassel sound-juicer swell-foop synaptic  unixodbc

It is easiest to copy the line and paste it into the terminal (right-click on the terminal and select Paste from the popup menu).

Preferred Uninstall

The better way to uninstall it is to follow the directions on this page.

This will show you on how to uninstall only the packages that were installed when GNOME was installed. The instructions are generic and work for any installed package.

It involves:

identifying which packages were installed and
creating a command to uninstall only those packages

It leaves intact any packages you may have installed (like epiphany-browser or gnuchess) or that were installed by other packages instead of blindly assuming that they were installed along with GNOME.

The post Ubuntu 12.04 – How to Completely Uninstall / Remove GNOME appeared first on Complete, Concrete, Concise.

Ubuntu 12.04 – How to Install the GNOME Desktop

richardsplanet — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 07:00:12 +0000

These instructions are for installing the GNOME Desktop in Ubuntu 12.04 running the Unity Desktop.

Installation instructions may be the same or similar for other versions of Ubuntu or for other Linux distros, but no guarantee is made.

GNOME Desktop includes the desktop environment as well as many applications. Some of these applications perform the same or similar functions as applications already installed with Ubuntu 12.04.

A smaller alternative is the GNOME Shell. This installs the GNOME Shell and fewer applications than GNOME Desktop. Some of the applications perform the same or similar functions as applications already installed with Ubuntu 12.04. Installation instructions can be found here.

The lightest weight alternative is GNOME Session Fallback. It only installs the GNOME Classic desktops. Installation instructions can be found here.

An article listing alternative desktops for Ubuntu 12.04 can be found here.

If you are changing desktops because you are totally lost / confused by Unity, I suggest reading this tutorial and giving Unity a chance.

Of course, if you really hate Unity, then GNOME Shell is an alternative desktop.

GNOME Shell will install 414MB of files and data to your hard disk.

Some images may be clicked for full sized versions.

What it Looks Like

The basic, straight-out-of-the-box, look of the desktop is:

From the Command Line

If you are comfortable with Linux and know how to use the command line and apt-get then the command is:

sudo apt-get install gnome

Detailed instructions for accessing a command line can be found here.

Afterwards, you need to restart your system.

From the Ubuntu Software Center

Some images may be clicked for full sized versions.

1) Launch the Ubuntu Software Center by clicking the icon on the Launcher:

2) Enter gnome into the search field. This will bring up related entries.

3) Click on the entry The GNOME Desktop Environment, with extra components – this will highlight it in orange:

4) Click on Install:

If you receive the following error message:

See this article for a possible solution.

5) Enter your password and click Authenticate:

6) After installation is finished, click on the System icon in the upper right corner of the desktop and select Restart to Complete Updates… from the drop down menu:

7) Click on Restart:

Selecting the Desktop

After the system has restarted, it is necessary to select the new desktop from the login screen.

It is only necessary to select the desktop the first time after installation. Ubuntu will remember your your desktop for future logins.

You can even install multiple desktops and switch between them.

8) Click the icon in the top right of the Login box:

9) Select GNOME Classic or GNOME Classic (No effects):

GNOME Classic is pretty much the traditional desktop you are most familiar with.

GNOME Classic (No effects) is the same as GNOME Classic except without fancy graphics effects. This desktop is probably faster than GNOME Classic – especially on older machines.

GNOME is the new GNOME Desktop. Because of the path GNOME has taken in its desktop development, Canonical (the developer of Ubuntu) decided to develop Unity because they didn’t like the direction GNOME was going).

The new GNOME desktop looks like this:

While it looks similar to the classical desktop, it is at least as different from the classical desktop as Unity is.

10) Login:

Notice the icon in the upper right hand corner has changed to a different icon. Some, not all, desktop environments will present an icon there.

This provides a quick way to know which desktop environment you are logging into.

The post Ubuntu 12.04 – How to Install the GNOME Desktop appeared first on Complete, Concrete, Concise.