On 2025-11-06 at 06:50, Sebastian Kraus wrote: > Dear all: > > selecting > > [*] Debian desktop environment > > is definitely NOT(!) "superfluous". > > Having a look at the control files of the two "task packages" e.g. > > task-desktop > task-gnome-desktop > > reveals the following: > > Package: task-desktop > Source: tasksel > Version: 3.81 > Architecture: all > Maintainer: Debian Install System Team <[email protected]> > Installed-Size: 6 > Depends: tasksel (= 3.81), xorg, xserver-xorg-video-all, > xserver-xorg-input-all, desktop-base > Recommends: task-gnome-desktop | task-xfce-desktop | task-kde-desktop | > task-lxde-desktop | task-gnome-flashback-desktop | task-cinnamon-desktop | > task-mate-desktop | task-lxqt-desktop, xdg-utils, fonts-symbola, > avahi-daemon, libnss-mdns, anacron, eject, iw, alsa-utils, sudo, firefox | > firefox-esr, cups > Section: tasks > Priority: optional > Description: Debian desktop environment > This task package is used to install the Debian desktop. > > > Package: task-gnome-desktop > Source: tasksel > Version: 3.81 > Architecture: all > Maintainer: Debian Install System Team <[email protected]> > Installed-Size: 9 > Depends: tasksel (= 3.81), task-desktop, gnome-core ^^^^^^^^^^^^ > Recommends: gnome > Section: tasks > Priority: optional > Description: GNOME > This task package is used to install the Debian desktop, featuring > the GNOME desktop environment, and with other packages that Debian users > expect to have available on the desktop. > > > You definitely have to install the "task-desktop" package by > selecting "Debian desktop environment". Otherwise, necessary > dependencies for the GNOME Desktop environment will miss from your > installation. For all other > "task-<name_of_desktop_environment>-desktop" "task packages", the > same condition holds true and installation of the specific Desktop > environment with fail with fatal errors.
Normally, one would expect the fact that task-gnome-desktop has Depends: on task-desktop to mean that installing the one would automatically result in installing the other. I suspect that in an already-installed system, $ apt install task-gnome-desktop will in fact have that result; a '--dry-run' attempt on my own system does seem to suggest that that will be the case. I have a half-recollection, however, that the Debian Installer does not use the normal dependency-resolution mechanisms (at least not in the same way) - and if that is in fact the case, it may indeed be plausible that, *specifically during the installation process*, this same result would not automatically occur. -- The Wanderer The reasonable man adapts himself to the world; the unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore all progress depends on the unreasonable man. -- George Bernard Shaw
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