Xfce is pretty fast & light compared to gnome or kde. You can install it easily by selecting xubuntu-desktop in synaptic or for terminal> sudo apt-get install xubuntu-desktop < then just logout and select xfce4 in the session menu and log in.
Getting Back to a Pure XFCE on Ubuntu
If you used aptitude to install other desktop environments, you will not need this tutorial, as you can just type
sudo aptitude remove kubuntu-desktop
or
sudo aptitude remove ubuntu-desktop
to get back to your "pure XFCE."
If you didn't have as much foresight and chose instead to install KDE or Gnome through Synaptic or apt-get , this is how to remove those desktop environments from your XFCE.
Note, this applies only to Ubuntu Edgy. If you're using Dapper, go here .
Remove Ubuntu Paste this command into the terminal:
sudo apt-get remove alacarte aspell binfmt-support bittorrent bluez-cups bluez-pin bluez-utils brltty brltty-x11 bsh bug-buddy ca-certificates capplets-data cli-common contact-lookup-applet deskbar-applet diveintopython ekiga eog esound evince evolution evolution-data-server evolution-data-server-common evolution-exchange evolution-plugins evolution-webcal f-spot file-roller firefox-gnome-support fping gcalctool gcj-4.1-base gconf-editor gdb gedit gedit-common gij gij-4.1 gimp-python gnome-about gnome-applets gnome-applets-data gnome-btdownload gnome-control-center gnome-cups-manager gnome-desktop-data gnome-doc-utils gnome-games gnome-games-data gnome-keyring-manager gnome-media gnome-media-common gnome-menus gnome-netstatus-applet gnome-nettool gnome-panel gnome-panel-data gnome-pilot gnome-pilot-conduits gnome-power-manager gnome-screensaver gnome-session gnome-spell gnome-system-monitor gnome-system-tools gnome-terminal gnome-terminal-data gnome-themes gnome-utils gnome-volume-manager gnome2-user-guide gstreamer0.10-alsa gstreamer0.10-esd gstreamer0.10-gnomevfs gstreamer0.10-plugins-base gstreamer0.10-plugins-base-apps gstreamer0.10-plugins-good gstreamer0.10-tools gstreamer0.10-x gthumb gtkhtml3.8 gucharmap guile-1.6-libs hal-device-manager hwdb-client-common hwdb-client-gnome libaudio2 libavc1394-0 libbeagle0 libbluetooth2 libbtctl4 libcairo-perl libcamel1.2-8 libcdio6 libcurl3 libdbus-1-cil libdirectfb-0.9-24 libdjvulibre15 libdv4 libebook1.2-9 libecal1.2-7 libedata-book1.2-2 libedata-cal1.2-6 libedataserver1.2-7 libedataserverui1.2-8 libeel2-2 libeel2-data libegroupwise1.2-12 libexchange-storage1.2-2 libflac7 libgcj-bc libgcj-common libgcj7-0 libgconf2.0-cil libgda2-3 libgda2-common libgdl-1-0 libgdl-1-common libgksu1.2-1 libgksuui1.0-1 libglade2.0-cil libglew1 libglib-perl libglib2.0-cil libgmime-2.0-2 libgmime2.2-cil libgnome-desktop-2 libgnome-media0 libgnome-menu2 libgnome-pilot2 libgnome-window-settings1 libgnome2-canvas-perl libgnome2-perl libgnome2-vfs-perl libgnome2.0-cil libgnomebt0 libgnomecupsui1.0-1c2a libgnomevfs2-bin libgnomevfs2-extra libgphoto2-2 libgphoto2-port0 libgpod0 libgstreamer-plugins-base0.10-0 libgstreamer0.10-0 libgtk2-perl libgtk2.0-cil libgtkhtml3.8-15 libgtksourceview-common libgtksourceview1.0-0 libgucharmap5 libguile-ltdl-1 libhsqldb-java libicu34 libidn11 libiec61883-0 libieee1284-3 libjasper-1.701-1 libjaxp1.2-java libjline-java liblpint-bonobo0 libmagick9 libmdbtools libmetacity0 libmono-cairo1.0-cil libmono-corlib1.0-cil libmono-data-tds1.0-cil libmono-security1.0-cil libmono-sharpzip0.84-cil libmono-sqlite1.0-cil libmono-system-data1.0-cil libmono-system-web1.0-cil libmono-system1.0-cil libmono0 libmono1.0-cil libmusicbrainz4c2a libnautilus-burn4 libnautilus-extension1 libneon25 libnotify1 liboil0.3 libopal-2.2.0 libopenobex-1.0-0 libpanel-applet2-0 libpisock9 libpisync0 libportaudio0 libpt-1.10.0 libpt-plugins-alsa libpt-plugins-v4l libpt-plugins-v4l2 libqthreads-12 libraw1394-8 libsane libsdl1.2debian libsdl1.2debian-alsa libservlet2.3-java libsexy2 libshout3 libsmbclient libsndfile1 libsoup2.2-8 libsqlite3-0 libstlport4.6c2 libtotem-plparser1 libvisual-0.4-0 libvorbisenc2 libwnck-common libwnck18 libxalan2-java libxerces2-java libxklavier11 libxml2-utils libxmlsec1 libxmlsec1-nss libxmlsec1-openssl libxres1 libxt-java metacity metacity-common mono-common mono-gac mono-jit mono-runtime nautilus nautilus-cd-burner nautilus-data nautilus-sendto notification-daemon openoffice.org openoffice.org-base openoffice.org-calc openoffice.org-common openoffice.org-core openoffice.org-draw openoffice.org-evolution openoffice.org-gnome openoffice.org-gtk openoffice.org-impress openoffice.org-java-common openoffice.org-math openoffice.org-style-default openoffice.org-style-industrial openoffice.org-writer pkg-config python-gmenu python-gnome2-desktop python-gnome2-extras python-gst0.10 python-uno rdesktop rhythmbox rss-glx screensaver-default-images serpentine sound-juicer ssh-askpass-gnome tangerine-icon-theme tomboy totem totem-gstreamer totem-mozilla tsclient ttf-opensymbol ubuntu-desktop ubuntu-docs update-notifier usplash-theme-ubuntu vino vnc-common whois xsane xsane-common xsltproc xvncviewer yelp zenity
Remove Kubuntu Paste this command into the terminal:
sudo apt-get remove adept adept-batch adept-common adept-installer adept-manager adept-notifier adept-updater akregator amarok amarok-xine apt-index-watcher ark arts bluez-cups bluez-pin bluez-utils bogofilter bogofilter-bdb bogofilter-common brltty bsh ca-certificates dcraw debtags digikam diveintopython enscript fping gcj-4.1-base gdb gij gij-4.1 gtk2-engines-gtk-qt gwenview hwdb-client-common hwdb-client-kde k3b kaddressbook kaffeine kaffeine-xine kamera karm katapult kate kaudiocreator kbstate kcontrol kcron kde-guidance kde-guidance-powermanager kde-icons-mono kde-systemsettings kdeadmin-kfile-plugins kdebase-bin kdebase-data kdebase-kio-plugins kdebluetooth kdegraphics-kfile-plugins kdelibs-data kdelibs4c2a kdemultimedia-kfile-plugins kdemultimedia-kio-plugins kdenetwork-filesharing kdenetwork-kfile-plugins kdepasswd kdepim-kio-plugins kdepim-kresources kdepim-wizards kdeprint kdesktop kdm kdnssd keep kfind kghostview khelpcenter kicker kio-apt kio-locate kipi-plugins klipper kmag kmail kmailcvt kmenuedit kmilo kmix kmousetool kmplayer-base kmplayer-konq-plugins knetworkconf knotes koffice-data koffice-libs konq-plugins konqueror konqueror-nsplugins konsole kontact konversation kooka kopete korganizer kpdf kpf kppp krdc krfb krita krita-data kscd kscreensaver ksmserver ksnapshot ksplash ksplash-engine-moodin ksvg ksysguard ksysguardd ksystemlog ktorrent kubuntu-artwork-usplash kubuntu-default-settings kubuntu-docs kubuntu-konqueror-shortcuts kwalletmanager kwin kwin-style-crystal language-selector-qt libakode2 libarts1-akode libarts1c2a libartsc0 libaudio2 libavahi-compat-libdnssd1 libavahi-qt3-1 libbluetooth2 libc6-dev libcurl3 libcurl3-gnutls libdbus-qt-1-1c2 libdirectfb-0.9-24 libexif-dev libflac++5c2 libflac7 libgcj-bc libgcj-common libgcj7-0 libgmp3c2 libgpgme11 libgphoto2-2 libgphoto2-2-dev libgphoto2-port0 libgpod0 libgsl0 libgstreamer-plugins-base0.10-0 libgstreamer0.10-0 libhsqldb-java libicu34 libidn11 libieee1284-3 libifp4 libimlib2 libjasper-1.701-1 libjasper-runtime libjaxp1.2-java libjline-java libk3b2 libkcal2b libkcddb1 libkdepim1a libkexif1 libkipi0 libkleopatra1 libkmime2 libkonq4 libkpimexchange1 libkpimidentities1 libkscan1 libksieve0 libktnef1 liblockdev1 liblua50 liblualib50 libmagick++9c2a libmagick9 libmdbtools libmimelib1c2a libmpcdec3 libmusicbrainz4c2a libmysqlclient15off libneon25 libnjb5 libnss-mdns liboggflac3 libopenexr2c2a libopenobex-1.0-0 libpoppler1-qt libportaudio0 libpq4 libpythonize0 libqt3-mt libqt4-core libqt4-gui libqt4-qt3support libqt4-sql libraw1394-8 librsync1 libruby1.8 libsamplerate0 libsane libsdl1.2debian libsdl1.2debian-alsa libservlet2.3-java libskim0 libsmbclient libsndfile1 libsqlite0 libsqlite3-0 libstlport4.6c2 libtdb1 libtunepimp3 libungif4g libvisual-0.4-0 libvorbisenc2 libvorbisfile3 libxalan2-java libxerces2-java libxmlsec1 libxmlsec1-nss libxmlsec1-openssl libxt-java linux-libc-dev mysql-common openoffice.org openoffice.org-base openoffice.org-calc openoffice.org-common openoffice.org-core openoffice.org-draw openoffice.org-impress openoffice.org-java-common openoffice.org-kde openoffice.org-math openoffice.org-style-crystal openoffice.org-style-default openoffice.org-writer perl-suid pkg-config poster psutils pykdeextensions python-elementtree python-kde3 python-qt3 python-qt4 python-sip4 python-uno python2.4-dev qca-tls qobex rdiff-backup ruby ruby1.8 scim-qtimm skim speedcrunch ttf-opensymbol vorbis-tools wlassistant