I have Debian sarge installed and it works well. I don't know much about Linux but I do know this: I can't stand KDE. I like Gnome but KDE makes my skin crawl, especially all the bloated software that comes with it. So how can I install Debian sarge with Gnome but without KDE? The standard (simple) installation process provides the wonderful option to install "desktop environments." Great. I've tried the other (more advanced) installation processes, but I don't know what to do. Selecting individual packages takes forever, and I don't know which ones to select anyway.

I understand that some applications require the KDE libraries; well, I don't care, I'll just avoid such software then. Anyway, isn't it possible to install the libraries without installing KDE?

So, advice? Is there a simple way around this annoyance or should I just stop being such a lazy newbie and start reading the man pages till my eyes bleed? Or is there, perhaps, a (non-commercial, that's the only way to go) distro out there that I should try instead of Debian?

thanks!

You can install the base system (i.e. select nothing in the tasksel during the installation), and after that just do as root:

I think this is enough. If not, let me know.

Oh yes, you can install only the libraries: if you wanna be lazy , just don't install them until you have a program that requires kde/qt libraries. Apt-get/synaptic will find the necessary libraries automatically.

Thanks a lot, I'll try what you suggested