In Ubuntu, how do I use something like IceWM or XFCE or Fluxbox instead of Gnome ?


Thanks.

very easy in Ubuntu.
sudo apt-get install whatever-wm-you-want-to-use
password.

when you log out of gnome and go to the login screen, before you enter your user name and password,
click where it says 'sessions' and your new window manager should be an option.

let us know if you have trouble

Okay. Thanks for quick respsonse.


If I do...


sudo apt-get install icewm


etc.etc.


an error comes up saying

E: Couldn't find package fvwm95

or

E: Couldn't find package icewm

etc.....


In the window-based
System>Administration>Synaptic package manager

I cannot see anything that looks like Fluxbox or any of the other smaller desktop environments.

???

Try running apt-get update.

it could be that your sources are messed up too.
Ubuntu move their repositories a month or two ago.
look in /etc/apt/sources.list
remove the us from each line if they are there.

I am using Flux on my lappy with Ubuntu.

I think I went to:

SYSTEM->Administration->Synaptic Package Manager->Settings->Repositories->Add
check the box Community maintained(Universe).

I think that is how I changed the repositories to get fluxbox.

On my desktop I think I did it this way....

I clipped this out of the Ubuntu unofficial guide.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
*************************************************************

Repositories

Q: How to add extra repositories?

1. Read General Notes
2.

sudo cp /etc/apt/sources.list /etc/apt/sources.list_backup
sudo gedit /etc/apt/sources.list

3. Find this section

...
## Uncomment the following two lines to fetch updated software from the network
# deb http://us.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu hoary main restricted
# deb-src http://us.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu hoary main restricted

## Uncomment the following two lines to fetch major bug fix updates produced
## after the final release of the distribution.
# deb http://us.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu hoary-updates main restricted
# deb-src http://us.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu hoary-updates main restricted

## Uncomment the following two lines to add software from the 'universe'
## repository.
## N.B. software from this repository is ENTIRELY UNSUPPORTED by the Ubuntu
## team, and may not be under a free licence. Please satisfy yourself as to
## your rights to use the software. Also, please note that software in
## universe WILL NOT receive any review or updates from the Ubuntu security
## team.
# deb http://us.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu hoary universe
# deb-src http://us.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu hoary universe

# deb http://security.ubuntu.com/ubuntu hoary-security main restricted
# deb-src http://security.ubuntu.com/ubuntu hoary-security main restricted

# deb http://security.ubuntu.com/ubuntu hoary-security universe
# deb-src http://security.ubuntu.com/ubuntu hoary-security universe

4. Replace with the following lines

## Uncomment the following two lines to fetch updated software from the network
deb http://us.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu hoary main restricted
deb-src http://us.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu hoary main restricted

## Uncomment the following two lines to fetch major bug fix updates produced
## after the final release of the distribution.
deb http://us.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu hoary-updates main restricted
deb-src http://us.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu hoary-updates main restricted

## Uncomment the following two lines to add software from the 'universe'
## repository.
## N.B. software from this repository is ENTIRELY UNSUPPORTED by the Ubuntu
## team, and may not be under a free licence. Please satisfy yourself as to
## your rights to use the software. Also, please note that software in
## universe WILL NOT receive any review or updates from the Ubuntu security
## team.
deb http://us.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu hoary universe
deb-src http://us.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu hoary universe

deb http://security.ubuntu.com/ubuntu hoary-security main restricted
deb-src http://security.ubuntu.com/ubuntu hoary-security main restricted

deb http://security.ubuntu.com/ubuntu hoary-security universe
deb-src http://security.ubuntu.com/ubuntu hoary-security universe

deb http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu hoary multiverse
deb-src http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu hoary multiverse

## Backports
deb http://ubuntu-backports.mirrormax.net/ hoary-backports main universe multiverse restricted
deb http://ubuntu-backports.mirrormax.net/ hoary-extras main universe multiverse restricted

5. Save the edited file (sample)
6.

sudo apt-get update

Q: How to backup/restore downloaded repositories cache?

1. Read General Notes
2. To backup downloaded repositories cache

sudo tar zcvf apt.tgz /etc/apt/ /var/lib/apt/ /var/cache/apt/

3. To restore downloaded repositories cache

sudo tar zxvf apt.tgz -C /


Ubuntu Updates

Q: How to manually update Ubuntu?

1. Read General Notes
2. Read How to add extra repositories?
3.

sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get upgrade

**************************************************************************
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


I hope it helps. I have never been a huge Gnome fan, but it is growing on me.
I have mostly old hardware so Flux has always been a little lighter/faster for me.

Regards,
Blair

Thanks for replies, chaps. It works now.