Bug#851120: gdm3: does not start after fresh stretch install

Thu Jan 12 07:53:19 UTC 2017

Package: gdm3

Version: 3.22.1-1

Severity: serious

I installed stretch using the 2017-01-12 netinst installer ISO (in a
VirtualBox VM) and then I installed gnome with

  apt-get install gnome

The desktop fails to appear, the console just flickers continuously.

I logged in over ssh and tried various things.  Eventually I tried

   apt-get install xserver-xorg-legacy

and now it runs and I see the GNOME login screen.

The same problem/solution was observed by another user in this discussion:

https://bugs.debian.org/cgi-bin/bugreport.cgi?bug=801749#25

although that bug report appears to be discussing various gdm3 startup
issues so I'm opening this new bug report to focus on this specific issue.