Bug#1089002: gnome-core: Add gnome-non-core to help users remove less important components

[EiPi Fun]

On Thu, 4 Dec 2025 17:05:35 -0500
Jeremy Bícha <jbicha at debian.org> wrote:

> There have been several requests for something like this. gnome-core
> is intended to closely match what GNOME upstream considers to be core.
> Some people want to have more control over what apps are installed.
> 
> My initial thinking for a name for this metapackage is gnome-minimal.
> 
> I'm not sure what this metapackage would look like. Would it be as
> simple as Depends: gnome-session, gdm3 (which will ensure that
> gnome-shell, gnome-control-center, and xdg-desktop-portal-gnome are
> installed)?
> 
> Should it have Recommends on many GNOME Core apps? Which ones?
> 
> I guess it should have Suggests for all the GNOME Core apps. apt will
> keep a suggested package installed if a package that had previously
> depended on it or recommend it no longer does that or is no longer
> installed.
> 
> Thank you,
> Jeremy Bícha
> 

Thanks so much for your attention!

IMHO, gnome-minimal is accurate name and it can suggest all the GNOME
Core apps.

Back to my basic idea, what I really needs is actually an installer
menu, GNOME Core, Gnome Minimal or whatever. To realize a desktop with
simplicity, I need to do a minimal installation with no selections.
Then I boot into debian and apt install gnome-core.

I guess it will be hard to persuade installer author to add a third
GNOME option, apart from GNOME and GNOME Flashback. Thus I put forward
an idea to reduce the difficulties to simplify GNOME.

I will also be happy to have a gnome-minimal package to enhance
customization :)

gnome-minimal -> gnome-core -> gnome

Three stages.

Best regards,
EiPi Fun/Don Xu,
Dec 5, 2025