Which method should I choose to install GNOME?

Question

Note : My question itself answers how to install GNOME

I want to install Gnome desktop in my 64-bit Ubuntu 14.04 I just googled and I found two ways to install GNOME. I also read other answers on Ask Ubuntu and googled but can't find what is difference between this both!

1st method to install is :

sudo apt-get install gnome-shell
sudo apt-get install ubuntu-gnome-desktop

2nd method

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:gnome3-team/gnome3-staging
sudo add-apt-repository ppa:gnome3-team/gnome3
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get dist-upgrade

If I try installing using first way, it shows following errors:

The following packages have unmet dependencies:
gnome-shell : Depends: gnome-settings-daemon (>= 3.4.0) but it is not
                       going to be installed
              Recommends: gnome-control-center but it is not going to be installed
ubuntu-gnome-desktop : Depends: gdm but it is not going to be installed
                       Depends: gnome-control-center but it is not going to be installed
                       Depends: gnome-session but it is not going to be installed
                       Depends: gnome-settings-daemon but it is not going to be installed
                       Depends: gnome-shell-extensions but it is not going to be installed
E: Unable to correct problems, you have held broken packages.

And If I try installing 2nd way, after entering sudo apt-get dist-upgrade command it tells me that 299Mb space will be used and I just aborted it pressing n.

What is right way to install Gnome desktop in Ubuntu 14.04.

And one more thing, as there are two methods available to install Gnome, which is best? Up to I know using 1st method I can switch to Gnome desktop by logging out from Unity and choosing GNOME.

What would happen if I install Gnome using 2nd method? Will it remove Unity from my computer or I will be able to use both Unity by logging out?

Answer 1

There is a better and simple way available to install gnome-desktop using tasksel. Tasksel is a debian tool to install multiple related packages as a coordinated task. You will get many such tasks like lamp-server etc which can be installed in just one click.

Here's how to do that for gnome-desktop:

sudo apt-get install tasksel
sudo apt-get update

(Updating cache is necessary because you may get an error like this if you don't: tasksel: aptitude failed (100)

Then

sudo tasksel

• Select the Task Ubuntu GNOME desktop using spacebar and click OK.

• Ubuntu GNOME desktop will get installed.

One more thing: you may get the error tasksel: aptitude failed (100) again(it is a bug in tasksel for a long time) so just restart the system.

• You will get the desktop environment selection menu on login panel:

  1. GNOME Default

  2. GNOME Classic

  3. Ubuntu

Select the one you want, Enjoy.

hope this helps :)

Answer 2

Even I had this problem. So here is the solution for it. First use this command to update your repository

sudo apt-get update

after this, upgrade your repository with this command

sudo apt-get upgrade

now try to install gnome using the following commands

sudo apt-get install gnome-shell  
sudo apt-get install ubuntu-gnome-desktop

Answer 3

For me your 2nd method works great with

sudo apt-get install gnome-shell

But I also made a reboot after the dist upgrade. Try it!

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:gnome3-team/gnome3-staging
sudo add-apt-repository ppa:gnome3-team/gnome3
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get dist-upgrade
sudo reboot
sudo apt-get install gnome-shell

Answer 4

sudo apt-get install gnome-core

solved this problem for me.

Answer 5

You're not going to have very much luck trying to do this. Ubuntu doesn't like any other window manager than the one it ships with. If you insist, however, you can do

sudo apt-get install gnome

and it'll get you most of the way there. Be prepared to deal with broken themes and unstable behavior, however.

I prefer Debian because a solid gnome desktop works right out of the box, but I have to use Ubuntu for work. I can't stand unity, so about the only thing I've been able to make work satisfactorily is a nuts-and-bolts configuration of Openbox, tint2, and Compton (for compositing).