I need to switch from KDE to xfce without losing my files, any advice?
If you already have a DE installed (in your case KDE) you would do something like sudo apt install xfce and then restart (I don’t think you actually have to, but I like to reboot after installing a DE). From there you should see a button on your login manager (SDDM for KDE I think?) That lets you pick the DE for the session. Usually looks like a drop down menu.
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I have 5+ DEs on my pop_os install, you don’t lose files in your users home.
May I ask why you have 5+ DEs installed? And also, isn’t that quite the mess with all the dotfiles?
We don’t talk about their 5+ desktop environments just like we don’t talk about my fourteen Windows VMs…
Hold on, I get the 5 DEs if you like to tinker but ME? Really?
I think using virtualbox is the bigger offense here.
😂
for testing, and no, no issues at all with the various dot files.
Cluttered app menus, and an occasional “default open with app” setting changed is about the only issues.
Is the dotfile overhead of a DE substantially more than any other program? Is there a particular conflict that you’re thinking of?
For a multiuser system it can be great to have multiple DEs or WMs.
I am thinking about .Xresources, for example, and gtk things and other files in .config. I didn’t mean the DE specific dotfiles.
why do you think you are going to loose your files if change desktop?
OP is most likely new to Linux and is used to the intertwining of the GUI and OS like they are in OS X and Windows.
Presumably they equate changing desktops with “reinstalling”.
Dangerous asumption: one man, one finger, one second…and you will have a disaster.
I mean people already answered your question, but I want to know why you want to leave kde plasma? It was the best I have found (after gnome, but in gnome I can’t change shit)
Not OP, but KDE has always seemed super fidgety to me. Like, I just can’t leave it alone, and get overwhelmed by all the fine grained tuning. I’m also not a fan of the plasticky design language.
Use tasksel to install, then choose a different desktop on the login screen
