Xfce-Minimal Option

Blacklight · 2026-08-20 20:42:11

I thought of a good question for you guys,

often times when I install a New Linux distro I notice that versions with the Xfce desktop environment, have ballooned, in terms of resource requirements.

This is really painful for me, it is really noticeable, whenever programs want to occupy my ram -> then when I update to the next version of a distro, the programs want to occupy twice as much, or three or four times as much ram, such as is the case with Xfce.

What qualifies as a minimal set of packages for Xfce, and would Xfce ever consider creating a minimal Xfce meta package?

I think I tried a debian 10 iso, some time ago, and I remember the base resource usage, of the... xfce debian 10 install, was like 320MB in top. I remember thinking, wow it's so fast, wow everything is exactly the same, why does it require so much more resources in later versions?

Actually I think I experimented with upgrading the distro, and holding back packages such as those related to Xfce, but it becomes quickly very difficult and technical, which is where installing a minimal version of Xfce becomes important.

Another question we could ask, is how much in terms of system resoruces does Xfce require exactly, and between different versions?

Last edited by Blacklight (2026-08-20 20:46:17)

CwF · 2026-08-20 21:17:25

Blacklight wrote:

What qualifies as a minimal set of packages for Xfce, and would Xfce ever consider creating a minimal Xfce meta package

There isn't really a need. Installing from a Debian netinstlal for example, by an experienced person who most likely has an opinion, will result in a few variations. Do you care for system sounds? Shave off a few megs. Do you need fuse and/or gvfs services? Shave of a few. Do you need ssh in or out? shave off a few..

There is no reason for there to be agreement with such question. It's yours. The fewer ‘not you’ that have preferences that dictate choices, the better.

Here is an opinionated recipe

$ dpkg --get-selections
7zip						install
acpi-support-base				install
acpid						install
adduser						install
adwaita-icon-theme				install
aisleriot					install
alsa-utils					install
apt						install
apt-utils					install
aspell						install
aspell-en					install
at-spi2-common					install
at-spi2-core					install
base-files					install
base-passwd					install
bash						install
bash-completion					install
bc						install
binutils					install
binutils-common:amd64				install
binutils-x86-64-linux-gnu			install
bsdextrautils					install
bsdutils					install
busybox						install
bzip2						install
ca-certificates					install
cherrytree					install
chromium					install
chromium-common					install
console-setup					install
console-setup-linux				install
coreutils					install
cpio						install
cpp						install
cpp-12						install
cpp-14						install
cpp-14-x86-64-linux-gnu				install
cpp-x86-64-linux-gnu				install
cron						install
cron-daemon-common				install
cruft-ng					install
dash						install
dbus						install
dbus-bin					install
dbus-daemon					install
dbus-session-bus-common				install
dbus-system-bus-common				install
dbus-user-session				install
dbus-x11					install
dconf-gsettings-backend:amd64			install
dconf-service					install
debconf						install
debian-archive-keyring				install
debianutils					install
desktop-base					install
desktop-file-utils				install
dialog						install
dictionaries-common				install
diffutils					install
dirmngr						install
discover					install
discover-data					install
distro-info-data				install
dma						install
dmidecode					install
dmsetup						install
dpkg						install
dracut-install					install
e2fsprogs					install
emacsen-common					install
exo-utils					install
fastfetch					install
file						install
findutils					install
firefox-esr					install
firmware-linux-free				install
font-manager-common:amd64			install
fontconfig					install
fontconfig-config				install
fonts-dejavu-core				install
fonts-dejavu-extra				install
fonts-dejavu-mono				install
fonts-quicksand					install
fonts-urw-base35				install
fortune-mod					install
fortunes-debian-hints				install
gcc-12-base:amd64				install
gcc-14-base:amd64				install
gcr						install
gcr4						install
gettext-base					install
gir1.2-atk-1.0:amd64				install
gir1.2-freedesktop:amd64			install
gir1.2-gdkpixbuf-2.0:amd64			install
gir1.2-girepository-2.0:amd64			install
gir1.2-glib-2.0:amd64				install
gir1.2-gtk-3.0:amd64				install
gir1.2-harfbuzz-0.0:amd64			install
gir1.2-libxfce4ui-2.0:amd64			install
gir1.2-libxfce4util-1.0:amd64			install
gir1.2-pango-1.0:amd64				install
glib-networking:amd64				install
glib-networking-common				install
glib-networking-services			install
gnumeric					install
gnumeric-common					install
gnupg						install
gnupg-l10n					install
gnupg-utils					install
gpg						install
gpg-agent					install
gpg-wks-client					install
gpg-wks-server					install
gpgconf						install
gpgsm						install
gpgv						install
grep						install
groff-base					install
grub-common					install
grub-pc						install
grub-pc-bin					install
grub2-common					install
gsettings-desktop-schemas			install
gtk-update-icon-cache				install
gucharmap					install
guile-3.0-libs:amd64				install
gxmessage					install
gzip						install
hicolor-icon-theme				install
hostname					install
hunspell-en-us					install
ifupdown					install
init						install
init-system-helpers				install
initramfs-tools					install
initramfs-tools-bin				install
initramfs-tools-core				install
installation-report				install
iproute2					install
iptables					install
iptraf-ng					install
iputils-ping					install
isc-dhcp-client					install
isc-dhcp-common					install
iso-codes					install
kbd						install
keyboard-configuration				install
klibc-utils					install
kmod						install
less						install
libabsl20240722:amd64				install
libacl1:amd64					install
libalgorithm-diff-perl				install
libalgorithm-diff-xs-perl			install
libalgorithm-merge-perl				install
libaliased-perl					install
libaom3:amd64					install
libapparmor1:amd64				install
libapt-pkg-perl					install
libapt-pkg7.0:amd64				install
libarchive-zip-perl				install
libarchive13t64:amd64				install
libasound2-data					install
libasound2-plugins:amd64			install
libasound2t64:amd64				install
libaspell15:amd64				install
libass9:amd64					install
libassuan9:amd64				install
libasyncns0:amd64				install
libatk-bridge2.0-0t64:amd64			install
libatk1.0-0t64:amd64				install
libatkmm-1.6-1v5:amd64				install
libatomic1:amd64				install
libatopology2t64:amd64				install
libatspi2.0-0t64:amd64				install
libattr1:amd64					install
libaudit-common					install
libaudit1:amd64					install
libavahi-client3:amd64				install
libavahi-common-data:amd64			install
libavahi-common3:amd64				install
libavc1394-0:amd64				install
libavcodec61:amd64				install
libavdevice61:amd64				install
libavfilter10:amd64				install
libavformat61:amd64				install
libavutil59:amd64				install
libb-hooks-endofscope-perl			install
libb-hooks-op-check-perl:amd64			install
libbinutils:amd64				install
libblas3:amd64					install
libblkid1:amd64					install
libbluray2:amd64				install
libbpf1:amd64					install
libbrotli1:amd64				install
libbs2b0:amd64					install
libbsd0:amd64					install
libbz2-1.0:amd64				install
libc-bin					install
libc-l10n					install
libc6:amd64					install
libcaca0:amd64					install
libcairo-gobject2:amd64				install
libcairo-script-interpreter2:amd64		install
libcairo2:amd64					install
libcairomm-1.0-1v5:amd64			install
libcairomm-1.16-1:amd64				install
libcanberra-gtk3-0:amd64			install
libcanberra-gtk3-module:amd64			install
libcanberra0:amd64				install
libcap-ng0:amd64				install
libcap2:amd64					install
libcap2-bin					install
libcbor0.10:amd64				install
libcdio-cdda2t64:amd64				install
libcdio-paranoia2t64:amd64			install
libcdio19t64:amd64				install
libcgi-fast-perl				install
libcgi-pm-perl					install
libchromaprint1:amd64				install
libcjson1:amd64					install
libclass-accessor-perl				install
libclass-data-inheritable-perl			install
libclass-isa-perl				install
libclass-method-modifiers-perl			install
libclass-xsaccessor-perl			install
libclone-perl:amd64				install
libcloudproviders0:amd64			install
libcodec2-1.2:amd64				install
libcolord2:amd64				install
libcom-err2:amd64				install
libconfig-tiny-perl				install
libcpanel-json-xs-perl:amd64			install
libcrypt1:amd64					install
libcryptsetup12:amd64				install
libctf-nobfd0:amd64				install
libctf0:amd64					install
libcups2t64:amd64				install
libcurl3t64-gnutls:amd64			install
libcurl4t64:amd64				install
libdata-dpath-perl				install
libdata-messagepack-perl			install
libdata-optlist-perl				install
libdata-validate-domain-perl			install
libdatrie1:amd64				install
libdav1d7:amd64					install
libdb5.3t64:amd64				install
libdbus-1-3:amd64				install
libdbusmenu-glib4:amd64				install
libdbusmenu-gtk3-4:amd64			install
libdc1394-25:amd64				install
libdconf1:amd64					install
libdebconfclient0:amd64				install
libdecor-0-0:amd64				install
libdeflate0:amd64				install
libdevel-callchecker-perl:amd64			install
libdevel-size-perl				install
libdevel-stacktrace-perl			install
libdevmapper1.02.1:amd64			install
libdialog15:amd64				install
libdigest-hmac-perl				install
libdiscover2					install
libdisplay-info2:amd64				install
libdouble-conversion3:amd64			install
libdpkg-perl					install
libdrm-amdgpu1:amd64				install
libdrm-common					install
libdrm-intel1:amd64				install
libdrm2:amd64					install
libduktape207:amd64				install
libdvdnav4:amd64				install
libdvdread8t64:amd64				install
libdynaloader-functions-perl			install
libebur128-1:amd64				install
libedit2:amd64					install
libefiboot1t64:amd64				install
libefivar1t64:amd64				install
libegl-mesa0:amd64				install
libegl1:amd64					install
libelf1t64:amd64				install
libemail-address-xs-perl			install
libenchant-2-2:amd64				install
libencode-locale-perl				install
libepoxy0:amd64					install
libevdev2:amd64					install
libevent-2.1-7t64:amd64				install
libexception-class-perl				install
libexif12:amd64					install
libexo-2-0:amd64				install
libexo-common					install
libexpat1:amd64					install
libexporter-tiny-perl				install
libext2fs2t64:amd64				install
libfcgi-perl					install
libfcgi0t64:amd64				install
libffi8:amd64					install
libfftw3-double3:amd64				install
libfftw3-single3:amd64				install
libfido2-1:amd64				install
libfile-fcntllock-perl				install
libfile-find-rule-perl				install
libfile-homedir-perl				install
libfile-listing-perl				install
libfile-which-perl				install
libflac14:amd64					install
libflite1:amd64					install
libfmt10:amd64					install
libfont-ttf-perl				install
libfontconfig1:amd64				install
libfontenc1:amd64				install
libfreetype6:amd64				install
libfribidi0:amd64				install
libfuse3-4:amd64				install
libfuture-perl					install
libgarcon-1-0:amd64				install
libgarcon-common				install
libgarcon-gtk3-1-0:amd64			install
libgbm1:amd64					install
libgc1:amd64					install
libgcc-s1:amd64					install
libgck-1-0:amd64				install
libgck-2-2:amd64				install
libgcr-4-4:amd64				install
libgcr-base-3-1:amd64				install
libgcr-ui-3-1:amd64				install
libgcrypt20:amd64				install
libgdbm-compat4t64:amd64			install
libgdbm6t64:amd64				install
libgdk-pixbuf-2.0-0:amd64			install
libgdk-pixbuf2.0-common				install
libgettextpo-dev:amd64				install
libgettextpo0:amd64				install
libgfortran5:amd64				install
libgirepository-1.0-1:amd64			install
libgl1:amd64					install
libgl1-mesa-dri:amd64				install
libgles2:amd64					install
libglib2.0-0t64:amd64				install
libglib2.0-bin					install
libglib2.0-data					install
libglibmm-2.4-1t64:amd64			install
libglibmm-2.68-1t64:amd64			install
libglu1-mesa:amd64				install
libglvnd0:amd64					install
libglx-mesa0:amd64				install
libglx0:amd64					install
libgme0:amd64					install
libgmp10:amd64					install
libgnutls30t64:amd64				install
libgoffice-0.10-10-common			install
libgoffice-0.10-10t64				install
libgomp1:amd64					install
libgpg-error0:amd64				install
libgpgme11t64:amd64				install
libgpgmepp6t64:amd64				install
libgpm2:amd64					install
libgprofng0:amd64				install
libgraphene-1.0-0:amd64				install
libgraphite2-3:amd64				install
libgsf-1-114:amd64				install
libgsf-1-common					install
libgsm1:amd64					install
libgspell-1-3:amd64				install
libgspell-1-common				install
libgssapi-krb5-2:amd64				install
libgstreamer-plugins-base1.0-0:amd64		install
libgstreamer1.0-0:amd64				install
libgtk-3-0t64:amd64				install
libgtk-3-bin					install
libgtk-3-common					install
libgtk-4-1:amd64				install
libgtk-4-common					install
libgtk-layer-shell0				install
libgtkmm-3.0-1t64:amd64				install
libgtkmm-4.0-0:amd64				install
libgtksourceview-4-0:amd64			install
libgtksourceview-4-common			install
libgtop-2.0-11:amd64				install
libgtop2-common					install
libgts-0.7-5t64:amd64				install
libgts-bin					install
libgucharmap-2-90-7:amd64			install
libgudev-1.0-0:amd64				install
libharfbuzz-gobject0:amd64			install
libharfbuzz-subset0:amd64			install
libharfbuzz0b:amd64				install
libhogweed6t64:amd64				install
libhtml-html5-entities-perl			install
libhtml-parser-perl:amd64			install
libhtml-tagset-perl				install
libhtml-tree-perl				install
libhttp-cookies-perl				install
libhttp-date-perl				install
libhttp-message-perl				install
libhttp-negotiate-perl				install
libhunspell-1.7-0:amd64				install
libhwy1t64:amd64				install
libice6:amd64					install
libicu76:amd64					install
libidn2-0:amd64					install
libiec61883-0:amd64				install
libimage-base-bundle-perl			install
libimage-info-perl				install
libimage-metadata-jpeg-perl			install
libimport-into-perl				install
libinput-bin					install
libinput10:amd64				install
libio-async-perl				install
libio-html-perl					install
libio-pty-perl					install
libio-socket-ip-perl				install
libio-string-perl				install
libip4tc2:amd64					install
libip6tc2:amd64					install
libipc-run-perl					install
libipc-run3-perl				install
libipc-system-simple-perl			install
libisl23:amd64					install
libiterator-perl				install
libiterator-util-perl				install
libjack-jackd2-0:amd64				install
libjansson4:amd64				install
libjaxp1.3-java					install
libjbig0:amd64					install
libjline-java					install
libjpeg-turbo-progs				install
libjpeg62-turbo:amd64				install
libjq1:amd64					install
libjs-jquery					install
libjs-modernizr					install
libjs-underscore				install
libjson-c5:amd64				install
libjson-glib-1.0-0:amd64			install
libjson-glib-1.0-common				install
libjson-maybexs-perl				install
libjxl0.11:amd64				install
libk5crypto3:amd64				install
libkeybinder-3.0-0:amd64			install
libkeyutils1:amd64				install
libklibc:amd64					install
libkmod2:amd64					install
libkrb5-3:amd64					install
libkrb5support0:amd64				install
libksba8:amd64					install
liblapack3:amd64				install
liblastlog2-2:amd64				install
liblcms2-2:amd64				install
libldap-common					install
libldap2:amd64					install
liblerc4:amd64					install
liblilv-0-0:amd64				install
liblist-compare-perl				install
liblist-moreutils-perl				install
liblist-moreutils-xs-perl			install
liblist-utilsby-perl				install
libllvm19:amd64					install
liblocale-gettext-perl				install
liblockfile-bin					install
liblsof0					install
libltdl7:amd64					install
liblua5.2-0:amd64				install
liblwp-mediatypes-perl				install
liblz4-1:amd64					install
liblzma5:amd64					install
liblzo2-2:amd64					install
libmagic-mgc					install
libmagic1t64:amd64				install
libmail-sendmail-perl				install
libmbedcrypto16:amd64				install
libmd0:amd64					install
libmediainfo0v5:amd64				install
libmetrics-any-perl				install
libminizip1t64:amd64				install
libmms0:amd64					install
libmnl0:amd64					install
libmodule-implementation-perl			install
libmodule-runtime-perl				install
libmoo-perl					install
libmoox-aliases-perl				install
libmount1:amd64					install
libmouse-perl:amd64				install
libmousepad0:amd64				install
libmp3lame0:amd64				install
libmpc3:amd64					install
libmpfr6:amd64					install
libmpg123-0t64:amd64				install
libmtdev1t64:amd64				install
libmujs3:amd64					install
libmysofa1:amd64				install
libnamespace-clean-perl				install
libncursesw6:amd64				install
libnet-dns-perl					install
libnet-domain-tld-perl				install
libnet-http-perl				install
libnetfilter-conntrack3:amd64			install
libnettle8t64:amd64				install
libnewt0.52:amd64				install
libnfnetlink0:amd64				install
libnftnl11:amd64				install
libnghttp2-14:amd64				install
libnghttp3-9:amd64				install
libngtcp2-16:amd64				install
libngtcp2-crypto-gnutls8:amd64			install
libnorm1t64:amd64				install
libnotify-bin					install
libnotify4:amd64				install
libnpth0t64:amd64				install
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libnuma1:amd64					install
libnumber-compare-perl				install
libogg0:amd64					install
libonig5:amd64					install
libopenal-data					install
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libopenh264-8:amd64				install
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libopenmpt0t64:amd64				install
libopus0:amd64					install
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libsixel1:amd64					install
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libsodium23:amd64				install
libsord-0-0:amd64				install
libsoxr0:amd64					install
libspa-0.2-modules:amd64			install
libspeex1:amd64					install
libspeexdsp1:amd64				install
libsphinxbase3t64:amd64				install
libsqlite3-0:amd64				install
libsratom-0-0:amd64				install
libsrt1.5-gnutls:amd64				install
libss2:amd64					install
libssh-4:amd64					install
libssh2-1t64:amd64				install
libssl3t64:amd64				install
libstartup-notification0:amd64			install
libstdc++6:amd64				install
libstrictures-perl				install
libstruct-dumb-perl				install
libsub-exporter-perl				install
libsub-exporter-progressive-perl		install
libsub-identify-perl				install
libsub-install-perl				install
libsub-name-perl:amd64				install
libsub-quote-perl				install
libsvtav1enc2:amd64				install
libswitch-perl					install
libswresample5:amd64				install
libswscale8:amd64				install
libsys-hostname-long-perl			install
libsystemd-shared:amd64				install
libsystemd0:amd64				install
libtag-c2:amd64					install
libtag2:amd64					install
libtasn1-6:amd64				install
libtdb1:amd64					install
libtest-metrics-any-perl			install
libtext-charwidth-perl:amd64			install
libtext-glob-perl				install
libtext-iconv-perl:amd64			install
libtext-wrapi18n-perl				install
libthai-data					install
libthai0:amd64					install
libtheoradec1:amd64				install
libtheoraenc1:amd64				install
libthunarx-3-0:amd64				install
libtiff6:amd64					install
libtime-duration-perl				install
libtime-moment-perl				install
libtimedate-perl				install
libtinfo6:amd64					install
libtinyxml2-11:amd64				install
libtirpc-common					install
libtirpc3t64:amd64				install
libtry-tiny-perl				install
libtumbler-1-0t64:amd64				install
libturbojpeg0:amd64				install
libtwolame0:amd64				install
libtype-tiny-perl				install
libuchardet0:amd64				install
libudev1:amd64					install
libudfread0:amd64				install
libunibreak6:amd64				install
libunicode-utf8-perl				install
libunistring5:amd64				install
libunwind8:amd64				install
liburi-perl					install
liburing2:amd64					install
libusb-1.0-0:amd64				install
libutempter0:amd64				install
libuuid1:amd64					install
libva-drm2:amd64				install
libva-wayland2:amd64				install
libva-x11-2:amd64				install
libva2:amd64					install
libvariable-magic-perl				install
libvdpau-va-gl1:amd64				install
libvdpau1:amd64					install
libvidstab1.1:amd64				install
libvisual-0.4-0:amd64				install
libvisual-0.4-plugins:amd64			install
libvorbis0a:amd64				install
libvorbisenc2:amd64				install
libvorbisfile3:amd64				install
libvpl2						install
libvpx9:amd64					install
libvte-2.91-0:amd64				install
libvte-2.91-common				install
libvulkan1:amd64				install
libwacom-common					install
libwacom9:amd64					install
libwayland-client0:amd64			install
libwayland-cursor0:amd64			install
libwayland-egl1:amd64				install
libwayland-server0:amd64			install
libwebp7:amd64					install
libwebpmux3:amd64				install
libwebrtc-audio-processing-1-3:amd64		install
libwnck-3-0:amd64				install
libwnck-3-common				install
libwrap0:amd64					install
libwww-robotrules-perl				install
libx11-6:amd64					install
libx11-data					install
libx11-xcb1:amd64				install
libx264-164:amd64				install
libx265-215:amd64				install
libxatracker2:amd64				install
libxau6:amd64					install
libxaw7:amd64					install
libxcb-damage0:amd64				install
libxcb-dri3-0:amd64				install
libxcb-glx0:amd64				install
libxcb-present0:amd64				install
libxcb-randr0:amd64				install
libxcb-render0:amd64				install
libxcb-shape0:amd64				install
libxcb-shm0:amd64				install
libxcb-sync1:amd64				install
libxcb-util1:amd64				install
libxcb-xfixes0:amd64				install
libxcb-xkb1:amd64				install
libxcb1:amd64					install
libxcomposite1:amd64				install
libxcursor1:amd64				install
libxcvt0:amd64					install
libxdamage1:amd64				install
libxdmcp6:amd64					install
libxext6:amd64					install
libxfce4panel-2.0-4				install
libxfce4ui-2-0:amd64				install
libxfce4ui-common				install
libxfce4ui-utils				install
libxfce4util-bin				install
libxfce4util-common				install
libxfce4util7:amd64				install
libxfce4windowing-0-0:amd64			install
libxfce4windowing-common			install
libxfconf-0-3:amd64				install
libxfixes3:amd64				install
libxfont2:amd64					install
libxft2:amd64					install
libxi6:amd64					install
libxinerama1:amd64				install
libxkbcommon-x11-0:amd64			install
libxkbcommon0:amd64				install
libxkbfile1:amd64				install
libxklavier16:amd64				install
libxml++2.6-2v5:amd64				install
libxml-libxml-perl				install
libxml-namespacesupport-perl			install
libxml-sax-base-perl				install
libxml-sax-perl					install
libxml-simple-perl				install
libxml2:amd64					install
libxml2-utils					install
libxmu6:amd64					install
libxmuu1:amd64					install
libxnvctrl0:amd64				install
libxpm4:amd64					install
libxpresent1:amd64				install
libxrandr2:amd64				install
libxrender1:amd64				install
libxres1:amd64					install
libxshmfence1:amd64				install
libxslt1.1:amd64				install
libxss1:amd64					install
libxt6t64:amd64					install
libxtables12:amd64				install
libxtst6:amd64					install
libxv1:amd64					install
libxvidcore4:amd64				install
libxxf86dga1:amd64				install
libxxf86vm1:amd64				install
libxxhash0:amd64				install
libyaml-0-2:amd64				install
libyaml-libyaml-perl				install
libyyjson0:amd64				install
libz3-4:amd64					install
libzen0t64:amd64				install
libzimg2:amd64					install
libzix-0-0:amd64				install
libzmq5:amd64					install
libzstd1:amd64					install
libzvbi-common					install
libzvbi0t64:amd64				install
linux-base					install
linux-image-6.12.94+deb13-amd64			install
linux-image-amd64				install
linux-libc-dev					install
localepurge					install
locales						install
login						install
login.defs					install
logrotate					install
logsave						install
lsb-base					install
lsb-release					install
lsof						install
lzip						install
lzop						install
mailcap						install
make						install
man-db						install
mawk						install
media-types					install
mediainfo					install
menu						install
mesa-libgallium:amd64				install
mesa-utils					install
mesa-utils-bin:amd64				install
mesa-va-drivers:amd64				install
mesa-vdpau-drivers:amd64			install
mesa-vulkan-drivers:amd64			install
mount						install
mousepad					install
mpv						install
nano						install
ncurses-base					install
ncurses-bin					install
ncurses-term					install
netbase						install
notification-daemon				install
ocl-icd-libopencl1:amd64			install
onboard						install
onboard-common					install
openssh-client					install
openssl						install
openssl-provider-legacy				install
passwd						install
pavucontrol					install
pbzip2						install
pci.ids						install
pciutils					install
perl						install
perl-base					install
perl-modules-5.40				install
pigz						install
pinentry-curses					install
pkexec						install
plocate						install
polkitd						install
poppler-data					install
procps						install
psmisc						install
pulseaudio					install
pulseaudio-utils				install
pv						install
pxlib1						install
python-apt-common				install
python3						install
python3-apt					install
python3-autocommand				install
python3-brotli					install
python3-cairo					install
python3-certifi					install
python3-chardet					install
python3-charset-normalizer			install
python3-dbus					install
python3-debconf					install
python3-debian					install
python3-debianbts				install
python3-distro					install
python3-enchant					install
python3-feedparser				install
python3-gi					install
python3-gi-cairo				install
python3-gtkspellcheck				install
python3-httplib2				install
python3-idna					install
python3-inflect					install
python3-jaraco.context				install
python3-jaraco.functools			install
python3-lxml:amd64				install
python3-minimal					install
python3-more-itertools				install
python3-mutagen					install
python3-notify2					install
python3-pkg-resources				install
python3-psutil					install
python3-pycurl					install
python3-pyparsing				install
python3-reportbug				install
python3-requests				install
python3-sgmllib3k				install
python3-six					install
python3-typeguard				install
python3-typing-extensions			install
python3-urllib3					install
python3-xdg					install
python3.13					install
python3.13-minimal				install
qalc						install
qalculate-gtk					install
qemu-guest-agent				install
readline-common					install
ristretto					install
rsync						install
rtkit						install
rtmpdump					install
runit-helper					install
sed						install
sensible-utils					install
sgml-base					install
shared-mime-info				install
sound-theme-freedesktop				install
spice-vdagent					install
sqv						install
synaptic					install
systemd						install
systemd-sysv					install
systemd-timesyncd				install
sysvinit-utils					install
tar						install
thunar						install
thunar-archive-plugin:amd64			install
thunar-data					install
thunar-media-tags-plugin:amd64			install
thunar-volman					install
tumbler						install
tumbler-common					install
tzdata						install
ucf						install
udev						install
usb.ids						install
usbutils					install
util-linux					install
util-linux-extra				install
vdpau-driver-all:amd64				install
vim-common					install
vim-tiny					install
vnstat						install
wamerican					install
wget						install
whiptail					install
x11-apps					install
x11-common					install
x11-session-utils				install
x11-utils					install
x11-xkb-utils					install
x11-xserver-utils				install
xarchiver					install
xauth						install
xbitmaps					install
xdg-user-dirs					install
xdg-utils					install
xfce4-appfinder					install
xfce4-dict					install
xfce4-genmon-plugin:amd64			install
xfce4-helpers					install
xfce4-netload-plugin:amd64			install
xfce4-notifyd					install
xfce4-panel					install
xfce4-places-plugin:amd64			install
xfce4-pulseaudio-plugin:amd64			install
xfce4-screenshooter				install
xfce4-session					install
xfce4-settings					install
xfce4-taskmanager				install
xfce4-terminal					install
xfconf						install
xfdesktop4					install
xfdesktop4-data					install
xfonts-100dpi					install
xfonts-75dpi					install
xfonts-base					install
xfonts-encodings				install
xfonts-scalable					install
xfonts-utils					install
xfwm4						install
xinit						install
xkb-data					install
xml-core					install
xorg						install
xorg-docs-core					install
xserver-common					install
xserver-xorg					install
xserver-xorg-core				install
xserver-xorg-input-evdev			install
xserver-xorg-input-libinput			install
xserver-xorg-input-mouse			install
xserver-xorg-input-synaptics			install
xserver-xorg-legacy				install
xserver-xorg-video-fbdev			install
xserver-xorg-video-qxl				install
xserver-xorg-video-vesa				install
xserver-xorg-video-vmware			install
xterm						install
xxd						install
xz-utils					install
yudit-common					install
zlib1g:amd64					install
zram-tools					install
zstd						install

There are many reasons for changes is footprint and memory usage for each generation. Often it goes down when obsolete or legacy code is removed. Whenever the code supports choices, it's fatter.

eriefisher · 2026-08-20 22:03:49

I run a stripped down xfce in a vm. Not really xfce but just xfwm and a few xfce add ons such as thunar etc. It runs pretty quick and starts fast. Not sure about actual ram consumption. I used very little from xfce and use other tools such as tint2 and jgmenu. I should still have an archive with all the scripts and such to make it work if someone is interested.

treeview · 2026-08-20 22:53:36

Personally, I do a minimal Debian install (only select 'standard system utilities' from the Software Selection, deselect all DE's). Once installed it boots into a TTY prompt, I install firefox-esr, xfce4, xfce4-goodies, lightdm and reboot the system. Once I'm in Debian proper I install whatever other system utils, device drivers, plugins, apps, etc. I want. EZ-PZ!
https://goodies.xfce.org/projects/about

Last edited by treeview (2026-08-20 23:15:56)

Blacklight · 2026-08-21 00:49:51

The resource requirements are really extensive though... just for a default install

I think xfce-debian 10 is ~300-350 MB

then xfce-debian 11 is around 500-550 MB

then once you get to bookworm it basically doubles ~ 900MB - 1 GB

and trixie is at around 1100-1200

It varies depending on a bunch of factors, but just the standard default debian/ubuntu with xfce
are all similar to those values, other distro's are basically the same, I always zoom around and try everything out.

The lightweight desktop environments are really enjoyable to use, they are way faster, as that initial ram usage of the default installed desktop environment goes down, and you downgrade versions.

Literally downgrading, makes the desktop experience faster, with less latency.

Obviously you have big heavy weight apps on top, but the desktop environment is really important, it's the context for everything else.

I usually don't mind xfce apps, and am happy to install the xfce4 series of packages and xfce4-goodies series of packages for both debian/ubuntu or anywhere. They are easy to configure, I usually turn off the screensaver

I just tried doing an install with a network installer, and it was 231 MB on top at the command line post install, and after installing the xfce4 and xfce4-goodies series of packages it was 436 or something at the desktop environment, after the initial reboot, then I rebooted again it was like 536 or something, so maybe it adds 200-300 MB in like debian 11 / ubuntu jammy, and something extra in 12/noble

that's actually not so bad, it's not like we're talking about Gnome or kde here. In those I go disable everything.

Once you get outside of systemd land and default installers, you find systems with really low resource requirements, and it's almost like buying a new machine, they are so fast, looking at alternatives or downgrading the distro+de.

It would be a major improvement actually downgrading the themes too, they are stuffing tons of useless animations/effects into themes as they upgrade them, that doesn't help us use a computer watching a circle flash all around buttons, or the cursor input on UI elements, it slows things down.

Last edited by Blacklight (2026-08-21 00:54:58)

treeview · 2026-08-21 09:19:32

Blacklight wrote:

The lightweight desktop environments are really enjoyable to use, they are way faster, as that initial ram usage of the default installed desktop environment goes down, and you downgrade versions.
Literally downgrading, makes the desktop experience faster, with less latency.

And you're seriously perplexed by this? I am unaware of a distribution or DE where the opposite was realized.
I don't believe "slower and more latency' is experienced by most users with later versions, in fact my 20+ yrs. of Linux use has been the reverse.
Debian 10 (Buster) used Xfce 4.12 and Debian 13 (Trixie) uses Xfce 4.20, the pattern of later version = greater cost is pretty much across all distributions, DE's and WM's.
There are much lighter distributions available, but they have a different cost. You may want to reevaluate your need with your particular hardware and decide if maybe your choice in distribution and DE no longer meet hardware's sweet spot, or it's time to acquire different hardware.
Don't forget, GNU/Linux never declared they'd make older machines perform faster and faster, but simply GNU/Linux does allow older hardware to continue to be utilized with a secure, reliable, up-to-date OS.

Blacklight · 2026-08-21 11:18:08

It's called a comment... it's interesting not confusing...

so now I'm looking into forcing apps to use gtk2 themes.. it's really a stupid thing, being dragged around by these upstream projects, that want to relentlessly waste, my cpu and gpu's time, as well as my time. they just keep getting bigger and bigger and more complex.

My themes gtk-3.0/gtk.css file is almost 7000 lines of css code

that is totally ridiculous, it should be like 10 lines, or better, foreground/background color. (2 lines)

2 lines of code, not 7000

these systems are about to get off of my computer as soon as I figure out how to remove them (purge the disease) (one solution is to stop updating them)(that one works)

we could stop updating Xfce ideally one day too, or maybe install a minimal Xfce meta package. I think that's fair to it's users if Xfce would support them.

you know they say the point of their build system for these gtk themes is to make it easier to customize everything, like with css, but it isn't, it's convoluted, its complex, it's increasingly complex over time, it isn't 'easier' at all like they claim, it's 7000 lines of code, you can't even edit it at all, because it's a giant web of interdependency, and not even modularity, it's not even attempting to be easy to customize, like they claim,

read the code

see for yourself

(oh and btw, AI can't read, and AI can't read code, also (anyone that can should know the difference))

Last edited by Blacklight (2026-08-21 11:28:33)

treeview · 2026-08-21 12:03:36

Blacklight wrote:

It's called a comment... it's interesting not confusing...
so now I'm looking into forcing apps to use gtk2 themes.. it's really a stupid thing, being dragged around by these upstream projects, that want to relentlessly waste, my cpu and gpu's time, as well as my time. they just keep getting bigger and bigger and more complex.
My themes gtk-3.0/gtk.css file is almost 7000 lines of css code
that is totally ridiculous, it should be like 10 lines, or better, foreground/background color. (2 lines)
2 lines of code, not 7000
these systems are about to get off of my computer as soon as I figure out how to remove them (purge the disease) (one solution is to stop updating them)(that one works)
we could stop updating Xfce ideally one day too, or maybe install a minimal Xfce meta package. I think that's fair to it's users if Xfce would support them.
you know they say the point of their build system for these gtk themes is to make it easier to customize everything, like with css, but it isn't, it's convoluted, its complex, it's increasingly complex over time, it isn't 'easier' at all like they claim, it's 7000 lines of code, you can't even edit it at all, because it's a giant web of interdependency, and not even modularity, it's not even attempting to be easy to customize, like they claim,
read the code
see for yourself
(oh and btw, AI can't read, and AI can't read code, also (anyone that can should know the difference))

This is exactly why GNU/Linux and its many DE overlays is so amazing, it provides anyone with a unique vision, critical of what obviously everyone else has done wrong, an opensource platform to create their very own "appropriate" foundation of what a desktop OS can and should be, proven by 1,000+ distributions. Might your insight evolve into Blacklight GNU/Linux - The Ideal Desktop Environment! ?

Blacklight · 2026-08-21 12:38:38

Why are you outraged, and patronizing me for it

that's not even logical, youre just verbally attacking me for apparently voicing an opinion that doesn't read like the advertising on the front page of 'Open Source' projects

that's not unusual, that's what normal people do, in an informal conversation

what is unusual, is verbally attacking people in a web forum, to defend 'software'

it's actually a natural condition of human life - that human beings are up against software, software and humans are naturally in a condition of opposition so to speak, we have to wait for the computer to run our commands or process it's software, and the computer, has to wait for our input, so it's not unusual, or offensive, to criticize this nature, it's just a basic reflection of the reality, it's like saying, it's hot outside today, I'm hot - or I'm tired of waiting for these stupid computer programs, to finish their processing.

Last edited by Blacklight (2026-08-21 12:41:39)

gogogadget · 2026-08-21 13:51:44

Blacklight wrote:

(oh and btw, AI can't read, and AI can't read code, also (anyone that can should know the difference))

You're full of condescending shit like this and play the victim on the other hand, you're painful man.

The Xfce essentials on EndeavourOS/Arch, you need another meta package for the apps and the panel plugins, or install only what you need :

yay -Si xfce4 | grep -E "Name|Installed"
Name            : exo
Installed Size  : 2264,44 KiB
Name            : garcon
Installed Size  : 1180,89 KiB
Name            : thunar
Installed Size  : 9807,68 KiB
Name            : thunar-volman
Installed Size  : 671,61 KiB
Name            : tumbler
Installed Size  : 880,21 KiB
Name            : xfce4-appfinder
Installed Size  : 762,04 KiB
Name            : xfce4-panel
Installed Size  : 6860,13 KiB
Name            : xfce4-power-manager
Installed Size  : 3536,53 KiB
Name            : xfce4-session
Installed Size  : 1592,10 KiB
Name            : xfce4-settings
Installed Size  : 6633,94 KiB
Name            : xfce4-terminal
Installed Size  : 2099,86 KiB
Name            : xfconf
Installed Size  : 1116,81 KiB
Name            : xfdesktop
Installed Size  : 4706,32 KiB
Name            : xfwm4
Installed Size  : 2280,70 KiB

As for responsiveness, not using the compositor or the font anti-aliasing is a big improvement (yes I know, difficult to get something visually good without the latter).

Last edited by gogogadget (2026-08-21 13:53:15)

treeview · 2026-08-21 14:01:41

Blacklight wrote:

Why are you outraged, and patronizing me for it
that's not even logical, youre just verbally attacking me for apparently voicing an opinion that doesn't read like the advertising on the front page of 'Open Source' projects
that's not unusual, that's what normal people do, in an informal conversation
what is unusual, is verbally attacking people in a web forum, to defend 'software'
it's actually a natural condition of human life - that human beings are up against software, software and humans are naturally in a condition of opposition so to speak, we have to wait for the computer to run our commands or process it's software, and the computer, has to wait for our input, so it's not unusual, or offensive, to criticize this nature, it's just a basic reflection of the reality, it's like saying, it's hot outside today, I'm hot - or I'm tired of waiting for these stupid computer programs, to finish their processing.

I apologize, I didn't intend to come across the way you interpreted my advocating for GNU/Linux and more specifically Xfce. I was simply pointing out that many, many others concur with your points and took steps to present their ideas with a different twist, thus the multitude of distributions, they all offer a flavor of Linux with their visioned overly. This is the fun and potential of opensource, and why I personally love Xfce, the default is not to my liking either, but we have the permission and ability to edit, tweak, configure and add too, until our hearts content. Party On, Wayne! Party On, Garth!

Last edited by treeview (2026-08-21 17:56:52)

Blacklight · 2026-08-21 15:41:39

I think we can just enter the themes folder, that we're using, (the theme that's active)

(/usr/share/themes/)

and delete the gtk-3.0/ and gtk-4.0/ files

enter GTK_THEME=

into /etc/environment (with the name of that same theme)

reboot, and BAM, new computer instantly, fast, lightning fast, super speed, reduced animations

all that superfluous bloat introduced by gtk3/gtk4 removed

and the system improved

either that or your themes will stop working (they will probably just stop working, but maybe not) (that's our only option right now, because upstream hasn't given us any options as far as I can tell... https://docs.gtk.org/gtk3/running.html)

(you guys are acting very strange btw, we are here to talk about software, at least, but you are attacking/insulting human beings instead; you're not really logically following the conversations here, or abiding by proper etiquette for a web forum)

(anyone know cool environment variables for Xfce) (+performance +minimalization! ?)

Last edited by Blacklight (2026-08-21 15:44:32)

CwF · 2026-08-21 17:10:11

Blacklight wrote:

2 lines of code, not 7000

maybe 20ish
It doesn't have to be that complicated

/usr/share/themes/adwaita-dark/gtk-3.0$  ls -1lh
total 12K
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root  315 Nov 11  2022 gtk.css
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root  882 Jan 14  2022 gtk-widgets.css
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root 1008 Feb 23  2024 xfce.css

Blacklight wrote:

(you guys are acting very strange btw, we are here to talk about software, at least, but you are attacking/insulting human beings instead; you're not really logically following the conversations here, or abiding by proper etiquette for a web forum)

You seem to be the one that continuously escalates comments beyond their intention. Chill

Blacklight · 2026-08-21 19:05:01

Look now I figured out how to make my own custom live installs

$$$ Custom XFCE Based Live CD $$$

https://forum.xfce.org/viewtopic.php?pid=83492#p83492

if you guys knew the packages I would need to add here besides task-xfce-desktop we could have a custom minimal xfce distro in moments

I think it's cool to run with the X stuff in the background, like xinit, ect, as opposed to like lightdm

Added later 35 min 52 s:
you might just do... off the top of my head... task-lxde-desktop

and add in xfwm4 in the extra packages

then you can use xfwm as your window manager

(maybe add mousepad, i love mousepad)

Added later 2 h 05 min 22 s:
about adwaita btw, I looked at the files, the default gtk.css file in adwaita doesn't reflect the theme being 7000 some lines

cat /usr/share/themes/Adwaita-dark/gtk-3.0/gtk.css

@import url("resource:///org/gtk/libgtk/theme/Adwaita/gtk-contained-dark.css");

its just one line... apparently adwaita is built into gtk, theyre saying on the internet it's a binary

but in the materia project based on adwaita, that same file is ~7000 lines of css code

I was thinking, that doesn't even qualify as "css" anymore, that's really like an entire computer program now

if we knew definitively what the min reqs were for gtk3/4 we could probably make it a lot more user friendly, easy to use

(maybe that's why adwaita is the best)

Last edited by Blacklight (2026-08-21 21:16:38)

treeview · 2026-08-21 22:45:04

Huh, there's a pattern that rhymes in posts from @Blacklight and @Daffyduck. Just sayin...

Blacklight · 2026-08-21 23:42:11

So we still need support here guys, to fix the Xfce_Live CD

we need to figure out what a minimal Xfce install as opposed to task-xfce-desktop looks like

obviously we need mousepad

my vote is for mousepad,

you guys have any ideas, or support you'd care to offer?

Last edited by Blacklight (2026-08-22 01:34:00)

treeview · 2026-08-22 10:50:03

Blacklight wrote:

So we still need support here guys, to fix the Xfce_Live CD
we need to figure out what a minimal Xfce install as opposed to task-xfce-desktop looks like
obviously we need mousepad
my vote is for mousepad,
you guys have any ideas, or support you'd care to offer?

This is a Xfce support forum, not a Debian forum which can be found here https://forums.debian.net/. I'm unable to find who exactly asked for your "minimal Xfce_Live CD", and now you're asking who in this forum will support your endeavor? This project of yours has an obscure scent of trying to undermine the official release of Xfce 4.20.
Debian offers an official (stable and testing) Live CD here https://www.debian.org/CD/live/ with a choice of DE's.

Added later 1 h 01 min 43 s:
"If it looks like a duck, swims like a duck, and quacks like a duck..."

Last edited by treeview (2026-08-22 11:03:16)

Blacklight · 2026-08-22 14:15:01

so now Im trying to figure out the answer to this question

i started with sudo apt info xfce4

and sudo apt info task-xfce-desktop

now I've got this

(which lists packages to add if users optionally want a "MOUSEY" Xfce Live cd)

if [ $MOUSEY = false ]
then
sudo echo task-xfce-desktop >> config/package-lists/desktop.list.chroot_install
#
# this area is important, if users select MOUSEY=true
# then it will attempt to install a minimal Xfce desktop
# so this needs testing and probably fixes included here. 
#
else
#
#
#
# this is the list of packages from 
# sudo apt info xfce4
# that xfce4 "depends" on
#
xfce4 >> config/package-lists/my.list.chroot
libxfce4ui-utils >> config/package-lists/my.list.chroot
thunar >> config/package-lists/my.list.chroot
xfce4-appfinder >> config/package-lists/my.list.chroot
xfce4-panel >> config/package-lists/my.list.chroot
xfce4-pulseaudio-plugin >> config/package-lists/my.list.chroot
xfce4-session >> config/package-lists/my.list.chroot
xfce4-settings >> config/package-lists/my.list.chroot
xfconf >> config/package-lists/my.list.chroot
echo xfdesktop4 >> config/package-lists/my.list.chroot
echo xfwm4 >> config/package-lists/my.list.chroot
#
# essential extras
echo mousepad >> config/package-lists/my.list.chroot
echo xfce4-terminal >> config/package-lists/my.list.chroot
echo network-manager-gnome >> config/package-lists/my.list.chroot
#
#
# additional stuff (you might comment these out)
#
echo xfce4-power-manager >> config/package-lists/my.list.chroot
echo lightdm >> config/package-lists/my.list.chroot
echo libreoffice-writer >> config/package-lists/my.list.chroot
echo atril >> config/package-lists/my.list.chroot
#
#echo xfce4-goodies >> config/package-lists/my.list.chroot
#
# this is part of the sudo apt info task-xfce-desktop
# and is probably important, im not sure how this will work
# default-dbus-session-bus | dbus-session-bus
#
#
#
#
#
fi
fi

Last edited by Blacklight (2026-08-23 00:33:52)

Lesliee · 2026-08-25 09:55:41

I think the package list approach makes more sense than trying to define a universal “minimal” install. Different users will want different things, but having a documented baseline of the core Xfce components would still be useful. From there, things like Mousepad, a terminal, networking, power management, etc. could be optional extras.

treeview · 2026-08-25 13:33:28

A list of Xfce stable release applications and plugins can be found here https://docs.xfce.org/start.
And with Debian here https://packages.debian.org/stable/xfce/. I'm not sure about the other distributions.

Last edited by treeview (2026-08-25 14:37:27)

dchmelik · 2026-08-29 22:26:08

Animations should all be off by default, but I don't recall a setting for those. I think I have all still-used types of GTK, and if all the newer ones are forcing animations, I also want to erase all their themes if that's the only way. Other than that, I'm sceptical newer XFCE necessarily has to be slow, unless it's running more background services, and it may additionally be as simple as disabling all the ones you don't need? Seems more were on than I need, and all should be opt-in also. I had to enable GNOME & KDE services for some stuff, but when I don't need, I also turn those off (take even more RAM than XFCE, which doesn't take much on my Slackware-current with latest XFCE). Is there a tutorial on all this? Recent years I'm more interested in similar X Window System window managers (WM) that aren't desktop managers (DM) so are much more efficient/fast.

lvsl · 2026-08-30 06:13:19

Is this thread going? Yes in some way, we use more and more resources and our software became more demanding, more code and so on. As if anything but efficiency goes way up. But is it really true at all? I seriously have questions about the whole claim. Because I don't think so.

Yes very old computers have very little ram, cpu, hard disk space and so on. But look at what we are using the to do, and who are using them. Computers of a space of a big room is obviously not something casual you can buy as an average user. And while they do so little, they take up a lot more electricity, precious space, got bugs (real bugs that are physical bugs), and compare to what we have now. And you see those huge plates of stuff.. that can store 4mb of stuff sad . Now? I can have a memory stick that easily stores 1tb of stuff.

Really, we are flying into the galaxy with so little to pay. So much more to do, and so much more new stuff that require way more resources (but definitely a tiny fraction of electricity and physical resources) like ram, cpu and hard disk. Nobody would have imagine we can do so much when it started.

So if you look at the modern usage compare to what we were doing, even dos, windows 2000. It is a totally different environment.

By the way, if there are scenarios where you are "back to the old days" of system resources limit alone. It is not that we don't have it or such. But they are a separate specialty where different hardware and software are used. For normal computer users, at this point it would be way beyond us to understand them. It will not be surprised, however, that we use these devices without realizing it. Take an example, someone need to program a simple store bought calculator

---
One point though. Yes some companies got lazy because we have so much space to spare. They became lazy and ended up wasting more resources than they should. But comparing to the electricity of a computer that takes up a whole room many years ago, that is not even worth to be compared. Companies put "fancy" stuff like animations that lags our computer and gives us headache, because it's more likely, they knew they can.

Last edited by lvsl (2026-08-30 06:24:23)

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