On Tue, Nov 04, 2025 at 09:51:12 +0700, Max Nikulin wrote: > I have not tried if it has been changed in trixie, but earlier netinst had > rather confusing dialog to select DEs. Debian desktop checkbox node was the > parent of other variants. I decided that it is for some common files and did > not uncheck Debian desktop. The result was GNOME packages as unsolicited > bonus and reinstall from clean state. > > I have no idea if the Debian desktop task installs some additional packages > like branded themes in addition to "pure" GNOME task.
If "Debian Desktop" is selected, then the installer will choose a Desktop Environment *for* you. If the installer is the standard one, it will choose GNOME. In theory, this selection could change some day, but it has been GNOME for a very long time. If the installer is part of a Live image, it will choose whatever DE is included in that Live image. I agree that this is confusing, and yet the installer has been doing that for a decade or more. Apparently the installer developers don't see the issue. I've never met *anyone* who finds this intuitive.
