long time xubuntu user, now on 24.04.
debian comes with embedded programs like libreoffice, which I use, but versions are very old and I like using the newest versions available. with debian 12.5 I could use flatpak to get the newest version, but could I then get rid of the pre installed old version?
debian’s default graphics look also prehistoric. Can I change that installing other styles? (that’s what they’re called in xubuntu: adwaita, greybird…)
with debian you are asked to choose the environment: xfce, mate… how troublesome is to change those after installation?
Surprising that debian 12.5 is 0.7 GiB large, whereas the xubuntu 24.04 is 4 GiB. This doesn’t mean that xubuntu has bloatware, but simply much more pre installed packages, right?
Of course you can and if you decide to go down this route you should take a look at Flatseal that can help you with flatpak permissions and theming.
Debian installs Desktop Environments without any theming, just plain vanilla DEs and in most cases, expecially with XFCE, they are not that pretty out of the box. You can still theme it to look and work the way you prefer.
sudo apt install new-desktop-environment, log out and log back in selecting a different desktop in the display manager: piece of cakeKeep in mind that the 0.7gb debian image is the “netinstall”, which pulls software from repository instead of installing it directly. There are also debian “DVD” images that can be up to 4gb as well. And yes, Xubuntu has more bloatware but not as much as you might believe