Xfce is pretty fast & light compared to gnome or kde. You can install it easily by selecting xubuntu-desktop in synaptic or for terminal> sudo apt-get install xubuntu-desktop < then just logout and select xfce4 in the session menu and log in.
Getting Back to a Pure XFCE on Ubuntu
If you used aptitude to install other desktop environments, you will not need this tutorial, as you can just type
sudo aptitude remove kubuntu-desktop
or
sudo aptitude remove ubuntu-desktop
to get back to your "pure XFCE."
If you didn't have as much foresight and chose instead to install KDE or Gnome through Synaptic or apt-get, this is how to remove those desktop environments from your XFCE.
Note, this applies only to Ubuntu Edgy. If you're using Dapper, go here.
Remove Ubuntu
Paste this command into the terminal:
sudo apt-get remove alacarte aspell binfmt-support bittorrent bluez-cups bluez-pin bluez-utils brltty brltty-x11 bsh bug-buddy ca-certificates capplets-data cli-common contact-lookup-applet deskbar-applet diveintopython ekiga eog esound evince evolution evolution-data-server evolution-data-server-common evolution-exchange evolution-plugins evolution-webcal f-spot file-roller firefox-gnome-support fping gcalctool gcj-4.1-base gconf-editor gdb gedit gedit-common gij gij-4.1 gimp-python gnome-about gnome-applets gnome-applets-data gnome-btdownload gnome-control-center gnome-cups-manager gnome-desktop-data gnome-doc-utils gnome-games gnome-games-data gnome-keyring-manager gnome-media gnome-media-common gnome-menus gnome-netstatus-applet gnome-nettool gnome-panel gnome-panel-data gnome-pilot gnome-pilot-conduits gnome-power-manager gnome-screensaver gnome-session gnome-spell gnome-system-monitor gnome-system-tools gnome-terminal gnome-terminal-data gnome-themes gnome-utils gnome-volume-manager gnome2-user-guide gstreamer0.10-alsa gstreamer0.10-esd gstreamer0.10-gnomevfs gstreamer0.10-plugins-base gstreamer0.10-plugins-base-apps gstreamer0.10-plugins-good gstreamer0.10-tools gstreamer0.10-x gthumb gtkhtml3.8 gucharmap guile-1.6-libs hal-device-manager hwdb-client-common hwdb-client-gnome libaudio2 libavc1394-0 libbeagle0 libbluetooth2 libbtctl4 libcairo-perl libcamel1.2-8 libcdio6 libcurl3 libdbus-1-cil libdirectfb-0.9-24 libdjvulibre15 libdv4 libebook1.2-9 libecal1.2-7 libedata-book1.2-2 libedata-cal1.2-6 libedataserver1.2-7 libedataserverui1.2-8 libeel2-2 libeel2-data libegroupwise1.2-12 libexchange-storage1.2-2 libflac7 libgcj-bc libgcj-common libgcj7-0 libgconf2.0-cil libgda2-3 libgda2-common libgdl-1-0 libgdl-1-common libgksu1.2-1 libgksuui1.0-1 libglade2.0-cil libglew1 libglib-perl libglib2.0-cil libgmime-2.0-2 libgmime2.2-cil libgnome-desktop-2 libgnome-media0 libgnome-menu2 libgnome-pilot2 libgnome-window-settings1 libgnome2-canvas-perl libgnome2-perl libgnome2-vfs-perl libgnome2.0-cil libgnomebt0 libgnomecupsui1.0-1c2a libgnomevfs2-bin libgnomevfs2-extra libgphoto2-2 libgphoto2-port0 libgpod0 libgstreamer-plugins-base0.10-0 libgstreamer0.10-0 libgtk2-perl libgtk2.0-cil libgtkhtml3.8-15 libgtksourceview-common libgtksourceview1.0-0 libgucharmap5 libguile-ltdl-1 libhsqldb-java libicu34 libidn11 libiec61883-0 libieee1284-3 libjasper-1.701-1 libjaxp1.2-java libjline-java liblpint-bonobo0 libmagick9 libmdbtools libmetacity0 libmono-cairo1.0-cil libmono-corlib1.0-cil libmono-data-tds1.0-cil libmono-security1.0-cil libmono-sharpzip0.84-cil libmono-sqlite1.0-cil libmono-system-data1.0-cil libmono-system-web1.0-cil libmono-system1.0-cil libmono0 libmono1.0-cil libmusicbrainz4c2a libnautilus-burn4 libnautilus-extension1 libneon25 libnotify1 liboil0.3 libopal-2.2.0 libopenobex-1.0-0 libpanel-applet2-0 libpisock9 libpisync0 libportaudio0 libpt-1.10.0 libpt-plugins-alsa libpt-plugins-v4l libpt-plugins-v4l2 libqthreads-12 libraw1394-8 libsane libsdl1.2debian libsdl1.2debian-alsa libservlet2.3-java libsexy2 libshout3 libsmbclient libsndfile1 libsoup2.2-8 libsqlite3-0 libstlport4.6c2 libtotem-plparser1 libvisual-0.4-0 libvorbisenc2 libwnck-common libwnck18 libxalan2-java libxerces2-java libxklavier11 libxml2-utils libxmlsec1 libxmlsec1-nss libxmlsec1-openssl libxres1 libxt-java metacity metacity-common mono-common mono-gac mono-jit mono-runtime nautilus nautilus-cd-burner nautilus-data nautilus-sendto notification-daemon openoffice.org openoffice.org-base openoffice.org-calc openoffice.org-common openoffice.org-core openoffice.org-draw openoffice.org-evolution openoffice.org-gnome openoffice.org-gtk openoffice.org-impress openoffice.org-java-common openoffice.org-math openoffice.org-style-default openoffice.org-style-industrial openoffice.org-writer pkg-config python-gmenu python-gnome2-desktop python-gnome2-extras python-gst0.10 python-uno rdesktop rhythmbox rss-glx screensaver-default-images serpentine sound-juicer ssh-askpass-gnome tangerine-icon-theme tomboy totem totem-gstreamer totem-mozilla tsclient ttf-opensymbol ubuntu-desktop ubuntu-docs update-notifier usplash-theme-ubuntu vino vnc-common whois xsane xsane-common xsltproc xvncviewer yelp zenity
Remove Kubuntu
Paste this command into the terminal:
sudo apt-get remove adept adept-batch adept-common adept-installer adept-manager adept-notifier adept-updater akregator amarok amarok-xine apt-index-watcher ark arts bluez-cups bluez-pin bluez-utils bogofilter bogofilter-bdb bogofilter-common brltty bsh ca-certificates dcraw debtags digikam diveintopython enscript fping gcj-4.1-base gdb gij gij-4.1 gtk2-engines-gtk-qt gwenview hwdb-client-common hwdb-client-kde k3b kaddressbook kaffeine kaffeine-xine kamera karm katapult kate kaudiocreator kbstate kcontrol kcron kde-guidance kde-guidance-powermanager kde-icons-mono kde-systemsettings kdeadmin-kfile-plugins kdebase-bin kdebase-data kdebase-kio-plugins kdebluetooth kdegraphics-kfile-plugins kdelibs-data kdelibs4c2a kdemultimedia-kfile-plugins kdemultimedia-kio-plugins kdenetwork-filesharing kdenetwork-kfile-plugins kdepasswd kdepim-kio-plugins kdepim-kresources kdepim-wizards kdeprint kdesktop kdm kdnssd keep kfind kghostview khelpcenter kicker kio-apt kio-locate kipi-plugins klipper kmag kmail kmailcvt kmenuedit kmilo kmix kmousetool kmplayer-base kmplayer-konq-plugins knetworkconf knotes koffice-data koffice-libs konq-plugins konqueror konqueror-nsplugins konsole kontact konversation kooka kopete korganizer kpdf kpf kppp krdc krfb krita krita-data kscd kscreensaver ksmserver ksnapshot ksplash ksplash-engine-moodin ksvg ksysguard ksysguardd ksystemlog ktorrent kubuntu-artwork-usplash kubuntu-default-settings kubuntu-docs kubuntu-konqueror-shortcuts kwalletmanager kwin kwin-style-crystal language-selector-qt libakode2 libarts1-akode libarts1c2a libartsc0 libaudio2 libavahi-compat-libdnssd1 libavahi-qt3-1 libbluetooth2 libc6-dev libcurl3 libcurl3-gnutls libdbus-qt-1-1c2 libdirectfb-0.9-24 libexif-dev libflac++5c2 libflac7 libgcj-bc libgcj-common libgcj7-0 libgmp3c2 libgpgme11 libgphoto2-2 libgphoto2-2-dev libgphoto2-port0 libgpod0 libgsl0 libgstreamer-plugins-base0.10-0 libgstreamer0.10-0 libhsqldb-java libicu34 libidn11 libieee1284-3 libifp4 libimlib2 libjasper-1.701-1 libjasper-runtime libjaxp1.2-java libjline-java libk3b2 libkcal2b libkcddb1 libkdepim1a libkexif1 libkipi0 libkleopatra1 libkmime2 libkonq4 libkpimexchange1 libkpimidentities1 libkscan1 libksieve0 libktnef1 liblockdev1 liblua50 liblualib50 libmagick++9c2a libmagick9 libmdbtools libmimelib1c2a libmpcdec3 libmusicbrainz4c2a libmysqlclient15off libneon25 libnjb5 libnss-mdns liboggflac3 libopenexr2c2a libopenobex-1.0-0 libpoppler1-qt libportaudio0 libpq4 libpythonize0 libqt3-mt libqt4-core libqt4-gui libqt4-qt3support libqt4-sql libraw1394-8 librsync1 libruby1.8 libsamplerate0 libsane libsdl1.2debian libsdl1.2debian-alsa libservlet2.3-java libskim0 libsmbclient libsndfile1 libsqlite0 libsqlite3-0 libstlport4.6c2 libtdb1 libtunepimp3 libungif4g libvisual-0.4-0 libvorbisenc2 libvorbisfile3 libxalan2-java libxerces2-java libxmlsec1 libxmlsec1-nss libxmlsec1-openssl libxt-java linux-libc-dev mysql-common openoffice.org openoffice.org-base openoffice.org-calc openoffice.org-common openoffice.org-core openoffice.org-draw openoffice.org-impress openoffice.org-java-common openoffice.org-kde openoffice.org-math openoffice.org-style-crystal openoffice.org-style-default openoffice.org-writer perl-suid pkg-config poster psutils pykdeextensions python-elementtree python-kde3 python-qt3 python-qt4 python-sip4 python-uno python2.4-dev qca-tls qobex rdiff-backup ruby ruby1.8 scim-qtimm skim speedcrunch ttf-opensymbol vorbis-tools wlassistant