What customizations do you do over the stock Debian install for Desktop use?

[CwF]

To much to list!
Actually it's an ongoing process that started 7+ years ago and all the variations I use now were born then. I think most changes are not to Debian so much as they are config customizations to Xfce. Built from minimal installs, the clones are tailored to use since to put all tweaks into a single installation would be too busy. Deviation from a default Debian is more omission than tweaking, though the omissions do need their own tweaking, like how to remove lightdm and use by-tty login, establish polkit permissions and the slow progression of systemd taking over classic methods.

I do have one Stretch still running that needs taken down, or not. Buster didn't do it for me, Bullseye was close, then Bookworm was way better and fatally flawed in a few areas. This simply means the right choice was made years ago to virtualize everything so everyone can live together. I still can't manage to fit everything into one box. Fortunately I do many things normal users likely don't do, and don't do most things normal people do, so I continue to make it up as I go along.

[td211]

No. I had Ubuntu installed (on HDD) and used debootstrap, from within Ubuntu, to replace the stuff. I may have used a temporary partition, but in any case after the next reboot debian came and ubuntu was gone

That's a bit "extreme"
I didn't expect you could replace a linux distro in place.

[td211]

I do have one Stretch still running that needs taken down, or not. Buster didn't do it for me, Bullseye was close, then Bookworm was way better and fatally flawed in a few areas. This simply means the right choice was made years ago to virtualize everything so everyone can live together. I still can't manage to fit everything into one box. Fortunately I do many things normal users likely don't do, and don't do most things normal people do, so I continue to make it up as I go along.

Isn't Debian stretch out of support?
I'm also a bit curious what you found wrong in the next releases.

[CwF]

Isn't Debian stretch out of support?
I'm also a bit curious what you found wrong in the next releases.

Support for what? I'm self supported. I know it's hard to believe but not all computers utilize the cloud.
I suppose no more cruising in the classic autos since they don't have seatbelts and airbags. When the youngin's declare old tech illegal on the road I'm breaking out the red barchetta from the chicken coup....I'm the Uncle.

Anyway, those mid versions of Xfce were a little problematic. VMM had some interface options missing for awhile, fuse transitions, polkit and systemd evolution, etc. Not deal breakers, just a lack of compelling improvement, and fatter. Bookworm really did come together well, except ghb and gnutv are broken.

My stretch has most of this goodness that it did not have initially, gives nearly infinite uptime and is nothing more that a front end for other computers (remote vm's), all running 12. The replacement has been continuously ready through all those iterations, with no need or reason to run it yet. Next time I shut it down for hardware changes (removals) I'll likely stick to 12 from then on. 10's are gone, 2 11's may hang on a bit.

I rarely play with older stuff, but I suspect the peak performing i386 was indeed stretch. I have built images of all, so we'll see. But with vmm anything with 4GB can comfortably leverage my vm server to do anything, as a ‘front end’.

[friendlysalmon88]

Intall Chromium
Install: etcher via debian package
Pfully remove and purge my system of LibreOffice replacing it with SoftMaker Office
Dounle check that I've hardened my system(s) via using a script from Chris Titus Tech called securing-Linux
Install:filizilla,mosh,net-tools,vnc and mplayer
gutting out pulseaudio and at times even removing pipewire to replace them with jackd,jacd2 or jackd3

[arzgi]

Install: etcher via debian package

What is this? Could not find.

I use just minimal Debian from network installation, so it boots and has wifi. Then I install xfce4, atril, gkrrelm, asunder, nmh, procmail, getmail[n], bogofilter, sylpheed. Install one task, task-finnish, then I remove tasksel. More packages cmus, ranger, maxima. And more that I have used to use, but don't remember just now. Remove pipewire, as had some problems, install pulsaudio.

[Trihexagonal]

Disable SSH and any other Services I don't need.
Install and configure UFW.

Edit: I wanted to add changing font system-wide to DejaVu Sans Mono. Makes eveything look much nicer with one font and works on everything from Gkrellm to Audacious.

[Dai_trying]

My needs are simplistic so all I usually do is change the wallpaper, add my conky and install any required software, I prefer to keep the DE as it was given (i.e. not heavily customised) as I find it sooooo much easier to re-install when I do something really stupid (which doesn't happen that often... or does it...

[FreewheelinFrank]

Not a big fan of the mock-dock and top panel in XFCE, so a single bottom panel. Minimal ("Less is more"). Inspired by LXQT and Antix panels. Retro analogue clock and minimal Conky.

[wizard10000]

Retro analogue clock and minimal Conky.

Ut oh. Somebody mentioned conky which requires me to post a screenshot

The conky on the left is local, the one on the right is running on my home server and displayed using X over ssh.

[gamingondebian]

I reinstall debian so frequently to test different overall system configurations I started writing scripts to automate it for myself

+ I made a guide on this forum to show how I configure debian to get God Mode Level online Gaming performance that is comparable to the performance users of Microsoft Windows get for online gaming

viewtopic.php?t=161443

[Silent Observer]

Very first thing after install with KDE completes, I move my taskbar to the left edge of the screen and set autohide, adjust the width so my tray holds about five icons, install Dropbox and SeaMonkey (SeaMonkey is my mail client as well as preferred browser when it works), set my wallpaper(s) and theme/color scheme/etc. for KDE. Install nVidia driver, Synaptic and GParted (don't like KDE Parition Manager, especially since it had serious partition-damaging bugs in Kubuntu 16.04) Skype (which, fortunately, can now be found as a repackage to AppImage, so avoiding Snap), Conky (and import my config file), CKAN (for Kerbal Space Program), BOINC, GCS and Wonderdraft (for GURPS TTRPG), and Vuescan, and then pin System Settings, Konsole, both browsers, and Synaptic to the taskbar and get everything where it needs to be on the screen(s).

[Uptorn]

What have you been running on BOINC?

[RedGreen925]

Skype (which, fortunately, can now be found as a repackage to AppImage, so avoiding Snap)

This was a lovely find, I had done a dpkg-repack of the 8.109.0.209 version that I have been using all of this time since they pulled the plug. Now am on the version. 8.134.0.202, just posted yesterday shows fully up to date in the help menu now, I found searching now I know it exists. It work perfectly did up my normal user .desktop file I make in the .local/share/applications/ for AppImages to be launched from the menu edited the system file for the share with skype service menu and everything just works. Thanks for the post leading me to it.

[Silent Observer]

Thanks for the post leading me to it.

Very welcome. I did fine one quirk of the AppImage Skype: if you tell it to start automatically on boot, it sets the AutoStart -- but sets it for the Snap-installed version (i.e. points to /usr/something/snap) instead of invoking the AppImage. Easy to fix, but it does require noticing that it doesn't start correctly and bothering to find out why...

[Silent Observer]

What have you been running on BOINC?

I run MilkyWay (CPU only) and Einstein (GPU only). I figure those are like someone in the 15th-16th century donating ink and parchment to the cartographers who traveled with Columbus, Vespucci, da Gama, and Magellan, as well as supporting Galileo and da Vinci -- helping gather knowledge mankind will (hopefully) use for all the rest of time.

[RedGreen925]

Very welcome. I did fine one quirk of the AppImage Skype: if you tell it to start automatically on boot, it sets the AutoStart -- but sets it for the Snap-installed version (i.e. points to /usr/something/snap) instead of invoking the AppImage. Easy to fix, but it does require noticing that it doesn't start correctly and bothering to find out why...

I will never find that problem I always removed that option it did from the AutoStart I only want it started when I need it. I would think that is artifact from being a repack of the snap version to create the AppImage it still expects to be a snap install.

[Silent Observer]

Very welcome. I did fine one quirk of the AppImage Skype: if you tell it to start automatically on boot, it sets the AutoStart -- but sets it for the Snap-installed version (i.e. points to /usr/something/snap) instead of invoking the AppImage. Easy to fix, but it does require noticing that it doesn't start correctly and bothering to find out why...

I will never find that problem I always removed that option it did from the AutoStart I only want it started when I need it. I would think that is artifact from being a repack of the snap version to create the AppImage it still expects to be a snap install.

That was what I figured -- MS hardcoded the location before they made it a Snap.