"Can't install gnome-desktop-environment, gnome-keyring-manager not installable"

My current version of OS is KDE 8.04 with Xfce installed (I actually run Xfce daily). I got the error

"Can't install gnome-desktop-environment, gnome-keyring-manager not installable"

When trying to install the gnome desktop with either the terminal or Synaptic Package Manager.

Some searching led me to advice to type both of these commands in the terminal (don't type the $, and you may have to type "sudo" before the apt part...)

$ apt-cache show gnome|grep Depends|cut -f2- -d:|tr ',' '\n'|cut -f2 -d' '|grep -v gnome-desktop-environment|xargs sudo apt-get install -y

$ apt-cache show gnome-desktop-environment|grep Depends|cut -f2- -d:|tr ',' '\n'|cut -f2 -d' '|grep -v gnome-keyring-manager|xargs sudo apt-get install -y

Found this in a launchpad support forum (bugtracker). https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/meta-gnome2/+bug/216756

Be warned this may take the better part of an hour to install (the rest of your system should be usable while it installs.)

I ran both of these commands, and yes, it worked. Next time I rebooted, I had the option of a Gnome session, and it seems to be running smoothly so far.

Other links I found had some interesting info, if you want further reading:

Launchpad question

Lock issue I encountered in the meantime (oopsie.) Thought it was a bug until I realized I should listen to actual directions (ARE YOU RUNNING AS ROOT???... i.e. use sudo)

Launchpad bug that actually indicates it's a duplicate of another bug.

Installing and Switching Between Extra Desktops / Window Managers

You don't have to commit to one Desktop style. You can install GNOME, KDE, XFCE (among others), and just switch between them.

• GNOME is the desktop used in Ubuntu.
• KDE is the desktop used in Kubuntu.
• Xfce is the desktop used in Xubuntu.

To switch between the desktops, log out. When you log back in, click the "session" button and select which window manager you want to use. Easy as pie.

To install, you can use Synaptic Package manager, or apt-get (on the command line). However, these methods don't keep track of dependencies, so it's recommended you use aptitude (on the command line) instead:

sudo aptitude update
sudo aptitude install kubuntu-desktop
sudo aptitude install xubuntu-desktop

Link in title as always, or here.