# How can rebasing between desktop enviornments cause issues **URL:** \ **Category:** General\ **Created:** [May 4, 2025, 10:32pm UTC](https://universal-blue.discourse.group/t/how-can-rebasing-between-desktop-enviornments-cause-issues/8270 "2025-05-04T22:32:09Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Compactly9](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/3da27b/32.png) [@Compactly9](https://universal-blue.discourse.group/u/Compactly9)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2025, 10:32pm UTC](https://universal-blue.discourse.group/t/how-can-rebasing-between-desktop-enviornments-cause-issues/8270/1 "2025-05-04T22:32:09Z")
First up, this is an enthusiast question. In the past, I have installed multiple desktop environments (DE) on Ubuntu and paid the price! Multiple programs for the same purpose, icon sets, funky window borders, uninstalling etc. But I thought that rebasing would resolve most of these issues. Yet this practice is still discouraged [1, 2]. In theory, I understand how different DE configs can mess up things. But if I assume no layering performed by the end user, only flatpak or homebrew installs, what are some _reproducible_ examples of such issues that some of you have gone through? ## References [1] [Can you install different desktop environments?](https://universal-blue.discourse.group/t/can-you-install-different-desktop-environments/7759) [2] [Rebase Guide - Bazzite Documentation](https://docs.bazzite.gg/Installing_and_Managing_Software/Updates_Rollbacks_and_Rebasing/rebase_guide/) ---
**Author:** ![JohnAtl](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/free1/user_avatar/universal-blue.discourse.group/johnatl/32/3485_2.png) [@JohnAtl](https://universal-blue.discourse.group/u/JohnAtl)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2025, 12:06am UTC](https://universal-blue.discourse.group/t/how-can-rebasing-between-desktop-enviornments-cause-issues/8270/2 "2025-05-05T00:06:52Z")
The desktop config is in the home folder, and since rebasing doesn’t change the home folder, the same problems persist. ---
**Author:** ![Compactly9](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/3da27b/32.png) [@Compactly9](https://universal-blue.discourse.group/u/Compactly9)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2025, 12:45am UTC](https://universal-blue.discourse.group/t/how-can-rebasing-between-desktop-enviornments-cause-issues/8270/3 "2025-05-05T00:45:38Z")
So this means there exist common config files that are modified in conflicting ways by different DEs. Is this a universal statement for any two DEs, A and B? Or is the problem particularly acute for certain values such as A=GNOME and B=KDE and not so much for others e.g. A=GNOME and B=COSMIC? ---
**Author:** ![felipecabello](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/58f4c7/32.png) [@felipecabello](https://universal-blue.discourse.group/u/felipecabello)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2025, 1:32am UTC](https://universal-blue.discourse.group/t/how-can-rebasing-between-desktop-enviornments-cause-issues/8270/4 "2025-05-05T01:32:26Z")
And what would you call something that does change the home folder, if it is not rebasing? ---
**Author:** ![JohnAtl](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/free1/user_avatar/universal-blue.discourse.group/johnatl/32/3485_2.png) [@JohnAtl](https://universal-blue.discourse.group/u/JohnAtl)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2025, 2:02am UTC](https://universal-blue.discourse.group/t/how-can-rebasing-between-desktop-enviornments-cause-issues/8270/5 "2025-05-05T02:02:15Z")
I would call that something the user 🙂 Essentially, rebasing changes the operating system. It would be like switching from Windows to macOS, but leaving your home folder untouched. KDE or Gnome, etc. may make changes to the home folder, but rebasing doesn’t. ---
**Author:** ![felipecabello](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/58f4c7/32.png) [@felipecabello](https://universal-blue.discourse.group/u/felipecabello)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2025, 3:28am UTC](https://universal-blue.discourse.group/t/how-can-rebasing-between-desktop-enviornments-cause-issues/8270/6 "2025-05-05T03:28:20Z")
Many thanks for your answer! ---
**Author:** ![klmcw](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/eb8c5e/32.png) [@klmcw](https://universal-blue.discourse.group/u/klmcw)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2025, 3:49pm UTC](https://universal-blue.discourse.group/t/how-can-rebasing-between-desktop-enviornments-cause-issues/8270/7 "2025-05-05T15:49:03Z")
I wrote an article here that helps summarize what happens during `rpm-ostree update`. The same logic applies for `rebase` operations. Please note that `/home` is a symlink to `/var/home` so pay attention to the pieces describing `/var`. > [@Did You Know? How ostree update merges changes into etc and var](https://universal-blue.discourse.group/t/did-you-know-how-ostree-update-merges-changes-into-etc-and-var/7233): > > Did You Know? How ostree (rpm-ostree) update merges changes into etc and var Or Why systems based on ostree are NOT immutable As I continued my deep dive into [bluefin](https://projectbluefin.io/), I realized that changes being made to the bluefin bootc image did not appear to handle deletion of files other than to not include them in the image. This made me wonder, what happens to the files in the read-write filesystems of an existing install? ostree Filesystems The /etc and /var directories are the only writeable dirs (a…