keep extra software on ubuntu

same problem over and over:

you install bunch of useful packages on your ubuntu-machine. Then you need to reinstall cause you tried some fancy GUI-stuff that turned out as annoying as all fancy GUI-stuff before. Or you upgrade. Or you install from the scratch on your machine.

According to http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=261366 this will get you all your installed software instantely. Hmmm. I didnt try yet and the list it generates contains loads of system-stuff.

dpkg --get-selections > installed-software

And if you wanted to use the list to reinstall this software on a fresh ubuntu setup,
dpkg --set-selections < installed-software
dselect


all credits go to user cynical on the mentioned webpage and no credits go to me.