Revision history [back]

The contents of all distribution metapackages is documented in REP-142:

 - ros_base:
    extends: [ros_core]
    packages: [actionlib, angles, bond_core, class_loader,
               dynamic_reconfigure, nodelet_core,
               pluginlib]

and:

 - desktop:
     extends: [robot, viz]
    packages: [common_tutorials, geometry_tutorials, ros_tutorials,
               roslint, urdf_tutorials, visualization_tutorials]
- desktop_full:
    extends: [desktop, perception, simulators]

How can I get a list of the packages in Desktop so that I can install them manually?

You can use the rosinstall_generator to generate a .rosinstall file for you. That would include the necessary information.