Linux Mint has overtaken Ubuntu in Distrowatch!

[new2*buntu]

Go to Distrowatch (http://distrowatch.com/index.php?dataspan=1) and you'll see that Mint is ranked second, behind PCLinuxOS, if it is set to Last 7 Days. I know that version 4.0 was released about a week ago, but I still can't beleive that it caused this much hype.

[Paul820]

Don't take any notice of the stats on distrowatch. People just click on their particular OS that they are using to get better ratings.

[nickburns]

I don't think Distro Watch is a very good metrics for how popular / good a OS is. Their number of hits/downloads are very small compared to the linux OS download pages (ie ubuntu.com or fedora.com, etc...)

[new2*buntu]

Still, it's quite amazing that Linux Mint can overtake Ubuntu. (IMHO)

[frup]

To use another form of inaccurate ranking, Alexa:

Ubuntu.com #2404
PCLinuxOS #53233
Linuxmint.com #65651

Some how those difference are a little too big.

[nickburns]

Another good fallacy... Ubuntu = red, Mint = blue

[de_valentin]

OOOh nooo I'm no longer with the most popular distro!!! Ubuntu is only 3rd at this moment when I get home I will install PCLinuxOS immediately

[shavenlunatic]

Ubuntu User Map Ubuntu User # 16436

heheh, your sig inspired me to sign up.. and couldn't resist posting this

[Johnsie]

Most Linux distros use alot of the same software, so it doesn't really matter which one you use as long as you're helping the developers to improve their software.

Use what suits you best, report bugs, make feature requests and if you can program then program. By doing these things on any Linux mainstrean platform you will be helping all the other distros.

[hanzomon4]

Ha! I have a quad boot system with both PClinuxOS and the newest LinuxMint Daryna(the others being Ubuntu and Fedora 8). Both are pretty good, Daryna is great for those to busy/lazy to get all the multimedia stuff working. PClinuxOS is a good kde distro that reminds me of Ubuntu, like a more focused kubuntu. Still Ubuntu remains the best in my eye.

[Linuxratty]

Don't take any notice of the stats on distrowatch. People just click on their particular OS that they are using to get better ratings.


The same for me...I have not the least bit of interest in whose number one..The listing is just something fun they offer readers and should be taken with a grain of salt.

[Colro]

Distrowatch isn't all that accurate. Linux Mint is barely even its own distribution with the very minimal things that they add -- hell, the only thing I like that it has is a better default theme.

[mivo]

Still, it's quite amazing that Linux Mint can overtake Ubuntu. (IMHO)

Why? You only have to motivate your users to go to the site and click the appropriate distro. If the Unbuntu forum admins posted a global announcement and asked people to do this, Ubuntu's number would skyrocket and leave everything else in the dust -- by a very large margin. This can also be done with bots, as another distro has already demonstrated.

[jrusso2]

Like I said previously Linux Mint is Ubuntu done right. When will Ubuntu realize people want it to work out of the box?

If Linux Mint can provide working codecs, drivers, Java and Flash why can't Ubuntu?

Its because of this Free Software Propaganda. No other reason.

As I have stated previously if Ubuntu continues down this path it will sink past distros that work out of the box like Linux Mint and PCLinuxOS

[SomeGuyDude]

Makes sense. It's new-ish, plus I'm sure there's a contingency of Linux nerds that want to move away from the uber-popular distro. Now that Ubuntu's so popular, there's sort of a "always the underdog" attitude among a lot that want to try and bring another one up.

[gn2]

Like I said previously Linux Mint is Ubuntu done right. When will Ubuntu realize people want it to work out of the box?

If Linux Mint can provide working codecs, drivers, Java and Flash why can't Ubuntu?

Its because of this Free Software Propaganda. No other reason.



There is one very major reason why.

In the UK legal world there is an expression "a man of straw" which means an individual without sufficient assets to be worthwhile pursuing for damages.

PCLinuxOS and Mint both fit into this category.
They will never have legal action taken against them, because they do not have significant assets.

Ubuntu is in a very different financial position.
Which I believe is the real reason for the free ethic.

[mivo]

If Linux Mint can provide working codecs, drivers, Java and Flash why can't Ubuntu?

You are not very familiar with the law of some countries.

A few niche distros ignore software patents and U.S. regulations to appear more convenient (how much trouble is it to enable a repository and download the extra stuff you need?) and the risk of legal consequences. Ubuntu considers the legal dangers and plays it safe, which is in the interest of all of its users, not only those who live in countries with more moderate regulations. You may not care for these legal aspects and rate convenience higher, but that does not change the legal situation. The right approach is to gain awareness for the issue, not to ignore it and "just do it".

The PCLinuxOS creator pretty much said they don't give a flying beep for these concerns -- but then again, the same guy asked his users to "hammer" sites and boards where criticism of the distro is voiced.

[Cannaregio]

Like I said previously Linux Mint is Ubuntu done right. When will Ubuntu realize people want it to work out of the box?

If Linux Mint can provide working codecs, drivers, Java and Flash why can't Ubuntu?

Its because of this Free Software Propaganda. No other reason.

As I have stated previously if Ubuntu continues down this path it will sink past distros that work out of the box like Linux Mint and PCLinuxOS

Sorry, but I think you don't understand nothing.
Free software and as few proprietary crap as necessary is the STRENGHT of a distribution, and the secret of ubuntu success.
Any idiot can "windoze" a GNU/Linux distro, leeching everything from a good one and adding all the proprietary codecs and drivers without even warning users he's doing it.
And the poor guinea pig zombies will say like "Ah!, This' good, look I dn't need to do nothing and I can have a box full of proprietary drivers on the fly!".
No, thanks. Ubuntu has chosen a correct "middle way" between total purity and selling its soul to the proprietary bastards.
Far from 'sinking' behind other distros, it's the amazing success it is, for the very reason that it still tries to educate the zombies that its very success has attracted from windows, the very zombies that don't care about free software, that just want every crap they were using in XP to just "work", no matter how, that don't even understand that you cannot build on proprietary closed drivers and software, it's like building on quicksand pillars.

Thank Godzilla Ubuntu is stll enough committed to the free software philosophy, if you don't like it use more windozian distros and have your phun. Me, I'll do the countrary, if Ubuntu moves too much towards proprietary crap, I leave for Debian, the real thing.

[jrusso2]

No the strength is in being able to use both. Proprietary and Free Software.

When there is no alternative for people you should provide proprietary software.

Since its just the USA that has these silly laws why does Ubuntu worry about it they are not USA based.

The answer is not in the laws but in their "Free Software Philosophy"

A lot of people just want it to work.

If Ubuntu is so worried let them buy the license. It must be fairly cheap as Linspire gives them free in Freespire.

I am tired of hearing these same lame legal arguments when its really a choice Ubuntu has made to embrace just Free Software that is hurting them.

[gn2]

Since its just the USA that has these silly laws why does Ubuntu worry about it they are not USA based.


It's not just the USA that's involved.

There are official Ubuntu repository servers based in the USA distributing Ubuntu, so there has to be consideration taken of the legal system there and everywhere else there's a repository server.

It may bore you and make you tired but it's very real and will not be going away.

Live with it.

How difficult is it to run "sudo apt-get install ubuntu-restricted-extras" anyway?

It's a whole lot better than it used to be.

[jrusso2]

It's not just the USA that's involved.

There are official Ubuntu repository servers based in the USA distributing Ubuntu, so there has to be consideration taken of the legal system there and everywhere else there's a repository server.

It may bore you and make you tired but it's very real and will not be going away.

Live with it.

How difficult is it to run "sudo apt-get install ubuntu-restricted-extras" anyway?

It's a whole lot better than it used to be.

For a lot of people its very difficult. I do Linux support in a Linux chat room and this is a common thing I hear?

Ubuntu is crap I can't even play my mp3's I am going back to Windows.

They don't even know what a repository is.

They go to the Sun Java website and try clicking on the java download and give up.

[mivo]

It is an international distro. The codecs, drivers, etc. are available, they are just not included. You have to enable one repository and download a few packages. That is all, and how that is done is very well documented. If someone feels that this is too much effort, they will not stay with Linux anyway.

You could be lobbying for free formats instead of bemoaning the fact that Canonical considers the legal situation in a country where many of their users live in. Besides, stuff like the libdvdcss (to play commercial DVDs) is not legally troublefree in countries of the EU, either.

And yes, Linux is also about philosophy.It would not be in existence today otherwise.

I am tired of hearing these same lame legal arguments when its really a choice Ubuntu has made to embrace just Free Software that is hurting them.

Maybe what is "hurting" them are the people who want Linux to be just like Windows. If you want Windows, use Windows. (Windows, by the way, does not ship with many drivers.) Linux is not a gratis version of Windows. In fact, Linux is not Windows (http://linux.oneandoneis2.org/LNW.htm).

[jrusso2]

Keep burying your head in the sand and watch Ubuntu continue to fall.

This is something the users want for Linux to grow as a desktop.

Your telling me about FreeSoftware philosophy.

I have been using Linux since 96. You were lucky to have sound let alone music.

All we had was drivers for soundblasters. If you didn't have a sound blaster you had to buy your driver from OSS.

If you wanted to connect to the internet you had to write your own PPP script.

So don't tell me what Linux is. I have been using it before this whole generation of users existed.

[mivo]

Keep burying your head in the sand and watch Ubuntu continue to fall.

How does Ubuntu "continue to fail"? It is the most successful distro in Linux history and became a huge success in merely a couple of years. And you know, they never included codeces and such. Your logic is flawed, because according to what you say, Ubuntu should never have been able to succeed in the first place.

So don't tell me what Linux is. I have been using it before this whole generation of users existed.

Right.

My concern is Linux. If someone feels Ubuntu is not the right distro for them, let them use Mint, Sabayon or another distro that includes the controversial but convenient stuff. If someone thinks Ubuntu is "too easy", refer them to Gentoo, Slackware or Arch. If someone doesn't like the brown theme, send them over to Fedora. It is all Linux, and the success of a distro is the success of the whole Linux world.

This close-minded, distro-"separatist" view is far more "dangerous" to Linux than whether or not Ubuntu includes some codeces (not like MP3 is the only music format). It is all Linux!

[SomeGuyDude]

Keep burying your head in the sand and watch Ubuntu continue to fall.

This is something the users want for Linux to grow as a desktop.

Your telling me about FreeSoftware philosophy.

I have been using Linux since 96. You were lucky to have sound let alone music.

All we had was drivers for soundblasters. If you didn't have a sound blaster you had to buy your driver from OSS.

If you wanted to connect to the internet you had to write your own PPP script.

So don't tell me what Linux is. I have been using it before this whole generation of users existed.

You want a cookie?

[Vadi]

Wow, jrusso2, relax. And quit thinking that your reasoning is better than of the Ubuntu Developers - I'm sure that they know better.

[userundefine]

I've heard PCLinuxOS is actually quite good and had overtaken Ubuntu on distrowatch last I saw. I'm glad there are more user-friendly distros out there.

[gn2]

For a lot of people its very difficult. I do Linux support in a Linux chat room and this is a common thing I hear?

Ubuntu is crap I can't even play my mp3's I am going back to Windows.

They don't even know what a repository is.

They go to the Sun Java website and try clicking on the java download and give up.

So educate them how to copy and paste into a terminal..

And stop moaning.

[SunnyRabbiera]

well hey let mint have its time, its a shame this community has to act like a bunch of babies if something surpasses it on distrowatch

[mivo]

So educate them how to copy and paste into a terminal.. And stop moaning.

It's even easier -- they only have to open Synaptic and type in "Java". Showing how to do that will also teach them how to access thousands of other software packages without even having to visit a web site.

[toupeiro]

I don't care which linux distro gets more downloads on distro watch. To me, it just means less Windows.

[SomeGuyDude]

So educate them how to copy and paste into a terminal..

And stop moaning.

To many Linux users, the idea that users don't want to have to know how to go into the terminal seems somehow "wrong".

Jrusso's apparently one of those "if you ain't codin', you're a poser" type of Linux geeks that scoffs at someone who prefers a GUI installer and point and click package installation over having to learn all the sudos and apt-gets and bzrs.

Here's a news flash for those folks: most people have zero interest in learning the nuts and bolts of their computers. They don't give a good god damn about what makes it work. They want it TO work, but they don't care what makes it do so.

It's like automatic transmission. You get more MPG, greater speed, and better control with a standard, but not everyone wants to learn that. They just want to push the gas and go somewhere. Similarly, a lot of people just want to turn on their computer, click on a little internet button and surf, then open up their email and maybe play a game.

You tell your average OSX/Windows user that in order to install or uninstall a program they should have to open a terminal and learn commands and they're going to shake their heads and go "well maybe Linux is faster but I can open up my start menu and select "uninstall.""

That's why Automatix/Synaptic is SUCH a boon to Linux. They'll open things up to users who are competent but not advanced, and then over time they can stop using them (a nice thing about Ubuntu: use the terminal if you want, Synaptic if you want). To think that Linux users "should" learn commands and terminal syntax and the "nuts and bolts" is elitist and retarded.

Now if you're diving into Gentoo or Slack, then yeah. But Linux in the abstract? Hell no.

[bruce89]

Anything with a "Start" menu and one panel is evil.

Judging by the dialogues on http://www.linuxmint.com/rel_daryna.php, they've never read the GNOME HIG.

http://www.linuxmint.com/pictures/screenshots/daryna/portal3.png

Yes and No? Bad.

[gn2]

Synaptic is SUCH a boon to Linux.

Indeed it is.

Mark ubuntu-restricted-extras for installation, click Apply and enjoy the ride.

And it won't even need a restart afterwards.

Automatix is no longer required in my opinion and I speak as someone who used it for ages.

[bruce89]

Mark ubuntu-restricted-extras for installation, click Apply and enjoy the ride.

And it won't even need a restart afterwards.

Automatix is no longer required in my opinion and I speak as someone who used it for ages.

sudo aptitude install ubuntu-restricted-extras for me every time.

Automatix is no longer required in my opinion and I speak as someone who used it for ages.

Thank god.

[gn2]

sudo aptitude install ubuntu-restricted-extras for me every time.

Me too, as posted earlier in the thread, but it's good to have the other option available.

The joy of Linux freedom to choose and options a-plenty to choose from.

(PS: my dad used to work at the School of Further Education in Jordanhill)

[bruce89]

(PS: my dad used to work at the School of Further Education in Jordanhill)

It's just my avatar (not sure why really).

[SomeGuyDude]

Indeed it is.

Mark ubuntu-restricted-extras for installation, click Apply and enjoy the ride.

And it won't even need a restart afterwards.

Automatix is no longer required in my opinion and I speak as someone who used it for ages.

I use Automatix as a last resort. Specifically, Swiftweasel, which isn't in the repositories and doesn't have a .deb just for Intel Core 2 Duo, so I couldn't decide which to get. Automatix apparently figures it out for me, so all's good there.

[bruce89]

I use Automatix as a last resort. Specifically, Swiftweasel, which isn't in the repositories and doesn't have a .deb just for Intel Core 2 Duo, so I couldn't decide which to get. Automatix apparently figures it out for me, so all's good there.

Good luck with the Hardy upgrade.

[SomeGuyDude]

Good luck with the Hardy upgrade.

What do you mean?

I'm not married to Automatix by any means (frankly I've only used it twice), so if there's something I need to get a handle of for the upgrade I'd like to know now.

[gn2]

Good luck with the Hardy upgrade.

Not always a problem upgrading with Automatix installed, I've done it twice without incident.

But I won't be doing it again.......

[SunnyRabbiera]

Anything with a "Start" menu and one panel is evil.

Judging by the dialogues on http://www.linuxmint.com/rel_daryna.php, they've never read the GNOME HIG.

http://www.linuxmint.com/pictures/screenshots/daryna/portal3.png

Yes and No? Bad.


I dunno, I prefer single panel setups and if a "start" menu is included its all the better for potential newcommers.

[bruce89]

I dunno, I prefer single panel setups and if a "start" menu is included its all the better for potential newcommers.

So it's fine to have people to adapt to all the other changes, but evidentally having to change from start menus is one too far.

[jrusso2]

To many Linux users, the idea that users don't want to have to know how to go into the terminal seems somehow "wrong".

Jrusso's apparently one of those "if you ain't codin', you're a poser" type of Linux geeks that scoffs at someone who prefers a GUI installer and point and click package installation over having to learn all the sudos and apt-gets and bzrs.

Here's a news flash for those folks: most people have zero interest in learning the nuts and bolts of their computers. They don't give a good god damn about what makes it work. They want it TO work, but they don't care what makes it do so.

.

Re-read my posts I was the one defending ease of use for new users.

[FuturePilot]

Linux Mint is Ubuntu ;)

[bobpur]

I think a more accurate assesment of popularity would be the size of the forums. I was knocking around the MEPIS forums the other evening and posts that were days old would still be on the front page. I've seen days on Ubuntu when a post less than an hour old would be four or five pages back.

[siciliancasanova]

Distrowatch is an extremely small slice of the Linux community and most of it's users are already arbitrary linux users.

[hanzomon4]

Linux Mint is Ubuntu ;)

Word.

[SunnyRabbiera]

So it's fine to have people to adapt to all the other changes, but evidentally having to change from start menus is one too far.

well the start menu idea is a good one no matter what OS it is, me I use the word "menu" when dealing with such an app

[K.Mandla]

Sigh. Moved to Other OS Talk, along with EVERY OTHER CHICKEN LITTLE THREAD ABOUT DISTROWATCH RANKINGS. :evil:

[SunnyRabbiera]

aye, its silly.
come on mint is our cousin, lets not be children about this

[misfitpierce]

I love Mint don't get me wrong... They have such nice idea's which would incorporate nicely into the Ubuntu Desktop. The only thing that kills me on it is 64 bit support. Honestly 64 bit does show slight improvements and I would love to have a 64 bit Mint as well. :)

[dpar]

Linux Mint is Ubuntu ;)

True.

This is really a silly argument.

[LinuxGuy1234]

Looks like Mint is 3rd, take a look.

[exploder]

Yesterday Mint was number 2.

[zakirs]

ah cmon people... mint is also ubuntu we need to see the toal users (mint + ubuntu) not fight each other.....:KS

[exploder]

Well put zakirs!

[Guitar John]

Not counting Mint, which is really just another buntu, there is:

Ubuntu
Kubuntu
Xubuntu
Fluxbuntu
Ubuntu Studio
Ubuntu CE

I probably missed one somewhere but if you add all the buntu's together it's a lot.

[vishzilla]

Now its 4th on the list

[dptxp]

If I am a Ubuntu user, I shall not click on Ubuntu in Distrowatch, I shall click on the alternate operating systems to try them.

Being at top in Distrowatch means that the OS has good hype, it is sort of latest, and Linux users are interested in looking at it

[jim_p]

I think that every time a new distribution release comes along, it's link on Distrowatch receives more "clicks" on a short period of time. That raises its position on the chart when the time span is small.

For instance, distribution X is finally released. I want to download it or check what is new, so I click on the main (middle) column where the brief description is.That gives distribution X one more hit per day.
Considering also that distrowatch.com is the main site for such news, there is no denial that it is viewed by hundreds of people like me. So that HPD number increases more and more.
Then distribution Y gets released and so on...

Believe me, I have seen GeeXbox rise to #1 on a week time span. Is this considered something more than statistical data? I think not. In fact the only purpose of the entire HPD table is statistical and nothing more.