Linux Mint, advantages and should I switch?

[Yellowbelly]

I've been using ubuntu since 6.10 and I've been hearing more on Linux Mint and i'm just kinda curious what it really has over ubuntu. I always like easier stuff but what should I expect from mint if I switch and is it even worth it? Ubuntu's add/programs is on it right? and how does updating work: does it update every time ubuntu does? Also, does it work as a live cd because I don't have a dvd burner?

[whitefang5412]

I've been using ubuntu since 6.10 and I've been hearing more on Linux Mint and i'm just kinda curious what it really has over ubuntu. I always like easier stuff but what should I expect from mint if I switch and is it even worth it? Ubuntu's add/programs is on it right? and how does updating work: does it update every time ubuntu does? Also, does it work as a live cd because I don't have a dvd burner?

Linux mint is basically the same thing as ubuntu. It uses the same repo's etc...for example. In the terminal if I type in sudo apt-get install ubuntu-desktop I would automatically be able to get. There is a speed advantage over ubuntu with it though. It does seem to be a tad faster, plus a lot nicer. It updates just the same was ubuntu, in fact in linux mint 4.0 if you go to system monitor and click on system it will say Release 7.10 (gusty). You will like it. Just give it a try. Yes it has a live cd.

[jgrabham]

Its just ubuntu with a different theme, and some codecs installed, nothing to get yourself exited about, I'd stick with Ubuntu if I were you.

[SunnyRabbiera]

Its just ubuntu with a different theme, and some codecs installed, nothing to get yourself exited about, I'd stick with Ubuntu if I were you.


In my case I disagree, I feel Mint is much better then Ubuntu Gutsy.
Mint has more stability for me, I have had a million issues with gutsy and they are patched in Mint.

As for what is included in linux mint, the add/remove applet is not installed by default however it is easy to get it.
You really dont need add/ remove to be honest, its just a front end to apt and there is a better front end to apt anyway... Synaptic.

Mint has its own update manager, and to be honest I think its better then the ubuntu update manager. Mints update manager only updates stuff that is on a safe list, Ubuntu's updater is indiscreet and I have had issues with it updating packages and having my system freak out.

Mint has a live CD yes, thats the default.

as for the disadvantages, there are none as far as I am concerned. For me I think Mint is more stable and more reliable then Ubuntu Gutsy.

[Midwest-Linux]

My opinion is that Linux Mint 4.0 is the best out of the box ready to go distro out there. It is Ubuntu refined. One of the most interesting things I noticed was when I did a dual boot on a higher end machine with XP.

I got a older, but higher end computer from my sister in law, it has XP Home on it. Replaced the hard drive and did a clean install of XP Home and also Linux Mint 4.0.

Linux Mint 4.0 was able to find and install the drivers for the (embedded on the board) soundcard and ethernet port. Windows Xp Home could not! As a temporary fix, I installed a PCI ethernet card and a PCI soundcard for Windows. That kind of was my "eureka moment" on how far Linux has come!

So Linux beat out Windows for driver support!

[dca]

Better flare, illegal (in the US) codecs added, SLAB menu, and no commercial support... Other than that, I got nothing.

[j_dog]

I like it better. A bit faster. My only complaint is there is no 64-bit version.

[vishzilla]

I too would recommend Mint, its basically the same as Ubuntu

[Twitch6000]

Better flare, illegal (in the US) codecs added, SLAB menu, and no commercial support... Other than that, I got nothing.

about that codec thing what codecs on it are illegal in the usa that windows don't have preinstalled aswell lol.I ask this because I am surprised Microsoft has not been taken to court for it.

[whitefang5412]

about that codec thing what codecs on it are illegal in the usa that windows don't have preinstalled aswell lol.I ask this because I am surprised Microsoft has not been taken to court for it.

If you bought your computer with windows Pre-installed, it will have all the codecs on the Operating system CD, or the drivers cd. I always get the codecs for my computer because they can't do anything for 14 dollars worth of codecs. There are people using torrents to download 400 dollar OS's. The codecs are not the main priority of the US Government. Just to shed some light on that.

[Pogeymanz]

The codecs aren't illegal to have. They are illegal to distribute without paying a licensing fee, which Windows does; and it is reflected in the price of Windows for you.

[ubuntu-freak]

I've been using ubuntu since 6.10 and I've been hearing more on Linux Mint and i'm just kinda curious what it really has over ubuntu. I always like easier stuff but what should I expect from mint if I switch and is it even worth it? Ubuntu's add/programs is on it right? and how does updating work: does it update every time ubuntu does? Also, does it work as a live cd because I don't have a dvd burner?


If you're not having difficulties with Ubuntu, stick with it. If you're struggling with anything, have a look at my how-to (http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=661833) and see if anything there helps.

Of course, you can run Mint off the CD if you wanna get a feel for it.

Nathan

[dca]

about that codec thing what codecs on it are illegal in the usa that windows don't have preinstalled aswell lol.I ask this because I am surprised Microsoft has not been taken to court for it.

They're all illegal in the US... Fraunhofer (or something like that, they're German) own the patent/license for MPEG (MP3, etc). A portion of the price for buying Windows goes to pay them off. Same thing for DVD codecs and the encryptors, money gets tossed to third parties.

...if you want to run them on your system regardless, you need to get a license (which obviously means pay out some money, or GELD if you're Deutsche)

[Twitch6000]

They're all illegal in the US... Fraunhofer (or something like that, they're German) own the patent/license for MPEG (MP3, etc). A portion of the price for buying Windows goes to pay them off. Same thing for DVD codecs and the encryptors, money gets tossed to third parties.

...if you want to run them on your system regardless, you need to get a license (which obviously means pay out some money, or GELD if you're Deutsche)

Oh ok I understand now.

[Yellowbelly]

If you're not having difficulties with Ubuntu, stick with it. If you're struggling with anything, have a look at my how-to (http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=661833) and see if anything there helps.

Of course, you can run Mint off the CD if you wanna get a feel for it.

Nathan

java really doesn't want to work right, but it could be my shotty cd burn though and it has all that already installed. It'll save me a little bit of time of getting all those codecs, although it is fun to see it work like "we don't have this codec but we'll download it and install it right now if you want to". Java still doesn't want to do that.

[ubuntu-freak]

java really doesn't want to work right, but it could be my shotty cd burn though and it has all that already installed. It'll save me a little bit of time of getting all those codecs, although it is fun to see it work like "we don't have this codec but we'll download it and install it right now if you want to". Java still doesn't want to do that.


Sun Java works fine in Gutsy. Do you have the plugin installed? See no.8 in my troubleshooting section, maybe you have two Java plugins installed.

Takes just a few mins to set up Ubuntu when you know what you need. I don't get it when 32-Bit users have trouble with Sun Java.

Nathan

[ubuntu-freak]

They're all illegal in the US... Fraunhofer (or something like that, they're German) own the patent/license for MPEG (MP3, etc). A portion of the price for buying Windows goes to pay them off. Same thing for DVD codecs and the encryptors, money gets tossed to third parties.

...if you want to run them on your system regardless, you need to get a license (which obviously means pay out some money, or GELD if you're Deutsche)



Lame uses a different algorithm to that other one. It only has distribution restrictions (not for too much longer), it's not illegal.

libdvdcss2 is merely a key generator and breaches no copyrights or patents.

Gstreamer codecs are perfectly legal, open source and merely have distribution restrictions.

w32/64 codecs are Microsoft, Quicktime and RealPlayer codecs. Even so, there hasn't been one court case regarding their use in Linux systems. It seems they want us to use them, so they merely have distribution restrictions.

Nathan

[exploder]

If you are interested in what codecs can be legally distributed, have a look at Mepis. Mepis is US based.

[wolfen69]

...if you want to run them on your system regardless, you need to get a license (which obviously means pay out some money, or GELD if you're Deutsche)

yeah, alot of US ubuntu users are doing just that... :rolleyes:

but aside from that, Mint is really great for lazy newbs, or if you are in a hurry to get a system up and running with no fuss.

[Kemono]

Well, I think if you have internet connection, you should stick with Ubuntu. Better support and all. But if you're an offline user, Mint is probably better.

At least that's what I think.

[whitefang5412]

Mint is perfect for an OS you can keep on your computer with no problems. Its just like ubuntu, but runs much faster. Just try it.

[SunnyRabbiera]

Mint is perfect for an OS you can keep on your computer with no problems. Its just like ubuntu, but runs much faster. Just try it.

this is debatable, at least concerning the live CD.
Installed Mint is a racecar but on the live I sometimes find it sluggish.

[exploder]

For me, Mint is the Cadillac of operating systems. I think that Mint has the best artwork and tools. I am referring to the updated tools in romeo.

The 3.2 version of the mintmenu is in my opinion the best menu for Gnome. The new menu is very customizable and gives me an attractive single panel layout. There is no need for shortcuts on my desktop because everything I use on a regular basis is in my Favorites section of the menu, this saves me screen real estate.I can remove packages right from the menu and I can speeed up the hover delay to make the menu faster.

The new mintinstall now give me quick access to GetDeb.net as well as the regular sources and the GUI has been improved to blend flawlessly with other Gnome apps.

The mintassistant gives me a choice of having a root account, this is important to some people and is a very welcome tool. The new version of the mintassistant has an improved GUI and really is a value added tool.

Thunderbird has Lightning installed and pre-configured, this makes Thunderbird a nice choice for an e-mail client. I also like Thunderbird because it automatically gets my mail when I open it.

The new version of mintdesktop is a nice tool. The new version has the ability to restore the application splash screens. I love this feature! The GUI has been refined in the new version to blend with Gnome and it is a very handy tool to have.

All of the artwork in Mint is consistent and attractive. The gfx-boot, usplash, wallpaper and program splash screens look nice right from the start! In my opinion the usplash is the best there is, it just plain looks nice!

Codecs working out of the box is a real time saver and just plain makes my life easier.

I can not say enough about the advantages of Mint. I experiment with other distributions all the time but I have not seen anything that comes close to Mint. Mint has the most elegant and refined desktop available.

[SunnyRabbiera]

I sort of like mintmenu but i also hate it, it seems buggy sometimes.
Its because its based on the old USP, something that is not worked on anymore.

[exploder]

The 3.2 version of the mintmenu seems pretty solid. USP is still being developed but it does not resemble the mintmenu at all now.

[kamaboko]

Linux Mint works best on my Dell Vostro. If OpenSuse worked, I'd use it. I think it's the best looking Linux distro out today. Maybe on the next release I'll give it a shot. As for Hardy, it bombed on my Vostro. I really don't want to put the time into if I know Mint works just fine.

[Ripfox]

Linux mint is basically the same thing as ubuntu. It uses the same repo's etc...for example. In the terminal if I type in sudo apt-get install ubuntu-desktop I would automatically be able to get. There is a speed advantage over ubuntu with it though. It does seem to be a tad faster, plus a lot nicer. It updates just the same was ubuntu, in fact in linux mint 4.0 if you go to system monitor and click on system it will say Release 7.10 (gusty). You will like it. Just give it a try. Yes it has a live cd.

Disagree completely on the speed comment.

[SunnyRabbiera]

Linux Mint works best on my Dell Vostro. If OpenSuse worked, I'd use it. I think it's the best looking Linux distro out today. Maybe on the next release I'll give it a shot. As for Hardy, it bombed on my Vostro. I really don't want to put the time into if I know Mint works just fine.

really I will never understand why people say suse looks so good, for me its nothing special.

[Ripfox]

Linux Mint works best on my Dell Vostro. If OpenSuse worked, I'd use it. I think it's the best looking Linux distro out today. Maybe on the next release I'll give it a shot. As for Hardy, it bombed on my Vostro. I really don't want to put the time into if I know Mint works just fine.

Hardy isn't done yet you know.

[myusername]

the only thing i don't like about mint is the login screen (the bar where you type your password to be exact) but everything else is beautiful...
i could never get grub to work right ether there was always a big black box in the upper left corner

[kamaboko]

really I will never understand why people say suse looks so good, for me its nothing special.

I think the quality of icons (much more crisp and vibrant), and the general layout is simply better. Ubuntu has to drop the "murky" shiite brown pond water look.

[Frak]

Hardy isn't done yet you know.
This beta that is out now is probably going to be a Release Candidate within a week or two.

[DMK62]

There are some differences between Ubuntu and Mint. I found the main difference is the tools for updating and some differences with the right click ( context ) menu's while in nautilus.

Where I have found a huge difference is with their Mint KDE 4.0 CE compared to Kubuntu 7.10. Mint KDE does not include items such as strigi, dolphin, and other items being worked on for kde 4.x . It uses Envy to install video drivers and does not include the restricted drivers manager by default. Synaptic is also included by default.

As for codecs etc. Microsoft did get snagged with a lawsuit over their inclusion of codecs for mp3's and were fined $ 1.6 billion.

My advice would be to go with what works best on your system. Both of them are great distro's.

Dale

[Frak]

As for codecs etc. Microsoft did get snagged with a lawsuit over their inclusion of codecs for mp3's and were fined $ 1.6 billion.

This is the one time I feel sympathy for Microsoft. As they did get sued for a somewhat reasonable offense, Microsoft thought that they got rights from the actual owners of the MP3 patent.

By the way, the patent holders are in favor of the OSS group.

Additionally, patent holders declined to enforce license fees on free and open source decoders, which allows many free MP3 decoders to develop. Furthermore, while attempts have been made to discourage distribution of encoder binaries, Thomson has stated that individuals who use free MP3 encoders are not required to pay fees. Thus, while patent fees have been an issue for companies that attempt to use MP3, they have not meaningfully impacted users, which allows the format to grow in popularity.

[SunnyRabbiera]

I think the quality of icons (much more crisp and vibrant), and the general layout is simply better. Ubuntu has to drop the "murky" shiite brown pond water look.

well at least Ubuntu didnt sell out to Microsoft though :p
Besides Hardy is looking pretty good right now

[Frak]

well at least Ubuntu didnt sell out to Microsoft though :p
Besides Hardy is looking pretty good right now
I agree.

[Yellowbelly]

whoa, does regular mint use envy for video drivers becuase I like the way ubuntu fixed it?

Besides, i thought ubuntu was going to have a high tech gui for hardy but it doesn't look like it's going to happen.

[SunnyRabbiera]

well envy is there for aid if needed, its pretty good from what I see.

[Frak]

whoa, does regular mint use envy for video drivers becuase I like the way ubuntu fixed it?

Besides, i thought ubuntu was going to have a high tech gui for hardy but it doesn't look like it's going to happen.
It still has the restricted drivers manager.

[SunnyRabbiera]

aye it does, it just uses both just in case the one doesnt work.
envy on mint is alright, I used it on my husbands computer.

[Zero Prime]

Just make sure you download the latest version of Envy first, especially if you use an ATI card.

As for Mint, I love it. The speed alone is the biggest selling factor for me. You get the Ubuntu repos, the Linux Mint repos, and you can enable the Linux Mint Romeo repo. The tools rock. I really like the software portal (after the romeo upgrade of course.) Also, I know I can install all the codecs myself, but why when they are already installed. It's not laziness, just enjoying the convenience.

[jmullagh]

OK... I guess I will put my two cents in for what it is worth. We seem to have two groups of Linux users. One group simply wants a new Operating System other than windows, and the discovery of Linux, while exciting to most, becomes a disappointment when potential users realize how much work is required to get thier prefered distro up and running. Frustration sets in and they quickly revert back to the Microsoft product.
We then have the other group who stick to the absolute true principles of Linux, which stipulates free software and endless hours of tinkering.
I myself love Linux... and I have been using it since Ubuntu 5.04. I recently started using Linux Mint and I must say, it has the Ubuntu that I love with the Suse I require, if that makes sense.
Needless to say, Linux Mint has truly turned out to be a facinating distro and, as they state on their website, a complete out of the box system. I find this important for many reasons but the ultimate reason is, make Linux simple enough for the AVERAGE person to use and the average person will want and use Linux over the Microsoft product!
If you want Linux to grow, as many of us do, then you MUST make it simplistic. Linux Mint does just that and by employing the Ubuntu system, there is plenty of support.
I still run two other computers on Ubuntu however, I have to go on record to say that so far, Linux Mint is just that....Mint!

:)

[Ripfox]

This beta that is out now is probably going to be a Release Candidate within a week or two.

Yes and that will be nice, but, as I said, it still isn't "done" yet so expect problems was my point.

[Frak]

Yes and that will be nice, but, as I said, it still isn't "done" yet so expect problems was my point.
And as I am saying, this will most likely be a Release Candidate, therefore this may be the final release of Ubuntu Hardy.

Plus, all of the packages are tested as stable. The only real bugs I've found was just a very little quark in OpenGL, and in only one game.

[amitabhishek]

If you want Linux to grow, as many of us do, then you MUST make it simplistic. Linux Mint does just that and by employing the Ubuntu system, there is plenty of support.:)

I agree with every word you said, I use Mint and completely adore it.I remember how much I hated every time I had to download codecs. Yes! I understand patent issues but other end users won't. They would just format the HD and return to Window$. Historically one of the main reason of proliferation of Window$ has been its distribution as an OEM. I wish some vendor show some spine & bundle this wonder of a distro.

[Ripfox]

And as I am saying, this will most likely be a Release Candidate, therefore this may be the final release of Ubuntu Hardy.

Plus, all of the packages are tested as stable. The only real bugs I've found was just a very little quark in OpenGL, and in only one game.

So you are saying that the current iso is not going to be changed before the final release?

[Frak]

So you are saying that the current iso is not going to be changed before the final release?
Of course it will be modified, as it already has been. What I am saying is that 90% of the OS will be as it is now. The only real changes now are stability and security updates. Right now, the packagers are trying to hard to hard freeze these packages.

[Ripfox]

Of course it will be modified, as it already has been. What I am saying is that 90% of the OS will be as it is now. The only real changes now are stability and security updates. Right now, the packagers are trying to hard to hard freeze these packages.

So not done then...10% can cause problems, yep, I know that one first hand. :lolflag:

[Frak]

So not done then...10% can cause problems, yep, I know that one first hand. :lolflag:
Very true. :lolflag:

[WaruiKoohii]

My opinion is that Linux Mint 4.0 is the best out of the box ready to go distro out there. It is Ubuntu refined. One of the most interesting things I noticed was when I did a dual boot on a higher end machine with XP.

I got a older, but higher end computer from my sister in law, it has XP Home on it. Replaced the hard drive and did a clean install of XP Home and also Linux Mint 4.0.

Linux Mint 4.0 was able to find and install the drivers for the (embedded on the board) soundcard and ethernet port. Windows Xp Home could not! As a temporary fix, I installed a PCI ethernet card and a PCI soundcard for Windows. That kind of was my "eureka moment" on how far Linux has come!

So Linux beat out Windows for driver support!
To be fair to everybody, you compared a 7 year old operating system with a new operating system.

Common sense dictates the new operating system will have better driver support for new hardware than the 7 year old operating system.

A better comparison would have been Linux and Vista.

That said, Linux has made great strides in terms of hardware support in recent years.

[vasiliymeshko]

I've installed Mint on my second computer at home, due to the fact it had no network connectivity at the time. Having all the codecs and multimedia stuff already included was a huge plus. On the other hand I didn't very much like the slab menu and the panel setup, first thing I did was to revert to standard Gnome look.

[IanB2]

I must admit that I really like the Mint theme but would prefer to stick to Ubuntu.

Linux Mint has the artwork very nicely sorted and it looks really polished.

Is there an easy 'how to make your Ubuntu look like Linux Mint' anywhere. I've been looking at gnome-look.org but am a little unsure how to get some of the themes working using Appearences Preferences in the System menu.:confused:

Guidance for us Newbies would be greatly appreciated. :)

[dgoodma]

Dual citizenship is where I am.

I use Mint, but the Ubuntu Forum is much more helpful.

When I first used Ubuntu, the codecs, and the can't do this, can't do that was a time consuming thing. Mint just works better out of the box, which is what a lot of users want.

But, will try 8.04... not wild about the UPS Brown Theme though.

[Frak]

Dual citizenship is where I am.

I use Mint, but the Ubuntu Forum is much more helpful.

When I first used Ubuntu, the codecs, and the can't do this, can't do that was a time consuming thing. Mint just works better out of the box, which is what a lot of users want.

But, will try 8.04... not wild about the UPS Brown Theme though.
You obviously haven't used Hardy Heron as of yet. Ubuntu has almost entirely lost brown as a color and has changed to lighter orange, yellow, and white colors.

Plus, with auto-codec locate/installation, I don't see the problem. Though, saying its time consuming is FUD. You can open the file with totem (Movie-Player) and having it find the codec for you, or running

sudo apt-get install ubuntu-restricted-extras

Will install every codec you'd ever use for you.

[Club17]

I've been using ubuntu since 6.10 and I've been hearing more on Linux Mint and i'm just kinda curious what it really has over ubuntu. I always like easier stuff but what should I expect from mint if I switch and is it even worth it? Ubuntu's add/programs is on it right? and how does updating work: does it update every time ubuntu does? Also, does it work as a live cd because I don't have a dvd burner?

Linux Mint 4.0 is the same version of Ubuntu 7.10, but with plus features like codecs installed, a new "start" menu, startpage in Firefox with Google search, software portal for install applications, mint desktop, mint assitant, amarok integrated, splash screens modifies by "Mint" designers, Thunderbird installed, X-Chat installed, also, can configure root account in the first time as boot, and other things that more easy to use linux for dumb users like me.

Try them, are many flavours of Linux Mint: KDE edition, Fluxbox Edition, XFCE Edition, Debian Edition and Ubuntu Edition (main).

[laptoplinux]

Common sense dictates the new operating system will have better driver support for new hardware than the 7 year old operating system.


So one would think. But then there are all the problems where Vista won't work properly on machines specifically designed for it, and many of the ones that did work on Vista would then experience all kinds of breakages on Vista SP1.

Believe me, comparing anything to the 7 year old XP is far kinder to M$ than comparing anything to the roughly 1.5 year old Vista.