Linux Mint Debian Edition...anyone?!

[SushiR]

Being a bit annoyed from all the ranting that goes on about Unity the last couple of days I decided to have a friendly chat about Linux Mint's latest development: LMDE!

So...anyone tried yet? The Mint team really has rolled out some kind of userfriendly Debian. It's fast, it looks good, it's more complete than any base install can be. There are regressions though, compared to Mint's main line, but that's obvious, isn't it?

So, if you like, chime in with your latest LMDE experiences. Maybe somebody who dislikes the way Ubuntu may take will find a new home there?!

About me: Exclusively running Linux OS's since 2003, tried all the big ones an an aweful lot of the small ones. Not tech-savvy but still capable to get all the hardware running and all my tasks done. Tried LMDE on my netbook (Samsung N150) lately and was surprised how well it ran. Still using Ubuntu because I'm lazy. I just like PPA's. They make it easy. And the lastest and greatest is always at hands.

Now it's YOUR turn.

[sgosnell]

I'm running it on an SDHC card in my Asus eee 900. It runs at least as fast as Ubuntu for everything I've tried, and it's more stable. I'm geting very close to removing Ubuntu and putting LMDE on my SSD. I haven't booted Ubuntu in a couple of weeks, maybe more, because I like LMDE, and things keep crashing in Maverick. The only glitch I've seen is that I can't make changes to the desktop (themes, background, etc) because the GUI keeps crashing, it just won't run. Otherwise, I'm really liking it.

[Simian Man]

I don't like the Debian package management tools or their heavily modified packages. Let me know if the make a distro like this based off of something better.

[SushiR]

I don't like the Debian package management tools or their heavily modified packages. Let me know if the make a distro like this based off of something better.

They have modified some packages, but that aren't really that many... And don't forget: They're all about user-friendlyness. Not about that bassass tech-savvy linux geeks... (that still can run it without any problems).

[sgosnell]

As far as I can tell, the package management tools are identical in Debian and Ubuntu. Apt-get, Synaptic, Aptitude, gdebi, etc are all the same as far as I can tell. What tools are you referring to? I also don't see any package modifications. I'm using pretty much the same packages in both, and I can't tell the difference.

[Simian Man]

I know they use the same tools as Ubuntu, I mean dpkg, apt etc. I much prefer Fedora's yum or Arch's pacman. Or even OpenSuse's zypper. And by modified packages I meant the way Debian heavily modifies the sources of upstream programs when they package them.

[sgosnell]

I guess it depends on what you get used to. I tried Fedora, OpenSUSE, and several others when I was distro-hopping, and I preferred the Debian tools. Out of simple curiosity, why do you hang in the Ubuntu forums if you don't like the distro?

[Simian Man]

I guess it depends on what you get used to. I tried Fedora, OpenSUSE, and several others when I was distro-hopping, and I preferred the Debian tools. Out of simple curiosity, why do you hang in the Ubuntu forums if you don't like the distro?

Yeah I started with Red Hat, so what you're used to does play a large part. I just don't see why the world needs another Debian clone. Really the only difference between them all is the set of default packages and the default environment.

And this forum is great, there are tons of non-Ubuntu users here, not just me :).

[bpalone]

I grabbed it to try in a VM (VirtualBox PUEL) and had some install issues. It wouldn't install until backed down the ram to something like 256Meg. After that I had issues with trying to install Guest Additions. Now, it could be my version of VirtualBox, since I don't run to grab the latest and greatest. I live by the old adage of "If It Aitn't Broke, Don't Fix It" which has served me well for years.

But, as far as I know, I'm the only one to have issues with it. I was enticed by the rolling release, but I don't see me taking the full plunge. Most I have seen has been positive.

[Tibuda]

http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=1569906

[sidzen]

Tibuda -- yeah it goes on, still.
Simian Man -- try a Slackware-based distro like salix-xfce to round out your experience base.
Me -- I just loaded up the new aptosid to try. Looks more than fine, so far.
To each his own.

[smellyman]

I like Mint, but absolutely hate slab menus and the minmenu bugs me so I'd ditch it for standard gnome.

LMDE is a good concept. I was under the impression it was kind of experimental though. Are they going to keep it up?


I like the other Mint spins. (lxde,xfce, flux...)

[ubunterooster]

It's ... Mint.

Mint. Mint never changes.

OK it does somewhat vary but it still has that Mint feel, though a bit unpolished

[kaldor]

LMDE is a good concept. I was under the impression it was kind of experimental though. Are they going to keep it up?

It was more successful than expected and a 64-bit release is in the works due to this. No signs of stopping.

[smellyman]

It was more successful than expected and a 64-bit release is in the works due to this. No signs of stopping.

good to know...thanks

[Khakilang]

Too much to try. Ubuntu on my main computer and PCLinuxOS on my older PC. Once I am tired of PCLinuxOS than maybe I have a go at it.

[RiceMonster]

Not a fan of apt/dpkg either, but I've never really tried Mint, so I may give it a shot sometime in the future. I've heard some good things about it.

[simpleblue]

I've tried LMDE and I found it to have a very snappy response; when you click on things they seem to pop up faster. It looks very nice and can even be made to look like the new Mint 10, which is looking quite good.

For me, as well as many others, compiz didn't work in the default install. Many had to do a technical work around, which I refuse to do. As well I found, and others did too, that programs such as games would install but when you'd look for them they wouldn't be there. But that was about a month after it came out and perhaps they've fixed it.

Anyways, it's only 1.0 right now, so to think they've turned Debian into something that beautiful is really quite amazing IMO.

That being said I still much prefer Ubuntu because it have several integrated goodies that I like.

[sgosnell]

LMDE can be set up pretty much however you want. I used my existing /home, and it showed up with top and bottom panels, and the standard Ubuntu menu in addition to the Mint menu system. I think the reason for 'another Debian distro' is that it just works, it's not necessary to do much in the way of configuration to get it going, as opposed to standard Debian. The Mint devs admit that it's still unfinished, but it seems they intend to continue with further development, and even if they don't, I have a working Debian Testing install, which I very well may keep permanently.