Linux The Linux Mint Thread

Do you use Linux Mint?

  • Total voters
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R

rootyme

Gold is old
Adept
Linux Mint is one of the most recommended Linux Distros by newcomers and veterans alike particularly because of its stability and ease of use. The User Interface features a traditional taskbar coupled with a start menu that every Windows user is extremely familiar with. This familiarity breeds the ease of transition.

The_Linux_Mint_Logo.svg.png


Today, the Linux Mint developers have finally released Linux Mint 22 after rigorous bug fixing over the course of multiple weeks. It is based on Ubuntu 24.04 and will be supported till 2029. Ubuntu, in turn, is based on Debian - the age old and dependable de facto Linux Distro. If you prefer the Debian package base instead of Ubuntu, Linux Mint has a pure Debian based Distro named LMDE. LMDE stands for "Linux Mint Debian Edition".

Coming back to Linux Mint 22, among the most notable features of this release are:
  • Linux Mint 22 ships with modern components and the new Ubuntu 24.04 package base.
  • Cinnamon 6.2
  • To guarantee better compatibility with modern hardware, the kernel is version 6.8 and Linux Mint 22.x point releases will follow the HWE series.
  • The default sound server switched to Pipewire.
  • The Software Sources received support for the new Debian DEB822 format.
  • Themes were updated to support GTK4.
  • JXL support was added to Pix and a new thumbnailer was implemented for it.
  • All software using libsoup2 were migrated to libsoup3.
  • HiDPI support improvements were made in the boot sequence, in Plymouth and Slick-Greeter.
  • Linux Mint 22 comes with a preinstalled Web App called Matrix.
  • Unverified Flatpaks are disabled by default.
You can find the complete release notes here:

New Features in Linux Mint 22 'Wilma' - Linux Mint

Linux Mint is an elegant, easy to use, up to date and comfortable desktop operating system.
www.linuxmint.com www.linuxmint.com

The entire Linux Mint website is yet to reflect this release properly. The update has not yet reached all mirrors. But you can still download it from here if you are a bit restless.

LiteServer Mirror

linuxmint.mirror.liteserver.nl linuxmint.mirror.liteserver.nl
 
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There should be more options in the poll lol. How does it compete with Debian? I am planning to remove windows 11 on my aunts pc and throw in linux but quite confused on which distro to pick.

I am running NixOS KDE on all my devices and have installed Mint Cinnamon on my sister's laptop. I installed Mint as that was usually suggested for beginners but was quite disappointed in Cinnamon as I found it quite lacking on both features and customization compared to Plasma. While some may find the options given by KDE overwhelming I am thinking it might be just a set and forget as long as the OS is stable. Would like from thoughts and experiences with Debian from others before I decide on one of them. I dont mind doing the intial setup no matter how difficult it is but it should be rock solid and installing something should be very easy using some gui store that Mint is shipped with. I dont want my aunt calling me every week lol so interested in hearing some thoughts from people who have used both.
 
Jee said:
There should be more options in the poll lol. How does it compete with Debian? I am planning to remove windows 11 on my aunts pc and throw in linux but quite confused on which distro to pick.

I am running NixOS KDE on all my devices and have installed Mint Cinnamon on my sister's laptop. I installed Mint as that was usually suggested for beginners but was quite disappointed in Cinnamon as I found it quite lacking on both features and customization compared to Plasma. While some may find the options given by KDE overwhelming I am thinking it might be just a set and forget as long as the OS is stable. Would like from thoughts and experiences with Debian from others before I decide on one of them. I dont mind doing the intial setup no matter how difficult it is but it should be rock solid and installing something should be very easy using some gui store that Mint is shipped with. I dont want my aunt calling me every week lol so interested in hearing some thoughts from people who have used both.
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If you don't want your Aunt calling you every week, why do you want to remove Windows 11? Linux desktop is unable to compete with MacOS and Windows as far as ease of use and stability (of the desktop) is concerned.
 
codwapeace said:
If you don't want your Aunt calling you every week, why do you want to remove Windows 11? Linux desktop is unable to compete with MacOS and Windows as far as ease of use and stability (of the desktop) is concerned.
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Ig I forgot to mention that its an old computer that was struggling to run windows 11. Did some upgrade and it probably would have worked but could always use an upgrade. Was planning to downgrade it to a debloated windows 10 but its gonna be discontinued soon and was conflicting with existing OS. Also I want everyone to switch to Linux if possible so we don't have to be a third class user forever. It is running debian now so will see how that goes.
 
codwapeace said:
Linux desktop is unable to compete with MacOS and Windows as far as ease of use and stability (of the desktop) is concerned.
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Really? I've been using Linux mint from 2008 and it hasn't crashed once. If that isn't stability then what is the definition of stability? Is it something like the blue screen of death people all over the world saw when the went to airports or on billboards etc? Even if it was caused by an antivirus program, the os still crashed!
 
6pack said:
Really? I've been using Linux mint from 2008 and it hasn't crashed once. If that isn't stability then what is the definition of stability? Is it something like the blue screen of death people all over the world saw when the went to airports or on billboards etc? Even if it was caused by an antivirus program, the os still crashed!
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I have had so many problems with ubuntu, one of them being suddenly not allowing me to log in. I installed ubuntu as the main OS for a few months and it would cause one problem or the other. This was around 2016. I currently have ubuntu on my server where it has been rock solid.

I cannot trust linux as my main desktop OS. My current Windows installation is about 10 years old and has gone through a platform change (i5 2nd gen to Ryzen 3rd gen) and couple of in place OS upgrades, (7 - 10 and 10 - 11). It has had its fair share of crashes and problems but nothing as deal breaking as not logging in.

I mentioned desktop stability. The OS crashing is a problem but not allowing you to login is a much bigger problem than a restart once in a month or so.

I wanted to test Ubuntu again on my old laptop but thought, why should I be a beta tester? Mac and windows are just much better desktop experiences.
Ubuntu changed its desktop environment at least a couple of times in the last 10-12 years. Very drastically too. Something about linux just doesn't feel finished. There are just too many pieces that are built by completely different people that it all feels disconnected. Windows and MacOS are also making worse decision in UI everyday. Settings app of both systems is worse than their previous versions.

The battery life was worse under linux compared to windows.

Another thing I remember: getting google drive to work was a problem. It was long ago, but I think it was called grive. There is no way to get DRM content to work well on Linux. I really really want to use linux but just can't.
 
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If you like windows keep using it. Doesn't matter if you think an os crashing down and causing billions in damage is the best stable OS.

DRM, hardware drivers, HDR etc are designed solely for windows and need to be reverse engineered by programmers to work on Linux. Intel, AMD and nvidia have just recently started giving more love to Linux so cp and gpu drivers are taken care of. Rest of stuff still needs manufacturers support. Battery life will increase if manufacturers give proper hardware support and software programmers make proper software for the system. I've noticed Firefox kills battery faster than Chrome on Linux while watching YouTube. There may be other such programs which make the cpu run at full speed and use battery. It's not Linux fault. If Linux cost 15k for single use licence and didn't work like a Mac, I would be pissed off too. But, It's free, has regular updates and works for me. I'm happy Linux exists. There's a lot of stuff Linux does better than windows but there's no need to say it.
 
6pack said:
If you like windows keep using it. Doesn't matter if you think an os crashing down and causing billions in damage is the best stable OS.

DRM, hardware drivers, HDR etc are designed solely for windows and need to be reverse engineered by programmers to work on Linux. Intel, AMD and nvidia have just recently started giving more love to Linux so cp and gpu drivers are taken care of. Rest of stuff still needs manufacturers support. Battery life will increase if manufacturers give proper hardware support and software programmers make proper software for the system. I've noticed Firefox kills battery faster than Chrome on Linux while watching YouTube. There may be other such programs which make the cpu run at full speed and use battery. It's not Linux fault. If Linux cost 15k for single use licence and didn't work like a Mac, I would be pissed off too. But, It's free, has regular updates and works for me. I'm happy Linux exists. There's a lot of stuff Linux does better than windows but there's no need to say it.
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I didn't say that Windows is the best stable OS. I just said that the desktop experience on Windows and MacOS is much much much better than on linux.
How does it matter to the end user whose fault it is? It doesn't work as well as 2 other alternative OSs as far as desktop experience is concerned. OS should be useful to access the computer and all the features available on the hardware. How does it matter to me why linux doesn't support DRM or HDR? The fact is it doesn't. So, I have to use an alternative.

Being free doesn't take away from the fact that it doesn't work well. You are using free as a justification for a subpar experience. Again, I am using linux on a server which is what it is good for. The market doesn't lie. Most of the installs of linux are on servers not on desktops. Why do people who do IT for a living use Windows and MAC computers as their personal systems although they use linux throughout the day? The fact that I have seen only one person in my entire life using Ubuntu on their laptop and I remember his name after about 14 years of seeing it tells that linux is not a good experience on desktop/laptop computers.

Moreover, I don't think an Aunt who cannot install her own OS should be using linux. Windows and MacOS (whichever one someone is familiar with) is going to give a more user friendly experience.
 
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codwapeace said:
I didn't say that Windows is the best stable OS. I just said that the desktop experience on Windows and MacOS is much much much better than on linux.
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Its preference actually. Nothing wrong if you prefer windows, most do. But doesnt make linux desktop much much worse.
These days i strongly prefer linux over windows. Many simple things are better on linux for me.

I moved all of my work to linux ( Ubuntu/kde - long term release) few years back, very happy and its all stable. Both desktop and laptop.

Even games are playable now due to steamdeck/proton. Other than gaming, all of my desktop usage is in linux and gaming done on both.
Out of the box HDR is missing, although steam deck has it so its possible now. But i ll wait for it to become easily usable.
 
codwapeace said:
I didn't say that Windows is the best stable OS. I just said that the desktop experience on Windows and MacOS is much much much better than on linux.
How does it matter to the end user whose fault it is? It doesn't work as well as 2 other alternative OSs as far as desktop experience is concerned. OS should be useful to access the computer and all the features available on the hardware. How does it matter to me why linux doesn't support DRM or HDR? The fact is it doesn't. So, I have to use an alternative.

Being free doesn't take away from the fact that it doesn't work well. You are using free as a justification for a subpar experience. Again, I am using linux on a server which is what it is good for. The market doesn't lie. Most of the installs of linux are on servers not on desktops. Why do people who do IT for a living use Windows and MAC computers as their personal systems although they use linux throughout the day? The fact that I have seen only one person in my entire life using Ubuntu on their laptop and I remember his name after about 14 years of seeing it tells that linux is not a good experience on desktop/laptop computers.

Moreover, I don't think an Aunt who cannot install her own OS should be using linux. Windows and MacOS (whichever one someone is familiar with) is going to give a more user friendly experience.
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But your entire logic depends on you seeing just one person using Linux in all these years. Do you think it's a fair way to say everyone wants to use windows only?

If an aunt cannot install an OS, she should not use Linux? I feel this logic funny. You know windows come pre-installed on laptops and PC's now. Then by that logic, no one should use Linux. Even Mac users. Funny thing is mac is closer to Linux than windows. If you use Mac you can use Linux easily.

You should read up on how Apple and Microsoft give money to schools and university's to use their products and to push their products on kids. They have billions of dollars at their disposal to make kids accustomed to their OS from a young age. If you get used to Mac you won't like using windows or Linux. And vice versa. Linux has no closed ecosystem like Apple or Microsoft, so it loses out. If schools and colleges were to use Linux to teach stuff then kids would naturally keep using Linux OS either at home or in offices.

Edit: If Linux is so bad and unusable why would Microsoft go out of its way to make WSL? They spent so much money on it too. Even went on to add Android support.
 
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Mint 22 has a known screen flickering bug with kernel 6.8. The flickering is pretty wild but all it needs is the movement of the cursor to heal itself. A touch is all it needs. Such an attention seeking bug...
 
Tracer_Bullet said:
moved all of my work to linux ( Ubuntu/kde - long term release) few years back, very happy and its all stable. Both desktop and laptop.
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A few questions, if you don't mind.
1) Which distribution have you found to be most stable for desktop use?
2) Which distribution are you using now?
3_What are your upgrade best practices?
 
JMP said:
A few questions, if you don't mind.
1) Which distribution have you found to be most stable for desktop use?
2) Which distribution are you using now?
3_What are your upgrade best practices?
Click to expand...
1) I havent used that many. I used to use Arch for many years ( 5+ ). It was mostly stable but needs regular update config checks. And once a very critical bug did get through which lead to data loss.
Then i needed to use linux for work, and so i simply moved to Kubuntu Long term release and they are fine. You also get kernel updates (hwe) so that's nice. This works for me
2) Kubuntu 22.04
3) With arch, it was a rolling release. Ubuntu - just follow instructions. Update everything first, disable 3rd party repos if you have added, take backups of data and os and then do it. You may need to merge changes to some config files if you had changed them earlier. I am not an expert, only did 1 upgrade with ubuntu earlier and it went well.
If this is all too much, then simply do fresh install. It might take some extra hours to get desktop to the state you want.
 
If anyone wants the benefits of rolling release (latest software, hardware support etc) without the headaches Arch used to give me then try openSUSE Tumbleweed ... You can run GNOME or KDE on it, very polished, easy to setup and run as daily driver. Not without its (breakage) risks though quite rare. Major drawback (for me) is it's not Ubuntu based which is why I don't daily drive it myself because I like the wealth of Ubuntu knowledge base online to help if I need to setup something or solve problems I come across.
 
vishalrao said:
If anyone wants the benefits of rolling release (latest software, hardware support etc)
Click to expand...
ubuntu LTS does have hwe ( hardware enablement i think) kernels which get updated. I am running 6.5.0-41 right now for example. At launch it would have been older one.
Applications remain old more or less, so if there is a small bug, it becomes a stable bug :)

Also, Arch wiki is very good for linux info.
 
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