rec - linux mint

[cimorene]

There's a newish build of Linux out that Brother Linux just recommended to us last week. Linux Mint is a fast-booting, streamlined, easy-to-use distribution that comes either with Gnome (vaguely Mac-like) or KDE (slightly more PC-like) OS and has an elegant, streamlined look. It's based on Ubuntu but, unlike Kubuntu (which Wax and I have both been using fairly happily), it works fine out of the box. Wax put it on Locutus the Laptop the other day and... on install, there's no fiddling with drivers, flash players, etc - it just works. The default look is really nice, too, although it doesn't appear to allow you to set different images for each desktop.

I'm contemplating switching my computer over to it - I've been having a couple of problems lately, including software updater bugs, flash player issues and occasional crashes with Opera, and the latest update of Moblock (my IP blocker) blocking livejournal and the translation server. Anyway, this seems to be another step closer to entry-level usability. I'm not confident yet that my mom could handle it, but I'd give it to my dad or my sister without worry.

Comments

[acchikocchi.livejournal.com]

I'm a committed Mint user myself. :) The only issue I've had so far, in a couple months of use, is that it took a bit of doing to get it to recognize the wireless card on my netbook but once that was straightened out it's been a smooth ride. Well, and on said netbook battery usage isn't as efficient as Windows but I understand that's the case with most/all Linux distros.

[cimness.livejournal.com]

I think that wireless card compatibility is a universal problem at least in Ubuntu builds, if not throughout all distros. I wouldn't blame the Mint.

[brownbetty]

I don't think of gdm as mac-ish! I always thought of kde as the macish one.

[cimness.livejournal.com]

Really? But everything about the surface operation of KDE seems to be fairly dedicated to more or less looking recognisable to the Windows user, even the window borders and the start menus! I've seen a number of tutorials for how to reproduce the Mac experience via a series of sometimes quite fiddly customizations.

[indolentncrazy.livejournal.com]

Hmmmph. If I weren't losing my memory I could do this! I am better at some things than either of them, but who has the hours you guys spend on computers? Not if you want a garden!

[cimness.livejournal.com]

Ahahahhahahahha. <3 I DON'T want a garden, but Wax has almost as many potted plants as you do, considering the size of our flat. Brother Linux has a garden, too. Most of my time is spent reloading my flist, not actively learning how to do stuff!