Mint 18.2: Still the best Linux desktop • Hacker News Board

Re: Mint 18.2: Still the best Linux desktop

#21

Post by schoen » Fri, Aug 11, 2017, 5:12 PM UTC

MisterKent wrote: post #20

vetinari wrote: post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I understand your frustration, but the difference between freetype and freetype-freeworld is exactly one define: FT_CONFIG_OPTION_SUBPIXEL_RENDERING I'm sure you know why Fedora didn't enable that. It's not because they wouldn't want it.

Sorry, I don't know why. Care to explain?

Apparently https://freetype.org/patents.html

Re: Mint 18.2: Still the best Linux desktop

#22

Post by bitL » Fri, Aug 11, 2017, 5:13 PM UTC

Some issues with 18.2:

- Nemo has huge issues handling icon spacing in HiDPI mode; this is a major regression and the reason I only upgraded one of my computers to 18.2 until this is resolved

- Cinnamon still freezes/stops responding/windows disappear with alpha barely above 0 on Intel HD either randomly or when switching to another logged in user

Re: Mint 18.2: Still the best Linux desktop

#23

Post by dudul » Fri, Aug 11, 2017, 5:13 PM UTC

grey-sunshine wrote: post #2

Is this for real? Do people really use Mint?

I don't know about now, but a year or so ago it was the most popular distro yeah.

Elementary OS seems to be on the path to take over for best desktop distro though.

Re: Mint 18.2: Still the best Linux desktop

#24

Post by thinkxl » Fri, Aug 11, 2017, 5:13 PM UTC

eklavya wrote: post #10

dnautics wrote: post #3

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Mint's pretty great. I use it because it's basically a lightweight Ubuntu.

What does it remove from ubuntu?

I'd like to know this as well

Re: Mint 18.2: Still the best Linux desktop

#25

Post by leggomylibro » Fri, Aug 11, 2017, 5:14 PM UTC

Mikeb85 wrote: post #16

I've never understood the love for Mint. All it is is Ubuntu with a Gnome 2 style desktop and things already configured for Linux newbies. I installed it long ago and it was way buggier than Ubuntu. Right now on openSUSE Tumbleweed with Gnome Shell, couldn't be happier. And if I were to give a vote for most 'desktop ready' system, I'd go with Fedora (the only thing I dislike about openSUSE is how PackageKit and YAST…

Since 17 or so it's seemed extremely stable to me. It also tends to have drivers for just about anything, but that's also true of Ubuntu. It is sort of configured for Linux newbies, but it's also configured to just be A Desktop with as little crud as possible, besides that necessary to maintain its broad compatibility and ease of installation.

Its popularity came around the time that Canonical started doing things like inserting a 'shopping lens search' into default installations' desktop UI, pushing insane and bulky window managers, bucking Wayland to make their own X replacement, and generally making people uneasy about their monopoly on 'easy' Linux OSes.

So Mint is a solid 'No-Frills Give Me A Linux Now' installation. Sometimes you don't want to spend hours tinkering, okay? The last time I installed Fedora (21 and 22), it was consistently a ghastly, slow and buggy nightmare that approached a stage 3 Gentoo install by the time something functional was up and running. I was floored at how bad it was on such a popular distro, and once installed, it was also a lot of effort to get simple things like yum working properly. It could have just been me, but this was fairly standard hardware; I came away with the impression that it was not even close to an easy or pleasant install experience for a broad range of users, and nothing I'd be interested in using again.

Re: Mint 18.2: Still the best Linux desktop

#26

Post by khedoros1 » Fri, Aug 11, 2017, 5:15 PM UTC

grey-sunshine wrote: post #2

Is this for real? Do people really use Mint?

I don't know if "people" do. I have since about 2009, although not exclusively, and using Mate instead of Cinnamon.

I think it's funny that they mention running it on a "vintage" 2011 Lenovo. I've got it running on a 2009 Lenovo Netbook and a 2002 IBM R-series laptop too.

Re: Mint 18.2: Still the best Linux desktop

#27

Post by bitL » Fri, Aug 11, 2017, 5:15 PM UTC

Mikeb85 wrote: post #16

I've never understood the love for Mint. All it is is Ubuntu with a Gnome 2 style desktop and things already configured for Linux newbies. I installed it long ago and it was way buggier than Ubuntu. Right now on openSUSE Tumbleweed with Gnome Shell, couldn't be happier. And if I were to give a vote for most 'desktop ready' system, I'd go with Fedora (the only thing I dislike about openSUSE is how PackageKit and YAST…

It kept "normal" desktop paradigm when everyone around was submitting to (IMO insane) design experiments everywhere. Then it was the only Linux distro that was handling HiDPI correctly and made it look better than Windows on retina displays.

Re: Mint 18.2: Still the best Linux desktop

#28

Post by msla » Fri, Aug 11, 2017, 5:23 PM UTC

Mikeb85 wrote: post #16

I've never understood the love for Mint. All it is is Ubuntu with a Gnome 2 style desktop and things already configured for Linux newbies. I installed it long ago and it was way buggier than Ubuntu. Right now on openSUSE Tumbleweed with Gnome Shell, couldn't be happier. And if I were to give a vote for most 'desktop ready' system, I'd go with Fedora (the only thing I dislike about openSUSE is how PackageKit and YAST…

I've been using WindowMaker since before Ubuntu even existed, and I fundamentally cannot understand switching distros because of a default UI. The first thing I do when I install any distro is install a brace of packages, WindowMaker among them, and create a good environment for myself. I could not care less about the intricacies of the default UI because if I'm using it for more than a trivial amount of time, something's probably gone very wrong.

To me, it sounds like not buying Ford because the Ford on the lot is red and you like blue, except even less sensible because it sometimes costs money to get "special" colors for cars.

I'm very much in the second camp in this blog post:

https://utcc.utoronto.ca/~cks/space/blog/sysadmin/TwoEnviron...

I have an environment I drag everywhere I can, and I come to actively dislike systems like Macs where I can't turn them into my system. I always feel like a guest, and not a well-liked one, and I'm never going to be happy as a guest on my own home system.

Re: Mint 18.2: Still the best Linux desktop

#29

Post by mmjaa » Fri, Aug 11, 2017, 5:26 PM UTC

Mikeb85 wrote: post #16

I've never understood the love for Mint. All it is is Ubuntu with a Gnome 2 style desktop and things already configured for Linux newbies. I installed it long ago and it was way buggier than Ubuntu. Right now on openSUSE Tumbleweed with Gnome Shell, couldn't be happier. And if I were to give a vote for most 'desktop ready' system, I'd go with Fedora (the only thing I dislike about openSUSE is how PackageKit and YAST…

Totally. (Disclaimer: Ubuntu user since, forever..)

I see Mint as a well-polished distribution, among a rather - you have to admit - humongous set of competition.

Mint is a good newbie Linux. Its good looking, works for most users I've seen actually put it to use, and is unique that way.

I'm rather inclined (as a Linux user) too boot Mint every now and then, and have a look.

Re: Mint 18.2: Still the best Linux desktop

#30

Post by stryk » Fri, Aug 11, 2017, 5:30 PM UTC

I remember reading (this was around when version 17 launched) about a couple serious issues people had with Mint. Have these been fixed/addressed?: 1) the mixing and/or renaming of Ubuntu and Debian packages - resulting in the maintainers just blacklisting upstream packages when something breaks because of this (even security updates! which, if I remember correctly, were set to 'optional' by default which is just stupid) 2) Mint, at least at the time, didn't publish any CVEs (what the hell is with that? seems nutty)