Linux Mint 12 "Lisa" released!

[Sarker1986]

I am wondering what people think of the change, i have tried Gnome3.x on other distros and not been impressed by it. Mainly because of the lack of customisation options, but is Gnome 3 on LM12 any different from Unity 11.04/11.10 or Fedora's Gnome 3.
I have not enjoyed my experience of Gnome 3 to date, and am having serious reservations about it still with LM12. Can anyone provide a little more info on the upgrade that might either encourage me to go for it, i will try it very soon when I have some free time, but I have serious reservations so far.

[wolverine_tech]

I am wondering what people think of the change, i have tried Gnome3.x on other distros and not been impressed by it. Mainly because of the lack of customisation options, but is Gnome 3 on LM12 any different from Unity 11.04/11.10 or Fedora's Gnome 3.
I have not enjoyed my experience of Gnome 3 to date, and am having serious reservations about it still with LM12. Can anyone provide a little more info on the upgrade that might either encourage me to go for it, i will try it very soon when I have some free time, but I have serious reservations so far.

Hi Sarker1986,

I've been using G-Shell since it's 3.0 version & I think LM 12 has the best implementation of G-shell so far. At least the task-centric approach of switching between windows instead of applications is there & the screen looks like a real desktop instead of a smartphone. (I'm not a Mint fanboy... just an 'observer from the sidelines'... so this is a very 'neutral' defense of LM 12).

The only customizations that I sorely miss are 1) pinning applications/creating launchers on the panel and 2) using panel applets. However, if you use Cairo-Dock (or any other dock), (1) gets taken care of and you also get the old default Gnome menu-layout. Moreover, I use GNOME-Do extensively, so 'launching' applications for me is, in a way, no different than it was in GNOME 2.x.

Hopefully in the next few iterations of GNOME 3, it'll become more customizable. But if you are happy with an earlier version of Mint that still has support for a while, perhaps there's no harm in waiting...

Just my $0.02....

[GSimpson]

Thanks for your hard work Clem.

Does anyone know why I can't get get 3D acceleration on my NVIDIA GeForce GT525M to work? I have tried repeatedly installing and rebooting with the two available drivers in the "Additional Drivers" application. It says the driver is activated and currently in use. But I'm still in 2D rollback mode. Any suggestions?

I'm running LM12 64-bit on a Samsung RC512 notebook.

I have a switch-able GT540M card running thanks to Bumblebee

[MarkX]

This is great! Thank you very much. I am a big fan of Linux Mint and find 12 to be a great improvement. Mostly because now my wife is finially switching to Linux from MAC. THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!!!!!!

This was the last piece for me, we sold her iPod and iPad and she is using an android phone and tablet. Now it is total victory!!

[rwdalpe]

Hello,

I was curious if there is a reason why the Linux Mint 12 CD version didn't ship with any sort of office software installed. Was it intentional due to space restrictions or some similar factor? I thought that the 11 CD had LibreOffice included, but my memory could be failing me.

Thank you, and great work with Mint. It's by far my favorite distribution right now!

[JayArby]

So, my first experience with Mint 12 (after loving Mint 11):

I opened the main menu. It's okay, but nowhere near as nice as the old mint menu. Not as powerful, not as well arranged, and instantly glitchy. Yep, we're moving forward...or is it backwards?

I went to the system settings...and you can't resize the window. Whose brilliant idea was that? What an improvement!

I wanted to change the desktop wallpaper. I selected the image I wanted, and then wanted to set it to "Center" rather than "Stretched"...but the control is gone. Apparently it just has to be stretched, unless maybe I find some config file buried somewhere in the system and edit it manually. Wow, that's a really useful improvement!

It was all downhill from there. In fact, just about everything annoyed me. I can't think of anything that didn't.

Well, it's back to mint 11 for me. I'm just disappointed, because I recently found out about mint after being fully disgusted by the developments in Ubuntu, and I thought Mint was committed to stepping up the Ubuntu act. I realize Gnome 2 isn't really available any more and all that, so it's not just the fault of Mint, but I wish someone who knew how (I don't) would develop a good linux desktop environment that was powerful and committed to not becoming Mac-ish (that is, removing features and labeling it an upgrade).

It worries me, because Windows is becoming stupid, and Ubuntu is becoming stupid, and Gnome is becoming stupid, and OsX has always been stupid, and I don't know what I'll be left with.

Okay, rant over. I still love Mint 11. I hope it will be maintained for a while...

[eric57]

Why do we need a menu bar both on top and the bottom of the screen? It just wastes screen space. I don't like it, and am likely going to go to Debian. What were you thinking?

Downloading Deb now. Makes me sad.

[kmb42vt]

Hello,

I was curious if there is a reason why the Linux Mint 12 CD version didn't ship with any sort of office software installed. Was it intentional due to space restrictions or some similar factor? I thought that the 11 CD had LibreOffice included, but my memory could be failing me.

Thank you, and great work with Mint. It's by far my favorite distribution right now!

You got it right. It's strictly due to space constrictions of CD. Software in general has been slowly getting bigger in size and in this case, Gnome 3 with it's gnome-shell overlay plus what's required for the 'Fallback mode' takes up more space than the CD of Mint 11 did overall. But since this the first iteration of a brand new type desktop layout for Linux Mint I'm sure there will be plenty of streamlining going over the next few versions. That being said, here's a clip from the Linux Mint 12 release announcement that will get you the full DVD version if you haven't already done it already:

If you install Linux Mint from the CD, you're missing some applications and the multimedia codecs. You can install the missing applications by clicking on "Upgrade to the DVD edition" in the welcome screen or in "Menu->Administration". And you can install the missing codecs by clicking on "Install Multimedia Codecs" in the welcome screen or in "Menu->Sound and Video".

[kmb42vt]

Why do we need a menu bar both on top and the bottom of the screen? It just wastes screen space. I don't like it, and am likely going to go to Debian. What were you thinking?

Downloading Deb now. Makes me sad.

I hate to tell you this but Debian is heading the same way and Debian will just give you the plain vanilla Gnome 3/gnome-shell experience without the benefits of MGSE. That being said (has been stated several times on the LInux Mint blog and Linux Mint 12 forum threads) the Linux Mint devs had no choice or say in the decisions the Gnome developers made in the past or the future although Linux Mint 12 with MGSE might influence them a bit as to how to improve the Gnome3/gnome-shell experience? In other words, they had to work with the hand they were dealt.

Btw, you can turn off any or as many of the features of MGSE (Mint Gnome Shell Extensions) via "Advanced Settings" including turning off the bottom panel. You can also auto-hide the top panel (strictly a Gnome 3/gnome-shell thing) with the following extension:

http://www.webupd8.org/2011/11/autohide ... nally.html

Also, did you try logging into the MATE desktop top instead? You might find it familiar looking. It's still in beta but for the most part it works well enough.

[caseycici]

ok.tks

[sagarchandratrey]

attila964 Thanks for the help !!! The command for bringing back the old network settings windows worked great..Thanks a ton !!!!!

[Artichoke]

Font rendering in MATE is not good at the moment, at least on my friend's Compaq laptop (I think it has an Nvidia adapter), so I've cut her loose on Gnome 3 with the appropriate MGSE extensions turned on. She's game, 63 years old, non-technical, and keen to switch from Windows Vista to a controversial new Linux.

The wonderful contributor "bimsebasse" over here - viewtopic.php?f=42&t=86813 - has been my saviour so far, although I really don't think it should be this hard to get a satisfactory desktop. My fingers are crossed for the future, but my own PC is sticking with Mint 11 for now.

[xtra5]

tHanks clem@geng for making mint friendly to daily use

[ilovelinux]

I am running "Lisa" on an Acer Aspire Revo (Nettop) http://tiny.cc/1vn2l with 1 gb of Ram and a single core 1.6 ghz processor and it's faster than Win 7 and Ubuntu 11.10 (I triple boot), so if it's slow on a PC with a those specs something is wrong with the computer!!

Nothing is wrong with my computer and Mint 12 is slow on it, even Ubuntu 11.10 was slow on it. But Mint 10 flies on it, as did Ubuntu 10.04.3 and 10.10.

[rfd]

I am running "Lisa" on an Acer Aspire Revo (Nettop) http://tiny.cc/1vn2l with 1 gb of Ram and a single core 1.6 ghz processor and it's faster than Win 7 and Ubuntu 11.10 (I triple boot), so if it's slow on a PC with a those specs something is wrong with the computer!!

Nothing is wrong with my computer and Mint 12 is slow on it, even Ubuntu 11.10 was slow on it. But Mint 10 flies on it, as did Ubuntu 10.04.3 and 10.10.

your issues with m12 are hardware and/or configuration based. that's the facts. deal with it.

too many of us are running m12 on both really old and really new hardware with nary a hiccup or glitch and zero speed issues/constraints - though, yes, there ARE some hardware issues, most notably ati graphics.

[swftech]

I've been really enjoying using "Lisa", total quality OS. Does anyone know if the "rumors" about the next version being based on Debian Weezy and moving away from Ubuntu are true? I think it would be a great idea if it is really something Clem and the team are considering! Either way though, Mint will always be my primary OS, and thanks again for such an awesome release!!

[hoychoy]

hi there everyone!

i'm new to linux mint although i've been a linux user for quite some time. i downloaded and installed linux mint 12 yesterday and i have to say the developers did a great job with MGSE. i like it a lot! i do have a few issues with linux mint though:

1. update manager made my desktop (MGSE) hang/crash on two occasions.
2. hovering to an image on a web page using mozilla firefox results in distorted colors appearing on the screen. the entire screen was almost full with distorted colors but only the top and bottom parts were captured (distored colors) upon screen shot. i closed firefox and reopened the same webpage and got the same thing. however, that's not the case when trying to view the page on chromium web browser. maybe this one's a browser specific issue? honestly, it annoys me.


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3. i also tried installing the debian based cisco packet tracer package. i had no troubles installing but the screen acted weird and started to show distorted colors whenever i open it. so i ended up uninstalling it. i thought packet tracer would run smoothly on linux mint 12 since the .bin was made to run on debian/ubuntu and linux mint is based on ubuntu.

[kmb42vt]

Font rendering in MATE is not good at the moment, at least on my friend's Compaq laptop (I think it has an Nvidia adapter), so I've cut her loose on Gnome 3 with the appropriate MGSE extensions turned on. She's game, 63 years old, non-technical, and keen to switch from Windows Vista to a controversial new Linux.

The wonderful contributor "bimsebasse" over here - viewtopic.php?f=42&t=86813 - has been my saviour so far, although I really don't think it should be this hard to get a satisfactory desktop. My fingers are crossed for the future, but my own PC is sticking with Mint 11 for now.

For some reason the font rendering settings are not set correctly ("Best shapes" instead of Sub-pixel rendering for LCD displays). This can be easily changed by right-clicking the desktop and choosing "Appearances" just like in Gnome 2.32. Set to Sub-pixel rendering (the wording might be a bit different as I'm not logged into MATE at the moment) and "Slight". You'll find your fonts smooth and very readable after changing these settings.

[Arron]

I think Mint 12 should of spent more time in RC for testing.

IMHO this is a big step back from the high quality releases that Mint has had in the past.

I have been an avid Mint user for years, allowing me to remove all MS os/apps of my home pc's, so im no light user. However Mint 12 has put me back to stumbling phases, and im not to happy with it. Here is a few of my issues:

1. Network printer is a pain, and you need to run a separate command to do it. You need to dig threw the forums to figure it out, there is no supporting documentation.

2. The online accounts is more or less wasted without any default apps that can support it. No real documentation on how to use it, its potential or what apps use it.

3. I understand that things change and move, but there is little to no info on how to use Gnome 3 interface. Yes by default it has the standard menu bar at the bottom. But then space is wasted on top of screen. A think many Mint users love the single bar ont he bottom, and the menu simple yet powerful layout. Its not easy to edit menu, or place quick launch buttons, or icons on desktop for apps. I still haven't figured it out, and cant find much info.

4. Took me a while to figure out how to add a "favorite" (a link to another folder) in Nautilus. The old click and drag was very efficient. Once again very lacking documentation,

5. I know this has some documentation on it, the desktop can lock up from time to time. This has never happened to me like this since ive started with release 5.

6. One of my big issues is the control panel is gone. You have to jump into different areas to find settings. i.e. adding a printer icon is not as easy to find as just going int he control panel. Once again documentation is VERY lacking, and I keep stumbling.

Im in no way resisting change. I have looked forward to each mint release. Mint has brought over a lot of users because of its "out of the box" and refined use. I am an avid Linux user, and find myself lost at times. I have a good idea how less savy users are feeling.

Due to the nature of Mint 12 and the changes, maybe more than 14 days from RC to Release was a little eager. Maybe keeping up with Ubuntu's 6 month release dates should be reconsidered. Maybe slow it down to 1/year cycle so things are worked out and a high level is maintained.

Thank you for all the hard work that developers and users put into Mint to make it what I enjoy to use. I still love what Mint is, just very disappointed with release 12.

Arron

[swftech]

I think Mint 12 should of spent more time in RC for testing.

Arron you have some valid complaints, but most of them are not Mint issues, they are Gnome 3 issues. Once Gnome 3 has been around longer it will become more customisable. It already in the last couple of months has had plenty of Gnome shell extensions released that have solved many of the problems. When Gnome 2 first came out everyone was up in arms over the change, but look at how well it turned out in the long run, now no one wants to leave it behind...lol.

The bottom panel in Mint 12 can be turned off and the top panel can be moved to the bottom through extensions. The part about not being able to put shortcuts where you want them is a Gnome 3 issue (Not Mint) and I am sure in the near future it will be fixed by the Gnome developers.

You can install a dock like Cairo-Dock or AWN in the meantime and have access to whatever you want right in front of you. Or install Gnome-Do or Synapse or any other launcher and type want you want to launch. The same can be accomplished by using the HUD by tapping your super key or moving your cursor to the top left corner of the screen and typing in the search box what you find hard to get to. If you have problems finding items let a launcher find it for you just until Gnome 3 gets better.

I've seen several instances where Mint is catching the slack that is actually Gnome 's fault and is the same issues going on in all other Gnome 3 distributions. And if you need better documentation go here. http://www.gnome.org/gnome-3/

Any issues with online accounts or the messaging menu can be solved by opening terminal and typing
"sudo apt-get install empathy"