From Ubuntu to LMDE

[rjs]

Hello,

I'm a brand new user of any flavor of Linux Mint. I've been using linux on the desktop far prior to any of the desktop distro's existing such as ubuntu, linux mint etc..

The reason I post is that I've been using Ubuntu since it's very first revisions and have, up until this point, no need nor desire to try or do anything different. I believe Ubuntu created a fantastic desktop up until their recent 11.04 versions. Which is why I am here. I had an issue where a re-install was necessary on a single box after a long period of usage and found that 11.04 Ubuntu was less than usable. I'm not here to discuss Ubuntu however, I'm here to discuss Linux Mint.

I'm a debian fan. Always have been, and used debian on the dektop prior to ubuntu and other distos that have now came to the forfront. After searching for an Ubuntu replacement (which is quite a big deal after many years of usage), I found a review on the web that brought up Linux Mint. I decided to give it whirl as I needed some form of long term upgrade path away from Ubuntu's current direction.

First I installed Linux Mint, found it to be very nice, professional, and by far more elegant than Ubuntu. However, it was still Ubuntu. I decided to try LMDE as I mentioned I am a debian user. I just want to say that I'm blown away at how nice this is to have a debian desktop, debian repositories, and fantastic elegant look to my desktop. I had a few issues, but nothing that took more than an hour to sort through.

I just wanted to say thank you. And I hope that the LMDE distribution will continue on a "sane" path with little need for what we are seeing out of Ubuntu. LMDE 11 has Ubuntu 11.04 beat handsdown so much to say that LMDE is what Ubuntu should be. Fast, elegant, and usable.

I'm hoping some distribution will fork gnome 2.X and move on with it in the future. If they do, I have a feeling they will be very successful. What we have right now with LMDE is not only usable, but a fantastic elegant desktop that allows one to get their work done. For that, I can only say thank you to the Linux Mint developers for providing a far better disto to what is now 11.04 Ubuntu.

Thank you,
rjs

[tdockery97]

LMDE is indeed a grand distro. It gives you all the Debian advantages plus adds in Flash and codecs so that it is 100% usable without too much tweaking. As for Gnome 2.x, I really don't think there will be enough developers interested in forking it. It would be an enormous undertaking. I think that like it or not Gnome is heading off in the wrong direction (for me). Fortunately I really enjoy the latest releases of the KDE desktop environment, as well as Xfce when it is tweaked/patched to be easy to use. I am finding Liquid Lemur Xfce to be as easy and enjoyable to use as Gnome 2.x. And when Boo gets Mint 11 KDE out, I will probably switch to that from Mint 11 Gnome. Kubuntu 11.04 is great, so if Mint 11 KDE is based on Kubuntu and not Ubuntu main edition, we should have a winner.

[Sonsum]

I switched from Ubuntu to LMDE because I think Unity is ridiculous for anything that isn't a netbook.

I love the familiar desktop and the snappiness it provides. While I felt WIndows 7 was very fast on this computer, LMDE blows it out of the water.

And a little bit of Compiz doesn't hurt

I really think the Mint developers have their heads on straight in regards to the user interface. The emphasize elegance but not at the cost of losing simplicity. As Gnome 2 starts to fade out, I'm confident that they will make the right choice in the replacement, be it Gnome 3, gnome shell, unity, or what have you.

[telenux]

What is LMDE 11? Never heard of it...

[Sonsum]

What is LMDE 11? Never heard of it...

There's no 11 involved. It's the edition of Linux Mint based off of Debian, instead of Ubuntu. It is a rolling release, so in theory, you won't have to reinstall it as frequently as the 'buntu based versions.

You can find more info at: http://blog.linuxmint.com/?p=1604

[craigevil]

There's no 11 involved. It's the edition of Linux Mint based off of Debian, instead of Ubuntu. It is a rolling release, so in theory, you won't have to reinstall it as frequently as the 'buntu based versions.

You can find more info at: http://blog.linuxmint.com/?p=1604

Try more like you will never need to reinstall, unless the user screws things up.
My desktop is still going, seven years and counting, Debian was installed on it way back when Woody was Debian stable.
I run sid with at least weekly apt-get dist-upgrade.

[Sonsum]

Try more like you will never need to reinstall, unless the user screws things up.
My desktop is still going, seven years and counting, Debian was installed on it way back when Woody was Debian stable.
I run sid with at least weekly apt-get dist-upgrade.

I've heard that, but as I've had Debian all of two days, I didn't feel I was qualified to say that

I am familiar with Ubuntu's twice a year reinstalls. Sure you can just upgrade, but it never runs quite right.

[dagon]

I'm hoping some distribution will fork gnome 2.X and move on with it in the future.

I would like that too.

[Linux n00b]

I am familiar with Ubuntu's twice a year reinstalls. Sure you can just upgrade, but it never runs quite right.

That, is really not a good thing. You shouldn't need to reinstalled twice a year, like Windows used to.

I like the idea of rolling. Rolling is the way of future.

[vrkalak]

Welcome to LinuxMint and the Mint Forums.

While Ubuntu is 'loosely' based on Debian-unstable -- the Ubuntu Devs have changed everything so much that Debian and Ubuntu are no longer compatible nor interchangeable.

Like, craigevil, I have as my main OS, a Debian install, that I have had there for over 2 1/2 years now.
Built from a net.install ... with Xfce and set to Debian's Testing branch.
No problems, what-so-ever ... have always updated/upgraded everything.

I enjoy using LMDE, but mostly the Xfce edition (as I am an Xfce fanatic).

I like the idea of rolling. Rolling is the way of future.

I attended a recent IRC-chat meeting with the DPL (Debian Project Leader)
He reverified that Debian is working on a new branch that will be a 'true rolling' release = Debian CUT (Continuously Usable Testing)

Others like, craigevil may know more about the development of Debian CUT than I, or you can read about it here:
Debian CUT site > http://cut.debian.net/
CUT Review > http://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2011/03/debi ... g-release/

It looks like 2011 started well for Debian. The project won awards in two out of seven categories at the Linux New Media Awards 2011 (Best Open Source Server Distribution and Outstanding Contribution to Open Source/Linux/Free Software).

Just recently Internet.com declared Debian the Most Influential Distribution Ever, stating that 63% of all Linux-distributions, now being developed -- come ultimately from Debian.

Seems like the Mint Devs made a wise choice in going with a Debian-base for their LMDE (rolling release) editions.

[Sonsum]

So is CUT going to be a step above stable (stable, CUT, testing, unstable), or replace it altogether?

[Dr.m0x]

So is CUT going to be a step above stable (stable, CUT, testing, unstable), or replace it altogether?

As you put it, a step above.

---
Sent by an Htc Desire HD with Leedroid love.

[vrkalak]

So is CUT going to be a step above stable (stable, CUT, testing, unstable), or replace it altogether?

As I understand it, CUT is not going to be falling into the Debian chain-of-releases, at all.

Currently, when a something new is released, it is placed in 'experimental' or 'unstable' - when it is ready, it moves to 'testing' for further de-bugging and well eventually make it into the next stable release.

A few months before a new 'stable' version is released, Debian-testing is placed in the 'freeze' stage of it's development, until the new stable version is released. When testing is in the freeze, it does not get updated nor does it receive upgrades.

The new Debian-CUT release will be a constantly upgrading release and not another step-to-stable.
CUT will not be falling into the current Debian pattern of steps to stable.
Debian CUT will never be frozen and will be available for download and installation from current monthly .iso-snapshots
Once you have Debian CUT installed (keep up with the updates) ... and, you should never have to re-install it again.

Debian CUT -- A true 'rolling release ... always current and more on the 'cutting-edge'

[Sonsum]

That sounds really nice! I know that the freeze period for testing would probably drive me crazy. I like my updates.

[rjs]

What is LMDE 11? Never heard of it...

Yes. I just correlated LMDE with the standard Linux Mint install I had tried previously. But as others mentioned, it's debian. So you don't need to re-install. I've had installs on machines for many years without the need to do a complete reinstall.
-----
Just built a new machine utilizing 16G of high perf gskill ram (very tight timing tolerance), Intel i72600K on a p8z68 asus deluxe board (z68 chipset) that just came out.
1 corsair M4 128G SSD for LMDE boot (all opsys except /home), and 2 - 2TB seagate baracuda 6.0 drives one mounted as /home. So what is happening is that you are booting
to LMDE on the SSD. Added a ram cache tempfs.

Did a fresh install of LMDE 64bit, added the liquroix 64bit smp kernel and tweaked a few things including the SSD (/etc/fstab and grub options to limit excessive writing and journal etc..),

I've never seen a Linux box run so fast. Unbelievable is the word to describe it.

[rhodry]

Eventually, I would think CUT would be the version of Debian that Mint would mirror in order to create "incoming"?! They would then apply their 'magic' and move updates to"latest".

My understanding of CUT is also that it will not be part of the 'distro chain' to stable, rather a stand-alone rolling release with its source being unstable. ie, a non-freezing 'testing'.

rhodry.