Page 4 of 4

Re: MINT SUCCESS AND THE SPIRIT OF GNU

Posted: Thu Feb 16, 2012 5:17 pm
by 3fRI
I've been a Linux convert for close to two years and have tried several other Linux distros, but keep coming back to Mint. Why? I'm not a gamer or a power user. In fact, there are very few apps that I actually need and use. Mint works better--much better--than the other distros I've tried. It's more stable and reliable, and you still have the freedom to tweak it to your individual taste and needs.

Most important, the distro reflects the dedication of Clem and the other members of the Mint team. Like other folks here, I love the sense community and appreciate the tips I've received from various people to help troubleshoot some problems I've experienced--mostly getting software to play nice with hardware. Consequently, I am hopeful that Mint will be around long time! :D

Re: MINT SUCCESS

Posted: Fri Mar 02, 2012 3:01 pm
by westcoastsunset
GoustiFruit wrote:The real nightmare was that there was no network by the time, how could we use computers without Internet ? I can't remember !
that was when most people actually used their computers as tools instead of tweeted what a slut Lindsay Lohan must be or how cool the new Microsoft and/or Apple OS was.

You know, it's strange. We (for the most part) demand better gas mileage from our cars, but when it comes to Iphones or Microsoft, we allow them to get bigger, heavier and slower and not say a word. I'm amazed that people are not demanding better mileage from their OS's. case in point:

I just found out windows 8 will require: 1GHz (or faster) processor, 1 GB of RAM, 16 GB or hard drive space, and a Microsoft DirectX 9 graphics device.

I think(?!) this laptop I am on would possibly run it, but I get tired of hearing the fan run all the time, not to mention the heat it would pump out (above the keyboard in the upper right corner is where the hot spot is located).

In this bad economy I am surprised that companies are not switching to free OS's in droves. How addicted microsoft users are to their pusher.

Re: MINT SUCCESS AND THE SPIRIT OF GNU

Posted: Sun Jun 10, 2012 9:56 am
by abnvolk
Just wait for it :D
Windows 8's new Metro interface will alienate a lot of users.
They would probably dislike Unity and Gnome Shell, too!
Time for Cinnamon! :mrgreen:

Re: MINT SUCCESS AND THE SPIRIT OF GNU

Posted: Sun Jun 10, 2012 1:44 pm
by npap
Good to see more satisfied Mint users here. :)

Welcome to all! :)

cheers,
npap

Re: MINT SUCCESS AND THE SPIRIT OF GNU

Posted: Tue Jul 10, 2012 11:33 pm
by animaguy
Personally, I came to Linux Mint because it was listed at the SEO top.

It had great reviews and when I decided to take Linux seriously Linux Mint was going strong.

After several months however I started experimenting with other distros to see if I was missing anything.

I settled with CentOS as my rpm choice.

But I feel I needed to stay fresh with Debian.

I tried Ubuntu on my laptops and PCLinux.

Linux Mint is fast. Xfce is great. Tried Cinnamon but I am fine with Xfce.

But that is not the only reason why I am now back to Linux Mint.

I admit that I have no loyalty to any distro. I just want something fast and easy to customize.

BUT THE THING THAT REALLY KEEPS ME WITH LINUX MINT?

This forum!

Yes, this community is by far the most welcoming community for among all the forums that I have seen and registered with.

The members of Linux Mint Forums either answer me immediately when I post a question or there is someone who already posted the question and it is worth the time investment for me to lurk this site for different posts about different issues.

Re: MINT SUCCESS AND THE SPIRIT OF GNU

Posted: Wed Jul 11, 2012 5:41 am
by npap
Hello Animaguy,
This is very informative for those who can't make up their mind. I have been doing some research of this kind myself, but my main OS has always been Linux Mint.
I am now testing Mint 13 XFCE and I should say that it is the answer to Gnome 3. It may finally be my prime OS, since
my PC can't handle Gnome 3, and even Cinnamon. Mate is a good alternative also IMHO.

Cheers,
npap

Re: MINT SUCCESS AND THE SPIRIT OF GNU

Posted: Sat Jul 14, 2012 11:54 pm
by animaguy
npap

Thank you for the response.

If you will allow me to tell you a few things about myself:

I don't consider myself a "guru" (yet). But I am certainly no "newbie".

By nature I am a purpose driven computer user and Linux Mint is installed in both of my laptops, my 32-bit and my 64-bit. In otherwords, I am now completely sold on Linux Mint.

It takes aproximately 120 seconds for my laptops to boot up and that is the standard, at least for me.

I like to stay as close to the out of the box default settings as possible.

If I start the personal customization process I keep a gedit journal of all I do from beginning of the install process. And I back it up via Remastersys.

I usually use the computer to view tutorial videos, listen to podcasts and music and surf the internet.

I like to install, test and remove packages all the time.

I have CentOS 6 on my 8gb desktop only because I use it as a personal web server.

````````````````````````
So as far as the spirit of GNU?

I love it. All the money I spent on proprietary software and the time I wasted with it's proprietary design, was nothing but a waste of progress. I believe that proprietary designers design programs so that they can consistently charge for future updates and to me that is not only a waste of a loyal user's time, money and resources but it is an insult as well.

If there was one thing that drove me nutz about Windows 7 was it took 10 minutes just to boot up and then if there were updates that would take another half an hour. I could never just work on what I wanted to work on.

I am loyal to Linux Mint not just because it is free via the GNU license but it has been designed correctly from top to bottom. I respect the methodical process of updating that the LM designers show with their update process. I tried Ubuntu and my reasoning was that Ubuntu has a long history. But what I have found is the history of Ubuntu is rife with complexity that the politics behind it's current design process is inefficient, at least that is my opinion. I liked Xubuntu 12.04 but it doesn't really compete right now with Linux Mint for me.

Xfce is light and straight to the point. I once thought that fancy user interface aesthetics were great but now I am all about speed and efficiency. I always have to shutdown my laptops especially when I travel so the boot up is important.

This forum is awesome. I can't say it enough. This was the first linux forum I registered with. And it was great. But I first assumed that all forums were this awesome so I registered on many other forums and very few of them are on the same level as this one when it comes to information.

I have gotten to the point that if I have a question regarding linux, It is easier and faster for me to google the answer than to post it on a forum and wait for someone to respond. I spend more time reading posts on Open Chats then I do reading posts on technical specifics.

I can see myself becoming an integral part of the Linux Mint community and even more so now that I have had a chance to test the other distros.

It is my understanding that it has only been recent that Linux Mint reached to top of downloads and reviews as the best distro above Ubuntu.

MY PREDICTION:
Is that Linux Mint is on the verge of an explosion of new users?

So I believe that the old guard will be given that sense of accomplishment with buidling a winner.
And bandwagon jumpers like me are going to have a lot of fun plotting and scheming to add contributions to this open source project.
And there is a future of new users that are going to find the mysterious spirit of Gnu intoxicating and fascinating.

Re: MINT SUCCESS AND THE SPIRIT OF GNU

Posted: Sun Jul 15, 2012 12:16 am
by animaguy
And another thing I want to state for the archives.

I have a theory that software programs have a finite ceiling regarding effecient userability.

For instance:
In film, the standard is 24 frames per second, In games high speed video 60 frames per second and still growing only because of user interactivity.
The human eye can only process so much information in a second that any faster technology eventually becomes redundant.

i believe the same thing is true regarding Operating Systems and computer software.

If there ever comes a time when I am able to boot up my computer as fast as I can turn on a light switch, than any further development regarding that issue would be a waste of time.

Linux Mint has a strong start in that regard. I believe that holds true for Java as a strict programming language. Less strict programming languages like python are now more useful because even though they are not absolute in it's construction, the time saved by loosing up the language rules is now more valuable than the absolute perfection that a complete language can demonstrate.

The Linux Mint community to me seems to have a solid foundation regarding this theory of mine.

Re: MINT SUCCESS AND THE SPIRIT OF GNU

Posted: Sun Jul 15, 2012 6:25 am
by npap
What can I say Animaguy?
You should be appointed the good-will ambassador for Mint :) :)
I hope our friend Clem has read your posts here. :)

Greetings and best wishes,
npap

Re: MINT SUCCESS AND THE SPIRIT OF GNU

Posted: Thu Apr 04, 2013 5:06 am
by Wouter_db
Why?

(Copied from my post in the Tips for Newbs topic)

There is a shift going on. You may have noticed, especially if you're into computing for some years, that with every new version of an commercial OS (Also OS's of smartphones, tablets etc) that you'll get less and less options to change stuff, and that the core of the system is being shielded from you. You are presented with in effect an 'GUI-over-an-GUI', where you are only allowed to change stuff like wallpapers, install some 'safe' apps and such and alter minor stuff. Windows XP for example is the last MS OS ever to run in that way, with most options readily available.

MS, and pretty much every commercial developer are trying really really hard to eliminate free choice, because having us 'fool around' is bad for predictability, and that is the holy grail. Users neatly guided on well trodden paths like cattle makes for excellent predictability in terms selling more stuff to us to feed our short term gratification.
Don't be fooled, look closer to most new developments (like the 'secure UEFI', Windows 8 touchfocus and Metro and so many other 'handy features for our benefit'), and you will see the drive for CONTROL. And the future of commercial OS's are only going further in streamlining the 'user experience' until no on knows anymore how computers really work (today's whatsappping smartphone kiddies anyone?).


In short, Linux is WORTH every single bit (lame pun) of your time, and that includes cursing and swearing trying to fix stuff. Because Linux has a FREE future where you still learn-by-doing how you want stuff to work for YOU, not some corporations sales.

Re: MINT SUCCESS AND THE SPIRIT OF GNU

Posted: Mon Apr 08, 2013 3:14 pm
by npap
How true!
One good reason that I like Linux is the fact that I can experiment with it. It makes me feel that I am participating.
That's what I would call Linux democracy.

Cheers, Wouter_db :)

Re: MINT SUCCESS AND THE SPIRIT OF GNU

Posted: Wed Jun 05, 2013 5:04 pm
by TheOne
Linux is super fan for someone who is an computer geek.
What more do we need than a terminal and touchpads that works out of the box? :D

Re: MINT SUCCESS AND THE SPIRIT OF GNU

Posted: Sat Jul 13, 2013 1:01 pm
by npap
Hello my Mint friends everywhere.
Did I ever mention how I discovered Mint, long ago?
In the beginning there was Ubutu. As a newbie, I kept struggling with it and liked it a lot. But I aways went crazy when the resolution kept jumping to the lowest possible one when restarting my PC. (Even if at times I could reajust it). It was almost impossible to find things on my desktop and make any adjustments in the out-of-range screen.
This seemed to be my main problem. It was so frustrating to try to get a stable resolution for my computer.

Anyway, accidentally, I saw LinuxMint Bea in Distrowatch and I thought I should give it a try. It looked good and stable. Besides, It was attractive.
That was it! And ever since, I am "stuck" with Mint. :D

Once, I predicted that Mint would go up to at least the fifth place in the Distrowach list. I was wrong, as you can see. It's number one!
I have experimented with many other Linux distributions, but Mint is my main operating system.
Thanks to a very competent developer and his insistence on listning to the end user, he developed an operating system that everybody can use.

That is Mr. Clement Lefebvre. A great guy, I should say.
Cheers, Clem.
Best wishes! :)
npap

Re: MINT SUCCESS AND THE SPIRIT OF GNU

Posted: Tue Jul 16, 2013 9:27 am
by kenetics
Hi npap and all.

I started with Mint just about the same way. I tried to get an Ubuntu cd to run on a newly built computer, but the disk just kept spinning at a high rate of speed until I shut it down. I had seen Mint on Distrowatch and decided to give it a try. Bea worked perfectly on my computer. I then joined the Mint forum and saw that npap was here, posting away! That was back in '06. Still a few of us '06'rs around. It sure wasn't as crowded back then.

Re: MINT SUCCESS AND THE SPIRIT OF GNU

Posted: Tue Jul 16, 2013 1:44 pm
by npap
Hi Ken,
Not at all crowded in 2006 indeed. Even Clem was part of the gang then.
What fun!
Anyway, he predicted himself that he would lose touch as the crowd was getting larger. Can't blame him. That's to be expected.

Have a good summer.
I'll be leaving the city soon, to enjoy the peace and quiet of the mountains.

Cheers,
Your Mint friend for always,
npap

Re: MINT SUCCESS AND THE SPIRIT OF GNU

Posted: Tue Jul 16, 2013 2:18 pm
by kenetics
npap wrote:
I'll be leaving the city soon, to enjoy the peace and quiet of the mountains.
The Himalayas, I presume? Give my regards to the Dalai Lama, If you happen to see him. :)

Have a great summer,
Ken

Re: MINT SUCCESS AND THE SPIRIT OF GNU

Posted: Fri Aug 09, 2013 7:33 am
by npap
Returning greetings from the Wise One the Lama and his chorus :)
The Holy One accepts your greetings and wishes you Peace and Prosperity. :)

http://owen.bc.ca/Buddhism/audio_files/MANI8_~1.mp3

http://www.kunpen.it/Download/Audio/om%20mani%20upv.mp3
The Spirit of the Gnu is now in Potala. :lol:
images.jpg

Npap, the pilgrim.

Re: MINT SUCCESS AND THE SPIRIT OF GNU

Posted: Sun Sep 15, 2013 4:49 pm
by Crewp
npap your avatar looks like someone I work with, and I think they are from your location as well :lol:

Re: MINT SUCCESS AND THE SPIRIT OF GNU

Posted: Mon Sep 16, 2013 5:38 am
by npap
Crewp, he's probably my twin whom I haven't seen for years. :)
Give him my best wishes and ask him to join the Mint Café gang :)
npap

Re: MINT SUCCESS AND THE SPIRIT OF GNU

Posted: Mon Sep 16, 2013 6:16 pm
by Crewp
npap wrote:Crewp, he's probably my twin whom I haven't seen for years. :)
Give him my best wishes and ask him to join the Mint Café gang :)
npap
I'll tell him, :lol: :lol: