Hello all!
I am confused between Mint and Debian.
Linux expertise: Intermediate
Purpose: I want to run Java, Python and Oracle11g. I want to know which distro will be more suited for my purpose of software development. I also need to play with Virtualization.
Past experience: I was an OpenSUSE user but virtualbox gave me lots of trouble so I had to switch to Windows.
Please help.
Mint v/s Debian
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Micheal Scofield
Mint v/s Debian
Last edited by LockBot on Wed Dec 28, 2022 7:16 am, edited 1 time in total.
Reason: Topic automatically closed 6 months after creation. New replies are no longer allowed.
Reason: Topic automatically closed 6 months after creation. New replies are no longer allowed.
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den68
Re: Mint v/s Debian
Both will do what you want, Mint relies on Ubuntu and demands a bit less expertise than Debian in order to achieve your goals
Re: Mint v/s Debian
Java, Python, Oracel11g, and VirtualBox can all be installed both on Linux Mint and on Debian.
Java is generally already installed, at least the OpenJDK 7 JRE and possibly also Iced Tea web plugin. OpenJDK 7 is the reference implementation for the Java 7 language. If you need to specifically target Oracle Java you can install that also. Various guides to be found for Linux Mint and Debian. Linux Mint being based on Ubuntu can use Ubuntu PPAs (personal package archives, the Ubuntu automatic build service for developers and maintainers). Makes it easy and trivial to do the otherwise complex installation of Oracle Java. Debian can't normally use PPAs, but the Oracle Java PPA from WebUpd8 team also works in Debian making it an easy installation there also.
Python is a core component and on most distros you'll find it already installed. Usually you get both Python 2.7 and Python 3.x, with 2.7 being set as the system default as many system software is written in Python 2.7.
Oracle11g needs some more work to install. On Linux Mint you can use guides for Ubuntu also. For Debian also guides can be found.
VirtualBox can be installed easily on both.
Linux Mint also has an edition that's based on Debian testing, Linux Mint Debian Edition (LMDE). That is the best of both worlds for some
As for which you should choose, that's a really a personal choice. Arguably, Linux Mint being fully compatible with Ubuntu makes it easier to install additional programs or newer versions of programs because it can use Ubuntu PPAs. If you need uncompromising rock-solid stability, Debian 7 might arguably be the better choice for you--though you will be running old versions of all software.
Java is generally already installed, at least the OpenJDK 7 JRE and possibly also Iced Tea web plugin. OpenJDK 7 is the reference implementation for the Java 7 language. If you need to specifically target Oracle Java you can install that also. Various guides to be found for Linux Mint and Debian. Linux Mint being based on Ubuntu can use Ubuntu PPAs (personal package archives, the Ubuntu automatic build service for developers and maintainers). Makes it easy and trivial to do the otherwise complex installation of Oracle Java. Debian can't normally use PPAs, but the Oracle Java PPA from WebUpd8 team also works in Debian making it an easy installation there also.
Python is a core component and on most distros you'll find it already installed. Usually you get both Python 2.7 and Python 3.x, with 2.7 being set as the system default as many system software is written in Python 2.7.
Oracle11g needs some more work to install. On Linux Mint you can use guides for Ubuntu also. For Debian also guides can be found.
VirtualBox can be installed easily on both.
Linux Mint also has an edition that's based on Debian testing, Linux Mint Debian Edition (LMDE). That is the best of both worlds for some
As for which you should choose, that's a really a personal choice. Arguably, Linux Mint being fully compatible with Ubuntu makes it easier to install additional programs or newer versions of programs because it can use Ubuntu PPAs. If you need uncompromising rock-solid stability, Debian 7 might arguably be the better choice for you--though you will be running old versions of all software.
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Micheal Scofield
Re: Mint v/s Debian
1]I've had problems installing Java in the past. I am preparing for ocjp 7. Hope that won't post any hindrances.
2] There are no so many editions of mint. Which one should I go for? I don't want to go for Ubuntu based mint cause they have frequent packages discrepancy
3]netbeans didn't work out well on suse. The graphics had so many problems.
4] gives me three good reasons why I should use mint over Debian
2] There are no so many editions of mint. Which one should I go for? I don't want to go for Ubuntu based mint cause they have frequent packages discrepancy
3]netbeans didn't work out well on suse. The graphics had so many problems.
4] gives me three good reasons why I should use mint over Debian
Re: Mint v/s Debian
1] Aside from Minecraft, I don't have any use for Java. I'm not the best one to answer this 
The WebUpd8 team maintains the PPA with the Oracle Java 6/7/8 installers: http://www.webupd8.org/2012/01/install-oracle-java-jdk-7-in-ubuntu-via.html. Possibly the comment thread there may be relevant for you. They also have the steps to use this PPA on Debian: http://www.webupd8.org/2012/06/how-to-install-oracle-java-7-in-debian.html.
2] That depends on your personal preference. If you want to go for LMDE, you can either choose Cinnamon or MATE (each in 32-bit or 64-bit): http://www.linuxmint.com/download_lmde.php. You can of course install any other desktop environment if you want to. You can try them out from the live session that you boot to from the installation DVD. MATE will more easily work with older hardware or with graphics cards with crappy drivers, as it is graphically less demanding. Otherwise perhaps look at some (video) reviews to see which would suit you best? As for 32-bit vs. 64-bit, generally if you have a 32-bit processor and/or you have less than 4 GB RAM and/or you intend to also run Windows software through Wine, then go for 32-bit. Go for 64-bit otherwise.
As for "I don't want to go for Ubuntu based mint cause they have frequent packages discrepancy" I'm not sure exactly what you mean here, but also Debian maintainers do modifications on upstream sources for packaging (in fact, most packages in Ubuntu repositories come from Debian). If you need packages to be as pure to upstream as possible, Arch Linux or similar will be a better choice.
3] No experience with it.
4] I use neither LMDE nor Debian, so I'll keep it general. LMDE is based on Debian testing, but bundles upgrades available from Debian's testing repository in update packages for which the LMDE developers and users community does integration testing before the update pack is pushed to all LMDE users. The intent of this is to make Debian testing more stable. It won't be as stable as running Debian 7 (stable release) of course, but it will have newer packages.
The WebUpd8 team maintains the PPA with the Oracle Java 6/7/8 installers: http://www.webupd8.org/2012/01/install-oracle-java-jdk-7-in-ubuntu-via.html. Possibly the comment thread there may be relevant for you. They also have the steps to use this PPA on Debian: http://www.webupd8.org/2012/06/how-to-install-oracle-java-7-in-debian.html.2] That depends on your personal preference. If you want to go for LMDE, you can either choose Cinnamon or MATE (each in 32-bit or 64-bit): http://www.linuxmint.com/download_lmde.php. You can of course install any other desktop environment if you want to. You can try them out from the live session that you boot to from the installation DVD. MATE will more easily work with older hardware or with graphics cards with crappy drivers, as it is graphically less demanding. Otherwise perhaps look at some (video) reviews to see which would suit you best? As for 32-bit vs. 64-bit, generally if you have a 32-bit processor and/or you have less than 4 GB RAM and/or you intend to also run Windows software through Wine, then go for 32-bit. Go for 64-bit otherwise.
As for "I don't want to go for Ubuntu based mint cause they have frequent packages discrepancy" I'm not sure exactly what you mean here, but also Debian maintainers do modifications on upstream sources for packaging (in fact, most packages in Ubuntu repositories come from Debian). If you need packages to be as pure to upstream as possible, Arch Linux or similar will be a better choice.
3] No experience with it.
4] I use neither LMDE nor Debian, so I'll keep it general. LMDE is based on Debian testing, but bundles upgrades available from Debian's testing repository in update packages for which the LMDE developers and users community does integration testing before the update pack is pushed to all LMDE users. The intent of this is to make Debian testing more stable. It won't be as stable as running Debian 7 (stable release) of course, but it will have newer packages.