The future of Mint

[middling]

Like many others i want to see a Mint version based on Debian Stable.

Since the LMDE iso is already bigger than a CD i'd like to see it expanded a bit. Get rid of the individual variants and have a single iso containing all the desktops with an additional step during installation allowing selection of the desktops you want to install. Based entirely on Debian Stable, with a few Mint-maintained backported packages.

For those that want more bleeding edge software create a parallel variant based on Debian Testing (called Fresh Mint?), or CUT if it takes off, perhaps with the interesting Ubuntu changes ported in.

The Ubuntu-based releases can then be ceased, allowing more developer time dedicated to the Minty improvements.

[jeffreyC]

The new update packs seem to be about the same as the most recent plan for Debian CUT, just done not merely talked about.

[cpatrick08]

The new update packs seem to be about the same as the most recent plan for Debian CUT, just done not merely talked about.

yes but you don't have to change your sources list to get new version of update packs like you do for Debian CUT

[AlbertP]

You have to change the sources.list once to use the new system, then the new Debian version of mintupdate (mintupdate-debian in the repository) will handle everything fine.

[linuxviolin]

I had looked at several other OSes including Ubuntu, Fedora, Mandriva, PC Linux even SuSE.. In the end, I just loved Mint.. It's simplicity and comfortability won me over. I certainly do NOT like those new desktops that Fedora and Ubuntu are using now. It looks like an interface I'd use on my phone. Frankly, it works great on a phone but I expect more from my computer. Sure I could always install some other window manager

I understand you about GNOME 3 and Unity but I have already talked in many places about them and it's not the good place here. About Fedora, you don't need "install some other window manager" but just download and install a Fedora Spin. You have one with KDE, another with XFCE, another with LXDE... You can also see Fedora Desktops. Simple and practical.

[tdockery97]

I've tried Fedora back at Fedora 14 KDE. I would really enjoy using it if they would improve the package management. Fedora has the slowest package manager I've ever used.

[linuxviolin]

I've tried Fedora back at Fedora 14 KDE. I would really enjoy using it if they would improve the package management. Fedora has the slowest package manager I've ever used.

Well, Yum is not extremely fast, yes, that's true. But it works perfectly well and is quite simple to use. I guess the GNOME version, so the Main version, of Fedora has a GUI a little faster than the KDE version. But you should/could try Mageia, if not already done. As I have already said, yum is still a gazillion times slower than urpmi (also valid for the GUI tools), despite the fact that they’re both managing RPMs.

[t3g]

Like many others i want to see a Mint version based on Debian Stable.

Since the LMDE iso is already bigger than a CD i'd like to see it expanded a bit. Get rid of the individual variants and have a single iso containing all the desktops with an additional step during installation allowing selection of the desktops you want to install. Based entirely on Debian Stable, with a few Mint-maintained backported packages.

For those that want more bleeding edge software create a parallel variant based on Debian Testing (called Fresh Mint?), or CUT if it takes off, perhaps with the interesting Ubuntu changes ported in.

The Ubuntu-based releases can then be ceased, allowing more developer time dedicated to the Minty improvements.

I'm in the same camp with Gnome, KDE, LXDE, and XFCE on one DVD ISO for Linux Mint Debian. We are already wasting enough room by burning only 800 MB onto a single layer DVD which supports around 4 GB. Plus the team will only have to upload ISOs for 32 and 64 bit onto their mirrors instead of individually per desktop environment. There are some standard Debian ISOs like LXDE+XFCE that include an option to boot/install into either LXDE or XFCE from the main boot screen. Surely the Mint team can adapt one of those or create one to switch from the outset. It just seems like a more efficient way to do it and less files to serve.

The Mint team will probably not offer a stable ISO, but I'm guessing these update packs are the closest thing for them to monitor, tweak, and lock down a near stable configuration. It could actually be more work with them creating for testing and then backporting back into stable.

As for desktop environments, I'm curious to see how the Debian edition will keep up with Gnome 3 and GTK3 with Ubuntu getting a stable version of them out with 11.10. Are there even any stable or near versions of Gnome 3 available outside the experimental repository? I just don't want Debian to be behind Ubuntu and Fedora in implementing it.

[rijnsma]

I changed LMDE from testing to 'squeeze'.
And I hope I can continue switching for a long time.
For me LMDE is sort of 'the best of all worlds'.
It is a elegant, fantastic and stable workplace.

And for now I hate Gnome3 and Unity. I hope that it will be nice in future and
give users a lot of creativity in making desktops the way they like.

[Elmacus]

I hate that DE or this GUI.

Fun article for the whiners:
http://www.linuxjournal.com/content/linux-desktop-weve-arrived

[linuxmintt]

I changed LMDE from testing to 'squeeze'.
And I hope I can continue switching for a long time.
For me LMDE is sort of 'the best of all worlds'.
It is a elegant, fantastic and stable workplace.

And for now I hate Gnome3 and Unity. I hope that it will be nice in future and
give users a lot of creativity in making desktops the way they like.

Food for thought friend: Maybe you should start to warm up to the XFCE desktop to play it safe.

[rijnsma]

linuxmintt wrote:

Food for thought friend: Maybe you should start to warm up to the XFCE desktop to play it safe.

I don't think so. Xfce is using quite some Gnome dependency-software.
I have Mint Xcfe here on a partition. It works right. With some KDE like Akregator, Kalarm etc.

I'm trying wattOSR3 at the moment (Lxde, Openbox, Ubuntu-Debian). Great little distro. I like it and
it is 'safer' if you like. They are working on their R4 release in a short time.
But for the time being LMDE is my day to day distro. It is great. It will ship Gnome-old for some time I think.

[linuxmintt]

linuxmintt wrote:

Food for thought friend: Maybe you should start to warm up to the XFCE desktop to play it safe.

I don't think so. Xfce is using quite some Gnome dependency-software.
I have Mint Xcfe here on a partition. It works right. With some KDE like Akregator, Kalarm etc.

I'm trying wattOSR3 at the moment (Lxde, Openbox, Ubuntu-Debian). Great little distro. I like it and
it is 'safer' if you like. They are working on their R4 release in a short time.
But for the time being LMDE is my day to day distro. It is great. It will ship Gnome-old for some time I think.

If you don't like XFCE that's one thing, but just because it uses some Gnome software will never make XFCE a Gnome 3 / Shell.

What's great about Linux is that there's so much choice.

You mention about "Gnome-old for some time" I think (could be mistaken) Clem mentioned about Gnome 3 coming in Debian so it remains to be seen if he keeps Gnome 2 as an option still. LMDE will eventually be a GRAND success story that'll REALLY be news over the Linux "media".

[rijnsma]

linuxmintt wrote:

If you don't like XFCE that's one thing, but just because it uses some Gnome software will never make XFCE a Gnome 3 / Shell.

That is not the point. Xfce does not become a Gnome-shell.
Xfce too has a lot of software that runs on Gnome dependencies. And I hope Gnome keeps supporting that... I have read they don't.

What's great about Linux is that there's so much choice.

Yes, that the case!

LMDE will eventually be a GRAND success story that'll REALLY be news over the Linux "media".

It is doing great here. And so stable!
And it looks great, because I can do with my desktop what I like. That is still the case, I mean.

[AlbertP]

At least LXDE will most likely be converting their things to GTK3, and Xfce also can't keep GTK2 forever when everyone has ported the software to GTK3.

[Matti L]

I'd like to try out Linux Mint Debian Stable if Firefox and Chromium were the latest versions. I don't mind using older versions of other programs.

[rijnsma]

I'd like to try out Linux Mint Debian Stable if Firefox and Chromium were the latest versions. I don't mind using older versions of other programs.

FF is 4 at least, Chrome (.deb) is downloadable outside the repo. xxdebi-xxx does install.

[rijnsma]

At least LXDE will most likely be converting their things to GTK3, and Xfce also can't keep GTK2 forever when everyone has ported the software to GTK3.

No, but let us hope that Linux adapts to the new challenges and that it can cope.
Not with something like Unity of Gnome3, when it is not ready and many users (and maybe packers
and developers don't like it yet, please..
In the meantime I keep and eye on lxde/openbox WattOS. After one week and a half I like it and there is
a new version 4 in one week.

[thatsallurspaceships]

At least LXDE will most likely be converting their things to GTK3, and Xfce also can't keep GTK2 forever when everyone has ported the software to GTK3.

No, but let us hope that Linux adapts to the new challenges and that it can cope.
Not with something like Unity of Gnome3, when it is not ready and many users (and maybe packers
and developers don't like it yet, please..
In the meantime I keep and eye on lxde/openbox WattOS. After one week and a half I like it and there is
a new version 4 in one week.

It is neve wrong to keep changing distro untill you come back to mInt.

[AlbertP]

Gnome3 is not ready but there's nothing wrong with GTK3, except the backwards compatibility with GTK2.