Linux Mint 12, and beyond?

[Jesse654]

I chose "Other" in the poll (looks like I'm the first one going that route), and rather than say what Mint *should* do, I'll expound on what I think Mint *will* do. Mint will do what it has done in the past:
1) Get the best of upstream tech;
2) Modify and add Mint's own apps and flavor;
3) Listen and respond to it's user base (very important!);
4) Not blindly follow one course or another based on the latest glitz (re all the talk with Ubuntu's Unity and Gnome 3);
5) Take the proper amount of time and decide on the best course of action and the best desktop around.

I'm guessing that Mint will stay with Gnome 2 in its next release (but who knows). I also think that over the next couple of years, it will migrate toward Debian only. This would surely take a lot of work to get right (see the recent blog posts from Clem), but will be worth it and will signal Linux Mint as the mature OS that it is.

Well, just my 2 cents...

(Sorry for being picky, but the first poll option should say, "their.")

[AlbertP]

In my opinion, Mint should keep having an edition compatible with Ubuntu repos and PPA's, but we don't need to follow Ubuntu in all its decisions. Mint 11 is a good example of this.

[nunol]

In my opinion, Mint should keep having an edition compatible with Ubuntu repos and PPA's, but we don't need to follow Ubuntu in all its decisions. Mint 11 is a good example of this.

I agree.

[btmybrother]

i love ubuntu server.... so simple... i hope mint stays compatible with ubuntu... and debian.. they way they are doing things is perfect.. it would have been nice to see ubuntu do the same... theres a KDE spin and a XFCE spin... why would they kill the GNOME spin? in the same way... why would mint choose one over the other? (debian or ubunut) do both!

[kernowmint]

I prefer a more traditional desktop, not just because I'm an old fuddy-duddy but also because I'm secretary of two charities and a Methodist preacher with sermons to write etc, so my PC is used for office-type productivity and not just fun things. I've tried Ubuntu Natty and Fedora 15 on my laptop but Unity and Gnome Shell just don't work so well for me with that sort of usage. Didn't realise you could have Gnome 3 without either of those two shells, it would be interesting to see what alternative Mint could come up with.

[mfreeman]

For now, things should stay the way they are. Ubuntu allows more software options than Debian or making their own distro. Now, should either Mint or Debian become so popular that more software releases are made specifically for it than Ubuntu, then the switch should definitely be made. But for now, Debian is too difficult and unfriendly for new users (who are the primary target audience for Linux Mint), and making Mint's own distro is too huge a job for the team, I'd imagine.

LM is doing a great job as it is. I don't like the way Ubuntu has done things recently, but Mint manages the minefields pretty well.

[AlbertP]

Debian with the update packs is going to be a great distro.

[djingo]

Well, they'll necessarily have to follow another distro, be it debian or ubuntu. I'd go for debian, were I to choose, as I've been disappointed with the way ubuntu has evolved through each release.

I don't know where this whole Gnome 3 debate is going to, but I'm still very much in favour of keeping a traditional Desktop environment. I left ubuntu precisely for this reason: the design decisions behind Unity seem to fall out the blue or from the stubborn desire to do things differently. I began feeling like I was using Windows all over, having to familiarize myself with this new logic more concerned with conditioning new reflexes in the user than solving his real-world problems with elegance and simplicity and - yes - in line with a certain tradition. How Microsoft could build such a unicorns command-line with Unix around is beyond me, in the same way I'm clueless at the obvious UI regressions Gnome 3 is introducing today.

[Jak696]

With other, I meant maintaining an Ubuntu-based Mint, that is excellent for software disponibility (especially in ppa that are really useful), it's simple and simply it works with lots of hardware. And, furthermore, Canonical's developers do the most dirty work for you

But, make a distro absolutely with neither Unity nor -especially- shell. Please maintain a class desktop, it's not everytime necessairly to evolve. Little improvements are necessary, of course they are. But not to evolve, if you don't have a very good idea (I'm refering to "forced" evolution of Shell and Unity).

[midas]

I have voted for Linux Mint as a Debian-release. But I hope that Linux Mint will keep following the Ubuntu-releases too. Why not all the main-releases based on pure Debian and a Gnome (main) version based solely on the Ubuntu-LTS releases. And every 6 month an updated ISO of these LTS-releases. Let's go for usebility and stability!

[quake]

They should still be based on ubuntu and debian. Let Mint work on the polish.

[drumBE]

maintain there own distro would be nice if possible, but i voted for debian because i like working with lmde

[HardyH]

Drop Gnome3/Unity as DE completely, make LXDE the default Desktop in 'Standard' Mint 12, so Lubuntu would be a good base for Mint 12. If people want Gnome 3 or Unity they can install it from the software packages. Not including Gnome 3 out of the box would be a hint towards the Gnome devs as well as to Ubuntu that their shiny unuseable toy DEs are not a good idea. Just look at Ubuntu Studio, they also have dropped Gnome as standard DE, cause Gnome 3 does not match their targetted users, so they switched from Gnome to XFCE. Maybe the Gnome/Canonical devs wake up when they see that one of the most popular linux distros does not include their new shiny tablet Shells out of the box.
H.

[burjans]

Linux Mint 12 based on Ubuntu with Unity 2D is a really good choise ... I am user of LMDE and I prefer all flavours based on Debian of course

[monkeyboy]

What do you mean by maintain their own distro? Do you mean from the kernel forward if so I don't think that there are nearly enough code elves available to do that job.

[zerozero]

After my experience with LMDE i determined that (for myself) i would prefer to stay with the ubuntu based Linux Mint Main Edition as it is very reliable and has much fewer updates with minimal chance of any breakages...

I'm not really crazy about either Unity or Gnome Shell...and based on what i have read, i think Clem wants to stay away from those also...
But of course, since gnome 2 will no longer be supported, he will have to move over to gnome 3 (probably for Mint 12 i would assume?)...

Anyway, those who have done a lot of research and reading about Gnome 3...do you think it will be possible for Clem to put in Gnome 3 and yet still configure it to the classic Mint? (panel on bottom, applets, mint menu, etc)...I sure hope so...but all input on the topic will be appreciated

[ThistleWeb]

Haven't we had this thread already several times now?

[xenopeek]

Haven't we had this thread already several times now?

Yeah, agreed. But it goes to show this concern of the Linux Mint community has not abated. Still a lot of GNOME users are in fear of losing control of their computing by the future of Unity or GNOME 3.

[craig10x]

I see my topic has been merged into this thread...which is fine...still..i would love some input on this...and yes, as a gnome user, i am concerned, as i am sure many others are, how unity and gnome shell will impact on my computing...like many, i do not care for it at all...and find it really gets in the way...I don't mind that distros have to switch to gnome 3 as gnome 2 will no longer be supported...but i am wondering if indeed, it is possible to have gnome 3 and that the distro (such as mint) can still maintain the desktop configured to the same way as it has been...

So, even within this thread...input will be appreciated

[zerozero]

Craig, i merged the topics because basically they address the same concerns;

And about those concerns, gnome3 doesn't mean gnome-shell: the shell is one of the user-interfaces, you still have an almost look-a-like gnome2 interface to chose to:
you can see here a recent article about the fallback-mode http://www.webupd8.org/2011/08/installi ... sktop.html
(maybe the gnome's devs bigger mistake was to default the new UI to the shell, having this as an option if they did it the other way around, probably half of the bad critic and concerns never would happen)

Mint? we have in this fallback-mode (or classic-gnome-desktop, whatever you want to call it - gtk3 without the shell is fine as well) a change to keep a continuum with Mint's traditional desktop (or very close)