Why Mint 12 Will Rock The Linux World

[linuxviolin]

MALsPa, I just wanted to precise when I wrote these words it was just because I found Unity a bit more usable than GNOME 3, not because I like it. I hate both. But now I don't care about them, I don't use them. On my desktop(s) I am with KDE for now, the last modern desktop still usable currently in the Linux/BSD world, although buggy as always.

[craig10x]

exploder, like malspa, my experience with unity has also been good (very smooth actually)...an i am currently running it with ubuntu 11.10....
i will be checking out the final of Mint 12 and then decide whether i'd prefer to just continue with ubuntu 11.10 (which has been working very well for me) or go
Mint 12 with MGSE for more of the "familar old experience"

[Joe_Linux]

I generally like MSGE in Mint 12rc. It's far more user friendly than Unity. The question I have: Can Application Launcher Icons be placed on the Desktop as with Gnome 2? is there an MSGE How To? Can a "Favorites" be created in the Menu or is that just automatic based on most recently used?

[MALsPa]

The whole thing brings back such fond memories of the old "KDE vs. GNOME" days.

"[The desktop I'm using] is far superior; the other one's just crap!"

The more things change, the more things stay the same, it seems.

[Joe_Linux]

The whole thing brings back such fond memories of the old "KDE vs. GNOME" days.

"[The desktop I'm using] is far superior; the other one's just crap!"

The more things change, the more things stay the same, it seems.

Yes, Crap is still Crap, and that would be Unity.

[MALsPa]

Yes, Crap is still Crap, and that would be Unity.

I remember folks saying that GNOME 2 was crap...

[craig10x]

yep...and they said kde is beautiful and highly configurable and gnome is ugly and "dumbed down" (not as configurable)

oh, and unity is not crap it is just different...i had a negative attitude toward it myself because of reading comments like that but once i got used to it, i said..what the heck are they talking about...it is not bad at all...though i would agree it could use more customization options, but that will likely come in time...

[MALsPa]

yep...and they said kde is beautiful and highly configurable and gnome is ugly and "dumbed down" (not as configurable)

Exactly.

[linuxviolin]

oh, and unity is not crap it is just different...i had a negative attitude toward it myself because of reading comments like that but once i got used to it, i said..what the heck are they talking about...it is not bad at all...though i would agree it could use more customization options, but that will likely come in time...

Well, not for everybody. Some time ago when I have tried GNOME 3 and Unity I found them crap. From the first hour to the last, even several days later... And now too. But it's me.

[Joe_Linux]

Yes, Crap is still Crap, and that would be Unity.

I remember folks saying that GNOME 2 was crap...

That's when there was a KDE3. It was KDE4 that forced me to switch to Gnome2. That said, I think there is a lot of hope for the Mint Gnome 3 extensions. I feel the Mint team has turned Gnome 3 into something potentially useful. I think the Ubuntu team turned Gnome 3 into something totally unusable. My sense is that the Mint Gnome 3 extensions will be user customizable. It's just a matter of learning how to do it. I'm sure in time there will be a lot of neat add-ons and improvements whereas Unity seems to be a one size fits all desktop that actually only a very few like. To me the best things about the Mint Gnome extensions are the fact that it has an actual menu, an open activities taskbar, and doesn't have the wretched Unity "wiper" that keeps popping in and out. If Unity had user customizable settings such as being able to turn off the wiper, add a true menu, or add a bottom panel, it may have been a success, but as it stands now, it is a huge flop. I don't have the same feeling about the Mint extensions at all. I feel it needs improvement, but it's far from the total mess misnamed "Unity."

[KBD47]

This is interesting:
Mint's Rise
http://www.zdnet.com/blog/hardware/ubun ... -why/16550

[KBD47]

Another interesting article:
Mint the peacemaker
http://www.zdnet.co.uk/blogs/jamies-mos ... -10024867/

[MALsPa]

This is interesting:
Mint's Rise
http://www.zdnet.com/blog/hardware/ubun ... -why/16550

More data based solely on DistroWatch's page hit rankings (which, as many have pointed out, doesn't really reflect a distro's popularity, or how many people actually use any particular distro). At that page, there's also a link to the following page:

http://royal.pingdom.com/2011/11/23/ubu ... -to-blame/

That one includes a chart for Google Trends, which is based on search statistics, and shows searches for Ubuntu declining long before Unity came on the scene; yet, the Google Trends stats for Ubuntu still appear to be about double those of Linux Mint.

You can call this "the rise to power of Mint," as Kingsley-Hughes describes it, if you want to, but I haven't seen anything yet to convince me that Mint is the most-used Linux distribution. Or that Ubuntu is not.

[KBD47]

I doubt there are more Mint than Ubuntu users, especially if you add in the other buntus. But I don't think it is hard to see Main ubuntu is in trouble, and it probably isn't all just Unity, though I think that is the main culprit. I think people want an easy to use desktop interface. Ubuntu with its overlay scrollbars, close/minimize buttons on the left side, hidden menus, and that locked down dock stuck on the left side of the computer--none of these has helped ubuntu. Mint has stayed popular because it generally doesn't need a lot of tweaks or fixes to be user friendly.
The thing that really gets me is even if I wanted a tablet interface, I don't think I would use Unity. It will be sad if in the end Ubuntu takes this hit to get into the phone/tablet market and is no better liked there than on the desktop. And the fact is that many people like to use docks, but they also like to move and configure them, those latter things could have made even Unity usable, but Shuttleworth wants everything fixed and tied down. Mint is gaining ground because of these things and because Mint devs listen to their users. That attitude thing matters to users as well IMO.
KBD47

[bimsebasse]

Ubuntu is definitely more used and more popular and more widely known than Linux Mint, there can be no question about that. And it's good for Mint it stays that way as Ubuntu is a fine locomotive - they have a brand, a unique design scheme, a push for interface innovations and are quick to adapt to new technologies. LM don't have the manpower or $ or always the inclination to do this as well as Canonical does currently. I'm personally fine with my preferred OS thriving in the shadow of Ubuntu, and while the distrowatch #1 cannot under any circumstances be interpreted as LM being "the most popular Linux distribution", it certainly is an achievement - distro geeks know where the quality is

[craig10x]

Some interesting comments from the end of an article about ubuntu 11.10 and unity...
I tried Linux Mint 12, and while i really appreciate Clem's hard work, i think i will be staying with my ubuntu 11.10 as i find it much more enjoyable to use...
Unfortunately Mint 12 didn't rock my linux world...I did love the older versions of mint though...

For the customizer, i could see where one would prefer mint 12, but i find ubuntu 11.10 a great "out of the box" experience that i can just install and use and not feel any need to tinker with, and that is perfectly fine for me...here are the comments from the article:

The next Ubuntu release is an LTS (Long-Term Support) release and if it's anywhere near as good as 10.10, most Ubuntu users should wait for the release. However, I actually like this 11.10 release and I'm stoked about installing it on my netbook. Some have remarked boot up times are slower, but as a regular user of openSUSE 11.4 and Mandriva 2011, Ubuntu 11.10 still rules when it comes to startup times on a variety of machines (which makes it appropriate for my low-powered Asus EEEPC 1000H).

When it comes to hardware and performance, Ubuntu deserves its reputation as one of the most popular Linux distributions. With the switch to Unity, there is a certain loss of cutomization for the casual user - but isn't a big deal for the average Linux user. Whereas KDE is a functional and logical desktop and Gnome 3 provides a frugal and practical experience, Unity is fun and welcoming.

Users can easily get lost in the hype and criticisms of the Unity desktop because it's the first thing Ubuntu users see. But it's important to remember that Ubuntu is more than just the desktop interface that is Unity - and taking that into consideration users would realize Ubuntu 11.10 is a keeper.

[MALsPa]

Very positive words about Ubuntu, craig10x.

I'm staying with 10.04 on my main pc until 12.04 comes out. I have 11.04 on my laptop, and it's been great, so I haven't even looked at 11.10.

I like Unity, but I've become quite comfortable using GNOME Shell in Fedora 16. Ubuntu 12.04 will have both, so I'm looking forward to that.

The "dynamic workspaces" thing kinda sets GNOME Shell apart from "traditional" interfaces, and even from Unity. GNOME Shell isn't perfect, but now whenever I switch to KDE or Xfce or Unity or whatever, I actually miss those dynamic workspaces. I think it was a great idea. When I first played around with them in a few live sessions, I wasn't so sure that I'd be able to get used to them, and I was concerned about how it would affect my workflow. But after installing F16 and getting busy with it, my feeling is that dynamic workspaces work out better for me than having a set number of traditional virtual desktops/workspaces. So I'm wondering if I won't end up using GNOME Shell more than Unity in 12.04.

As for Mint 12 (and the next version), I'm not so sure. I'm thinking that the combination of Unity and GNOME Shell in Ubuntu is probably a better fit for me than the GNOME 3 (with MGSE)/MATE combo in Mint. But I'll at least take a look at the next LTS version.

[bimsebasse]

Users can easily get lost in the hype and criticisms of the Unity desktop because it's the first thing Ubuntu users see. But it's important to remember that Ubuntu is more than just the desktop interface that is Unity - and taking that into consideration users would realize Ubuntu 11.10 is a keeper.

I had 11.10 with Gnome shell before the move to LM12RC, and even though just a release candidate, Mint 12 is more stable and better at detecting hardware - and that experience has been shared by the few people I recommended LM12 to. 11.04 in classic mode, on the other hand, solid.

[linuxviolin]

Waoo guys... MALsPA, craig10x, I guess you just lost your mind...

[craig10x]

So, what do you think of linux mint 12 mgse, linuxviolin? was curious about your impressions, now that it is officially out...
By the way, i don't think either i or malspa have lost our minds...our "perspective" is a bit different then yours
I guess we are just more open to change