Questions from a potential Ubuntu emigree

[Nutria]

Hi,

Thanks for making MGSE.

Just tried linuxmint-12-gnome-dvd-64bit.iso and have some questions:

• Is the nvidia binary driver included? (It's not on the DVD.)
  Is MGSE the default?
  Are there light-colored themes like Clearlooks? (All that black and grey gives me a headache.)
  Can I move the panel to the bottom of the screen?
  Is Mint 12 compatible with Oneiric?

[roger64]

Hi

Even if I have a 64 bits-ready computer, I use for the time being 32 bits Mint release. I think it works better with Wine and more software is available, though I maybe wrong about it. So, some of my comments may not apply to your 64 bits release.

I use NVidia X Server Settings (a deb during install). It's the only way I found on my Toshiba laptop to control brightness.

MGSE is default for Linux Mint 12 Lisa.
MGSE is just three extensions that can be instantly unchecked to come back to genuine Gnome Shell.

It will probably be changed for Cinnamon, a fork of Gnome Shell, for Linux Mint 13. Cinnamon session can be used right now (just 2 debs to install) and is stable. It uses a bottom panel and a classical Mint menu. For the time being, it has some few themes only but this is about to change soon.
http://blog.linuxmint.com/?p=1910

Lisa is 100% compatible with Oneiric, which means you can use Ubuntu PPAs.

[Nutria]

Thanks.

That must mean that Clearlooks is available for Lisa+MGSE?

[overthetop]

It should be simple to install themes for Ubuntu on Mint. I have used Clearlooks on Kayta (Mint 11), and it works fine; Lisa is a bit different though.

[Nutria]

Lisa is a bit different though.

That's the rub. *How* different?

[craig10x]

It's Gnome 3 like Ubuntu 11.10...Mint 11 was Ubuntu 11.04 so it was Gnome 2...that is the difference he means...
In the next version of Cinnamon, which will come along in mint's update manager when it is ready, there should be a bunch of themes added that are being ported to Cinnamon and also an easy configuration tool for it...

Cinnamon is in Alpha but it is very stable and nice to use and each new version coming down will add more features to it...I use to use MGSE on my mint 12...but since adding Cinnamon it's been my exclusive desktop session (even though it doesn't have everything in it yet)...it just FEELS RIGHT...and i played with ubuntu 11.10 w/unity for a while....it was ok...but Mint 12 with Cinnamon is MUCH NICER i have found...

[Nutria]

It's Gnome 3 like Ubuntu 11.10...Mint 11 was Ubuntu 11.04 so it was Gnome 2...that is the difference he means...

Sadly, my question was ambiguous.

How different is Lisa from Ocelot?

In the next version of Cinnamon, which will come along in mint's update manager when it is ready, there should be a bunch of themes added that are being ported to Cinnamon and also an easy configuration tool for it...

How is there manpower in a small distro to work on and maintain MATE, MGSE and Cinammon all at the same time? (Especially since Cinnamon is a complete fork of an already superseded version of GNOME.)

Is Mint's MATE pulled from https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/MATE ?

Since MGSE is "just" extensions using GNOME's own hooks, I'd think that it would be easiest to maintain over the long haul.

[overthetop]

How different is Lisa from Ocelot?

The underlying system is the same and they both use the same version of Gnome which means you can use the same themes.

[cwwgateway]

It's Gnome 3 like Ubuntu 11.10...Mint 11 was Ubuntu 11.04 so it was Gnome 2...that is the difference he means...

Sadly, my question was ambiguous.

How different is Lisa from Ocelot?

Well, Lisa includes different desktop environments - gnome 3 (with mgse) and mate versus unity and unity 2d. Also, mint includes extra tools. So, Lisa isn't too different at all technically, but the environments are much more gnome 2 like. If you used Ubuntu 10.10 or older or 11.04 using classic, you have used that. However, mint is (technically) Ubuntu with different packages and added packages.

In the next version of Cinnamon, which will come along in mint's update manager when it is ready, there should be a bunch of themes added that are being ported to Cinnamon and also an easy configuration tool for it...

How is there manpower in a small distro to work on and maintain MATE, MGSE and Cinammon all at the same time? (Especially since Cinnamon is a complete fork of an already superseded version of GNOME.)

Is Mint's MATE pulled from https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/MATE ?

Since MGSE is "just" extensions using GNOME's own hooks, I'd think that it would be easiest to maintain over the long haul.

MATE is developed by the MATE project. Which is where arch gets it from. Mint doesn't really work too much on MATE. MGSE will be discontinued once cinnamon is introduced. I will admit that Cinnamon is a big undertaking for the LM dev team, but they are doing very well so far. Finally, I will say that while cinnamon is a fork, it's a fork of just the gui (gnome shell), not actual gnome 3, and most of the code is already there. They are just incorporating the extensions and more into the actual de.

[craig10x]

exactly...basically, Clem is doing much the same as ubuntu did with unity...instead of using extensions, he is just hard coding the various configurations into the shell...not gnome 3 itself...compatibility will be no problem at all...and come Mint 13 Cinnamon will likely replace MGSE anyway...it is a much more stable way of modifying the shell...even though mint is a smaller operation, Clem should not have any significant problem with it as your concerns that you mentioned...

[roger64]

Hi

How is there manpower in a small distro to work on and maintain MATE, MGSE and Cinammon all at the same time? (Especially since Cinnamon is a complete fork of an already superseded version of GNOME.

How can Clem do all that?. I have my idea :