Who is Mints target user?

Questions about the project and the distribution - obviously no support questions here please
Forum rules
Do not post support questions here. Before you post read the forum rules. Topics in this forum are automatically closed 6 months after creation.
Xanthro

Who is Mints target user?

Post by Xanthro »

I am currently trying out Mint 15 amd64 KDE on two completly diffrent systems. As the topic states, who is the targer user for Mint? Is it vet Linux users or a middle man bridge from another "other" OS to Linux ingenerl or a door way to welcome the new Linux user?
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.
passerby

Re: Who is Mints target user?

Post by passerby »

Mint seems to be biggest with:
-Windows users wanting to make the switch
-Ex-Ubuntu users who jumped ship when Unity came to be
-Ex-GNOME users who continue to pray for Cinnamon's success

I don't know if there's an actual target audience, though IMO newbie-intermediate seems to describe the bulk of users.
I'd say the aim is to supply any interested end users with a secure distro containing non-free codecs and other conveniences out of the box, rather than target anyone in particular.
igor83

Re: Who is Mints target user?

Post by igor83 »

passerby wrote:Mint seems to be biggest with:
-Windows users wanting to make the switch
-Ex-Ubuntu users who jumped ship when Unity came to be
-Ex-GNOME users who continue to pray for Cinnamon's success

I don't know if there's an actual target audience, though IMO newbie-intermediate seems to describe the bulk of users.
I'd say the aim is to supply any interested end users with a secure distro containing non-free codecs and other conveniences out of the box, rather than target anyone in particular.
I come from the world of Windows--had been using Microsoft since the days of MS-DOS 3.1, on up to Windows 7. I began experimenting with Linux due to my aging Windows XP systems. They were slow to boot and support was drying up everywhere. The kicker for me was that Windows XP does not support hard drives > 2 TB. Linux has no problems with such drives.

Once one begins researching Linux, it is not hard to find out about Linux Mint. Reviewers praised it for being the most user-friendly distribution, and that sounded good to me, because that means it is well-designed, intuitive, and indicates that the developers have a high degree of social intelligence, all good things.

I still use and will always use Linux Mint, having tried many of the alternative distributions. I think LM is the excellent and outstanding choice for new, intermediate, and expert Linux users. There is no logical reason for the average desktop or laptop user to go with a different distro, unless one wants to be a do-it-yourselfer and experiment. Other distros come with problems of varying severity, whereas Linux Mint is about as problem-free as it gets in the Linux world. I can get the software I need, I don't have to worry about the operating system, and things just work so that I can get things done rather than tinker with the OS. I prefer Linux Mint to many of the *buntu distributions because there are time-saving improvements, and one has the choice of many good desktop environments such as KDE and XFCE. I don't care for Ubuntu's Unity, and Kubuntu has had and continues to have problems in my experience. I am really looking forward to Linux Mint 14.04 LTS!
RavenLX

Re: Who is Mints target user?

Post by RavenLX »

I switched to Linux Mint 14 KDE (still using it today) back in January of this year. Never looked back! I actually used to have a Tandy CoCo 3 with OS-9 Level II (which is *nix-like). Then I went to the "PC World" as it were, and there I used DOS and then Windows 3.1. From there I had used Win95, Win98, WinXP, Windows Vista, Win7, and even Win8. Windows 8 was the deal breaker for me. I decided if that is the way Windows is going, I'm out. Definitely done with Windows entirely. As I said, after switching to Mint, I never looked back. Before the switch I did try some Ubuntu distros like the generic Ubuntu desktop with Cinnamon, and Ubuntu/Unity and found that neither worked well in the virtual machine so I wondered if it would work at all on my own machine. I tried also Kubuntu. So after getting fed up with Windows 8, I again did some research on what would be the "best" to try. I loved how well Mint worked in the Virtual Machine so on one fateful day in January, I decided to do a raw format of the hard drive and install Mint. I've been using that ever since! I am eagerly awaiting the next LTS version to upgrade to.

So in my case, Mint helped me switch over from Windows.

I have to also mention that at work, I run Ubuntu virtual servers (mostly web servers) so I already was familiar with Ubuntu. I had tried Mandriva and Red Hat in the past many years ago but I decided to stick to an Ubuntu-based distro because I do work from home and it also would help with development if my system was also "compatible" in some ways with what I use at work.
JohnBobSmith

Re: Who is Mints target user?

Post by JohnBobSmith »

Having come from a windows background, I found using Mint 15 with a cinnamon desktop works great! I switched to Linux after being fed up with windows 8's constant problems, lack of a good user interface, and the bloat. I think that Mint's target user is someone who comes from a windows background. Here are some things I have to say about Mint (in no particular order).
-Mint is free and open source! This gives me freedom that windows does not.
-Being new to Linux, the transition is going fairly well. I have ran into a few minor problems and annoyances, most of which I was able to fix on my own. Namely, the hot corners and disabling my touchpad for typing.
-Mint comes with a full set of free software that works out of the box. Namely, I like how Mint comes with a full office suite, and how it is compatible with Microsoft Office! This makes the transition to Linux much easier.
-Mint works well and runs fast on my particular laptop. This is great, as windows 8 gave me grief right out of the box.
-Linux does not have background processes that eat up precious system resources!
-I like how the Cinnamon desktop environment is simmilar to windows. This is not a bad thing in my opinion. I think that for a new guy, having something familliar helps a lot! I especially like how I can drag my windows to the right or left, and they then fill half the screen (don't know what that's called). This can also be done in windows and is a huge help for me.
- I like that Linux does not have near as many problems with viruses as Windows does. Having to wipe the drive and reinstall the OS is not fun.
-I like that getting the dual boot of Linux and Windows was almost as pain free as it could get! I simply partitioned my hard drive, and installed Linux on the partition.

The list goes on, but those are my main points. I am really enjoying my transition to Linux and I will probably dedicate my full hard drive to linux in the near future! :D
RavenLX

Re: Who is Mints target user?

Post by RavenLX »

JohnBobSmith wrote:Having come from a windows background, I found using Mint 15 with a cinnamon desktop works great! I switched to Linux after being fed up with windows 8's constant problems, lack of a good user interface, and the bloat. I think that Mint's target user is someone who comes from a windows background.
I agree with you on all points! I think that as more get tired of Windows 8 and look for another alternative, and if the word gets out more about Linux Mint, we'll be seeing a lot of ex-Windows users coming into Linux via Mint. I think Mint is so easy to use and install that it will appeal to Windows users.
JohnBobSmith wrote: -Being new to Linux, the transition is going fairly well. I have ran into a few minor problems and annoyances, most of which I was able to fix on my own. Namely, the hot corners and disabling my touchpad for typing.
For those who have not figured out how to disable the touchpad (I assume you have, John?) Here is how I did it:

http://cgi.bytebin.net/linux/hardware/touchpad.php

What did you fix with the hot corners? I never really minded them, myself, as I never really use them.
JohnBobSmith wrote: -Mint comes with a full set of free software that works out of the box. Namely, I like how Mint comes with a full office suite, and how it is compatible with Microsoft Office! This makes the transition to Linux much easier.
I use LibreOffice a lot! Spreadsheet for my home budget, electric meter reads and gas milage records are especially neat! I also have to edit documentation in Word format for work sometimes so this is another reason I like LibreOffice. I used to use OpenOffice on Windows so I was already familiar with the whole format to begin with.

Another thing I love is GIMP! I used to use Paint Shop Photo Pro X3 in Windows. Just recently I gave that program away to a friend (along with Video Studio X3 since I discovered OpenShot). I don't do videos much at all but I do have to do graphics work both for work and for myself (photo editing, web graphics, etc.) I'm finding GIMP just as easy to use and even was able to convert all the PSP picture tubes to GIMP (converted them to PNG first in Paint Shop Pro then made brushes, etc. in Gimp out of the PNGs). I found many scripts that I had and that came with PSP also have some GIMP equivalents. I do admit I missed some plugins like BladePro and EyeCandy so I still run PhotoShop Elements 5 in WINE to get those to work on rare occasion that I'd need them.
JohnBobSmith wrote: -Linux does not have background processes that eat up precious system resources!
This is what I love! It lets me then use more resources for development such as running Apache and MySQL (LAMP). I also use Eclipse for development (PHP, Python, Perl, HTML, etc.) and that is just as good (if not better) than Visual Studio in Windows!
JohnBobSmith wrote: -I like how the Cinnamon desktop environment is simmilar to windows. This is not a bad thing in my opinion. I think that for a new guy, having something familliar helps a lot! I especially like how I can drag my windows to the right or left, and they then fill half the screen (don't know what that's called). This can also be done in windows and is a huge help for me.
Docking? I think that's what it's called. Anyway, I agree that it's nice to have something that is similar to Windows. I use KDE (I've loved KDE ever since I used Mandriva and RedHat years ago). KDE is also very similar to Windows 7 (with the right window decorations). Or it can look like XP! Or anything else you want. I think most desktop environments let you do this (including Cinnamon). I think once people find the "familiar" window decoration in the desktop environment of their choice, it won't seem all that much different from Windows.
JohnBobSmith wrote: - I like that Linux does not have near as many problems with viruses as Windows does. Having to wipe the drive and reinstall the OS is not fun.
I think this will be another big reason people will flock to Linux (and Mint) - the "no viruses" thing. I had started a thread way way back about the possibility though of viruses becoming a possible problem in Linux after Linux takes off in the Desktop market more (due to an exodus of people from Windows 8 ). Most malicious software authors will go where there is the most concentration of people to attack. Android is built upon Linux and already it too has had it's share of an upswing in viruses. Though I have yet to put a virus scanner on my phone or tablet yet. I'm still not that worried. I do have a virus scanner in Linux but to tell you the truth, I'm not sure it's really working and if it is I never think about it. But who knows what will happen in the future as more move away from Windows. Something to at least keep one's eye on. And definitely be sure to keep up with security patches via the repositories!
JohnBobSmith wrote: -I like that getting the dual boot of Linux and Windows was almost as pain free as it could get! I simply partitioned my hard drive, and installed Linux on the partition.
Did you have any of that UEFI/Secure Boot problems? Or was your computer pre-installed with Windows 8? I hear that if a computer is pre-installed with Win8 then getting a dual boot is difficult (though not impossible). My computer came pre-installed with Windows 7 and I went in on the Windows 8 upgrade offer when it came out. Also I didn't dual-boot. I just wiped out the entire hard drive (low level format yet!) and installed Mint. That worked good!
JohnBobSmith wrote: I am really enjoying my transition to Linux and I will probably dedicate my full hard drive to linux in the near future! :D
Welcome aboard. :) I think you're going about it the right way. For me, I used Virtual Machines (VirtualBox in Windows 8 ) to test out Linux. But dual boot is good too. I used to dual-boot back in the Mandriva days. This way you get to see how a real raw install will work on your computer. Then when ready, I think there's a partition editor in Linux that you can use to wipe out the Windows 8 partition and reallocate it to your Linux system. One step at a time, that's what I did. Then I went and installed Mint on my spare laptop.

Oh, and both laptops have Linux Mint badges and a tux sticker over the "Windows" key! :) I got those from thinkpenguin.com. Really great quality and looks like it belongs there (because it does)! :)
passerby

Re: Who is Mints target user?

Post by passerby »

RavenLX wrote: I think this will be another big reason people will flock to Linux (and Mint) - the "no viruses" thing. I had started a thread way way back about the possibility though of viruses becoming a possible problem in Linux after Linux takes off in the Desktop market more (due to an exodus of people from Windows 8 ). Most malicious software authors will go where there is the most concentration of people to attack.
Though it's easy to forget, Linux has been a huge target for a while now. Just not the same kind of target as Windows.
Linux rules the world of servers, where machines need to be accessible from the outside, yet secure from attacks.

As far as desktop Linux OSes are concerned, vulnerabilities always seem to stem from third-party software.
Most prominently, Java and your web browser.
RavenLX wrote:Android is built upon Linux and already it too has had it's share of an upswing in viruses.


The thing is, Android's security vulnerabilities stem from vulnerabilities with Java. After all, Android runs on Dalvik, which is essentially the Java VM.
If you wondered why the Android exploits didn't work on desktop PCs or servers, that would be why; the vulnerabilities don't lie with Linux itself.
RavenLX wrote:I do have a virus scanner in Linux but to tell you the truth, I'm not sure it's really working and if it is I never think about it.
Is it ClamAV? Because if so, I believe its purpose is to scan for Windows viruses.
res0r9lm

Re: Who is Mints target user?

Post by res0r9lm »

Techinally Mint is not Linux its GNU. The security is a lot different from android and GNU. With Mint you have to use root for admin tasks so virus wouldn't be able to do much harm unless you circumvent security.
JohnBobSmith

Re: Who is Mints target user?

Post by JohnBobSmith »

@RavenLX
Thanks for the positive feedback! I forgot to mention gimp in my post. I love gimp too! I just experiment with it, make my own desktop backgrounds/wallpapers.


Regarding the hot corners, if you go into your setting, all settings, there should be a setting literally called hot corners at which point you can turn that off.

Regarding the touchpad, I am able to disable it. Here is what I did: I opened a terminal and typed the following:

Code: Select all

synclient TouchpadOff=1
Sometimes I have to type it more than once, or it just takes a second or two to apply. Either way, thats how I turn off my touchpad. +1 for myself for using the terminal successfully! :mrgreen:

The above works provided your using Linux Mint 15 Olivia Gnome with cinnamon desktop.

Regarding getting the dual boot working, It was a bit of pain. First, I had to make a bootable flash drive(since I do not have any disks). Then, I had to disable safe boot from the bios, and then I believe it was something around UEFI and disabling that. After that, I had to enable booting from a flash drive, and then change the boot order (or something similar) to get everything working smoothly. What I was referring to in the post is that after all the bios and flash drive or disc work is done, the installation of Mint in itself was painless. Just follow the installer! The installer even had language preferences which is nice for those who dont speak english natively. And, once installed, everything worked smoothly for me.

Anyhow, im almost entirely ready to ditch windows 8 after a short few days of using linux. I booted into windows 8 today, turns out I have no desktop background, and a custom start menu (classic shell) that had no icons on it...lovely.
User avatar
Midnighter
Level 6
Level 6
Posts: 1327
Joined: Tue May 22, 2007 1:52 pm
Location: Western Australia

Re: Who is Mints target user?

Post by Midnighter »

I always found it to be for people who actually want to use their PC's, instead of beating them into submission. :)
If you accept - and I do - that freedom of speech is important, then you are going to have to defend the indefensible. That means you are going to be defending the right of people to read, or to write, or to say, what you don't say or like or want said.
RavenLX

Re: Who is Mints target user?

Post by RavenLX »

JohnBobSmith wrote: Regarding the hot corners, if you go into your setting, all settings, there should be a setting literally called hot corners at which point you can turn that off.
I think I remember seeing it somewhere in KDE but forgot where.
JohnBobSmith wrote: Regarding the touchpad, I am able to disable it. Here is what I did: I opened a terminal and typed the following:

Code: Select all

synclient TouchpadOff=1
Sometimes I have to type it more than once, or it just takes a second or two to apply. Either way, thats how I turn off my touchpad. +1 for myself for using the terminal successfully! :mrgreen:
In my article I gave the link above for, I also showed how to set it up so that it runs automatically on startup so that the touchpad is turned off by default, and how to make hotkey and menu shortcuts so you can turn it off and on using hot key combos. But that's for KDE. I have to get with it and get Cinnamon and MATE on here as well so I can make instructions on how to do that in those environments. But I found it very useful since my HP laptop has this HUGE touchpad right under the spacebar and I was forever triggering it. I got it set so on boot, it's off so it never bothers me. And if I decide to take the laptop from my office space to somewhere else, I can unhook the mouse and turn on the touchpad with a key combination. Then toggle it back off once I plug the mouse back in. Very convenient and more so that typing in a command line each time (at least for me). :)
JohnBobSmith wrote: Regarding getting the dual boot working, It was a bit of pain. First, I had to make a bootable flash drive(since I do not have any disks). Then, I had to disable safe boot from the bios, and then I believe it was something around UEFI and disabling that. After that, I had to enable booting from a flash drive, and then change the boot order (or something similar) to get everything working smoothly.
Someone (hint-hint ;) ) needs to make a step-by-step tutorial for that and post it in the forum! I don't use Win8 and don't have a system that came pre-installed with it so I can't do that. I think it would be nice if there was a sticky tutorial on that so that those with Windows 8 could easily get a dual-boot system working. I think in my own articles in my site I do mention some ideas on how to get around it but nothing tested.
JohnBobSmith wrote: Anyhow, im almost entirely ready to ditch windows 8 after a short few days of using linux. I booted into windows 8 today, turns out I have no desktop background, and a custom start menu (classic shell) that had no icons on it...lovely.
LOL! That's fast! It took me about a month or two to finally take the plunge. But I was using StarDock's utilities for booting into the desktop and their Start8 start menu. So overall Windows 8 worked quite well on my system. Booted much faster than 7. But, the thing I hated was that "Metro" (or whatever they want to call it) was always running even if the desktop was, and that couldn't be turned off. Also I hated the new file manager "Features" in both Windows 7 and 8 (aka "Libraries"). What really got me also was the very ugly GUI. Flat window decorations which could not be changed! Now Stardock as WindowBlinds for Windows 8 but back when I made the switch to Linux they hadn't had it out yet and it was a few months away from release yet. Everything about Windows 8 was ugly looking.

I have a clear-type Window decoration in KDE that is vaguely similar to Vista and Win7's "Aero" but I think it looks better than either). Everything just looks better, works nicely and I'm very happy with Mint KDE version. I do still have to get MATE and Cinnamon installed (I assume they all can run side-by-side with KDE?) so I can do some more tutorials and maybe some development.
User avatar
MartyMint
Level 7
Level 7
Posts: 1732
Joined: Thu Dec 27, 2012 10:50 pm

Re: Who is Mints target user?

Post by MartyMint »

passerby wrote: -Ex-Ubuntu users who jumped ship when Unity came to be
Winner, winner...chicken dinner!

:wink:
clfarron4

Re: Who is Mints target user?

Post by clfarron4 »

And in the pre-Unity days, the niceties of having all my music playing out of the box, because they codecs couldn't be included in Ubumtu.
LooseWingnut

Re: Who is Mints target user?

Post by LooseWingnut »

Good question

I've been using Linux pretty much full time since the beginning of 2010. My first main "distro" was Ubuntu 10.04. Since then, I've repurposed/built two PCs and owned two laptops that have run every LinuxMint main edition going back to version 9, several versions of PeppermintOS, Bodhi Linux, Kubuntu, Xubuntu and Ubuntu Gnome, Fedora and some others that I can't remember right now. I always found Mint to be lacking, but not any more.

I like Ubuntu and like Unity and Gnome Shell. I would be fine with those, so that's not why I've turned again to Mint.

I am running Mint 15 on my main/work laptop and have never had a better experience with Linux. I've had 15 on this machine for a month and have had not even one apport, which has never happened to me before under any distro. Cinnamon started out really shaky but is now nearly perfect (I'm waiting for 16 to come out before taking 2.0 for a spin). I think it's the most rock solid stable distro I have ever used.

Also, the software selection in Mint is perfect for me. I love having gdebi, synaptic and VLC right out of the box. And, call me crazy, but I really dig Banshee for my giant music collection. I don't have to spend hours hunting for and installing what I want. Most of it is just there. I love that.

Also, no distro looks better out of the box to me. From icons to gtk theme, etc. It looks great. And if you want options -- extensions, themes, etc, they're easy to find, install and try.

And Nemo. Love it.

I'm coming around to think that that is what Mint is really about. It's for people who want a Linux desktop system they can install and just start working on. They're not trying to take screenshots of how nice their desktop looks. They just want it to work. I don't have to think about setting things up. It's ready to go. It's desktop computing that has become about refining nor revolutionizing what works well. I

I'm really looking forward to Mint 16, and if it's as stable as 15, I don't think I'll "distro hop" again.
RacerBG

Re: Who is Mints target user?

Post by RacerBG »

Im now proudly waiting for Mint 16. 8) I feel that here I can tell my Linux story:

I saw Linux for first time around 2009. I read "Linux 2.6", what the hell was this? Well this was the kernel version actually but I was thinking that this was the OS version. Anyway I had ran away from it. In 2011 I seeked for another OS different from Windows (for the first time) and I saw Ubuntu 10.04. Well for me (as a Windows user from 2005, since then I have a PC) this was very exotic and new challenge. I accepted it and made a dual boot with my old XP SP3. People like me are doing this without looking at any guides or pictures so the first boot was the discovery of the hot water for me. :D It amazed me damn well. So I remained with it for a while.
After some time (2012) I again dual booted my PC - this time with Ubuntu 12.04 (I knew only for Ubuntu back then) and it was really stable and cool compared to my XP. I used it for month or two, then deleted it to save HDD space again.

But then suddenly in early 2013 even my laptop with Windows 7 SP1 started to die! "What I must do?" Go to Linux full time was the answer. But honestly I don't like Unity and I already knew about the word Linux "distribution". YouTube was on my side and after a good search and Distrowatch checking I came here. :) Windows 7 was wiped out from my HDD and Linux Mint 14 came in. It was the most beautiful, free, safe and wise decision which I had ever made. Linux Mint was the distribution which changed my thoughs about Linux at all. I lived with it exactly 3 months (Mint 15 was slow on my laptop for some reason) and I returned to XP SP3 for gaming pursposes just to realise that after 2 weeks of usage it was already broken... :evil: A brand new installation... Anyway I completed my gaming targets and Im DONE,DONE, DONE!!!

I just can't wait to grab Mint 16 and forget about Windows FOREVER! And one more thing: Mint is the distribution for me. How I come to this decision you can suggest but in this way Im answering also to the question above. And I believe that everyone here can answer in the same way like me to this question. :)

Sorry for my English, it's just not good enough. :P

Regards,
Georgi
User avatar
Portreve
Level 13
Level 13
Posts: 4882
Joined: Mon Apr 18, 2011 12:03 am
Location: Within 20,004 km of YOU!
Contact:

Re: Who is Mints target user?

Post by Portreve »

I've used and/or dabbled with Linux since about 1997. And other than experimenting with other distros from time to time, my path (for a desktop install) has been RedHat -> Fedora -> Ubuntu -> Linux Mint.

I've always been a fan of Gnome, and had been since I'd first tried it somewhere in the mid 1.x releases. I loved 2.x, and used several different iterations. However, what really pushed me away from Ubuntu (and other Linux distros in general) was the whole Gnome 3 controversy. Between Canonical's Unity, and Gnome Project's Gnome 3, I found I simply could no longer justify going in that direction. And let me tell you, I've tried to live with KDE and XFCE. Blech! Sorry, I know they all have their core of users and so my reaction is only a comment on my tastes and preferences, but still... blech!

So, I've been very happy that Linux Mint was created and is being maintained by people who (evidently) share my tastes in UI, and my philosophies in desktop environments. As far as I am concerned, MATE has been a real Godsend. However, much as I hate to admit it, MATE is kind of getting a bit dated. Maybe that will change as the creators/maintainiers of the Gnome 2.x fork enhance and extend it, but anyhow I finally got to see Cinnamon 2.0 in action, thanks to Nixie Pixel, and so when I D/L'd the image for LM15 a month or so ago now, I decided to take the plunge and got the Cinnamon 2 DE version.

I have it up and running on my 2011 MacBook Pro 13". I have a few complaints and niggles with it here and there, but it's relatively trivial stuff. The only real issues I've got come from it running on Apple-spec'd hardware, and of course it's limiting.

Incidentally, the next computer I plan on buying will come from System76.
Flying this flag in support of freedom 🇺🇦

Recommended keyboard layout: English (intl., with AltGR dead keys)

Podcasts: Linux Unplugged, Destination Linux

Also check out Thor Hartmannsson's Linux Tips YouTube Channel
junkman8650

Re: Who is Mints target user?

Post by junkman8650 »

I think Mints target user base is everyone.

My Linux Story:
I came from Windows background from MS-DOS 6.22 up until Windows 7. I enjoyed beta testing Windows, I started back in the longhorn (Vista) days, and worked my way up to Windows 8/8.1 Beta. After looking at Windows 8/8.1 I knew my time with windows was limited, and with the aging Windows 7 platform I was on, I knew it was time to start looking for something new.

The first distro I found and ran was Linux Mint 15, I then tired all the major distros, and came right back to Mint. It did not take me long to ditch Windows. After about a month of dual booting I removed Windows and started booting in to Linux only. Now two months later, I have not even looked back. Linux has transformed the way I interact with computers, so much so I can't bare to use windows anymore. I cringe when I have to support or fix a windows PC. I no longer have to deal with painful slow updates and the danger of spywere and virus larking behind every wrong click or website. I mean for crying out loud you can't even install a program in windows anymore without reading word for word everything in an installer for tag along programs.

I have become a Linux user for life now. It's lots better then the windows world! Linux Mint is my distro of choice because it just works and has a good UI.
phrostbyte

Re: Who is Mints target user?

Post by phrostbyte »

LooseWingnut wrote:Good question

I've been using Linux pretty much full time since the beginning of 2010. My first main "distro" was Ubuntu 10.04. Since then, I've repurposed/built two PCs and owned two laptops that have run every LinuxMint main edition going back to version 9, several versions of PeppermintOS, Bodhi Linux, Kubuntu, Xubuntu and Ubuntu Gnome, Fedora and some others that I can't remember right now. I always found Mint to be lacking, but not any more.

I like Ubuntu and like Unity and Gnome Shell. I would be fine with those, so that's not why I've turned again to Mint.

I am running Mint 15 on my main/work laptop and have never had a better experience with Linux. I've had 15 on this machine for a month and have had not even one apport, which has never happened to me before under any distro. Cinnamon started out really shaky but is now nearly perfect (I'm waiting for 16 to come out before taking 2.0 for a spin). I think it's the most rock solid stable distro I have ever used.

Also, the software selection in Mint is perfect for me. I love having gdebi, synaptic and VLC right out of the box. And, call me crazy, but I really dig Banshee for my giant music collection. I don't have to spend hours hunting for and installing what I want. Most of it is just there. I love that.

Also, no distro looks better out of the box to me. From icons to gtk theme, etc. It looks great. And if you want options -- extensions, themes, etc, they're easy to find, install and try.

And Nemo. Love it.

I'm coming around to think that that is what Mint is really about. It's for people who want a Linux desktop system they can install and just start working on. They're not trying to take screenshots of how nice their desktop looks. They just want it to work. I don't have to think about setting things up. It's ready to go. It's desktop computing that has become about refining nor revolutionizing what works well. I

I'm really looking forward to Mint 16, and if it's as stable as 15, I don't think I'll "distro hop" again.
I have a similar story. I'm not exactly a newbie.. I've been "using" Linux for years, and by that I mean I started using it a long time ago and then took a break when I was in the army. While in the army, I barely ever touched a computer at all. I started with Ubuntu and Debian about 5 years ago.. distrohopped a bit, and ended up on Ubuntu. After a while, Ubuntu started changing for the worst and Linux Mint started getting popular. So that's what I was using full time. I even let it have my whole HD partition since my computer wasn't good enough to play games.

Nowadays, my story is a bit different. After leaving the army, I bought a really nice laptop that came with Windows 8 installed. This is the first time in my life I've actually owned a decent computer that is capable of playing games. So, I've been playing games and waiting long months for LM16 final to come out so I can dual boot. Still running a pure Windows 8.1 machine, but that'll change in the next two weeks I hope! The only problem is that my HD is 500 gigs, and over half of it is full already. So I can only give my Linux partition about 150. I really wish I could run it full time, but Linux isn't there in the games department YET. I really hope Valve is on the verge of a gaming revolution in Linux.. I would instantly wipe my Windows partition if some of my favorite games came out for Linux.. GTA, Borderlands, Fallout, Bioshock, or Street Fighter. I'd settle for just Street Fighter :D
RavenLX

Re: Who is Mints target user?

Post by RavenLX »

First, thank you for your service to our country. 8)

Secondly, have you looked into whether your favorite games can run in PlayOnLinux/WINE/WineTricks? Maybe do some searches to see. Also you could run VirtualBox in Windows and then make a virtual machine of a Linux Distro to test things in. That's what I did. I got a new laptop last year (can't believe it's over a year old already!) and it had Windows 7. Then I upgraded to Windows 8 and three months later went 100% Linux and never looked back. But I do web development and no real gaming (ie. some games but not the "big" ones). With a virtual machine you could control how much GB to use for the virtual hard drive.

Using a virtual machine is how I got started. Might be a way for you to test out things before making a big switch.
phrostbyte

Re: Who is Mints target user?

Post by phrostbyte »

It actually wasn't the US army I was serving in haha. I actually don't feel like dealing with wrappers and virtual machines and all that jazz.. if it has a Linux version, I'll run it in Linux.. and if it doesn't, I'll just run it in Windows.

However, if enough games come out in the future for Linux (and I'm hoping they will due to Valve's steam machines initiative), I can just switch completely and simply not play the games that are Windows-only.
Locked

Return to “Non-technical Questions”