Linux Mint Forums

I need help picking a Mint edition. I don't even know where to start.

I've been using Unix (tm AT&T) since the middle of the 1980s. I've used Mandrake, Mandriva, Ubuntu, DSL, and Debian. I have five servers in my basement running Debian. I have used a laptop with Ubuntu for years as my main machine.

I can't figure out how to even start to select an edition.

I have never understood the KDE vs gnome wars. Never cared about them. But one thing that I don't have any interest in is Ubuntu's Unity.

I'd be happy with a pure Debian with GUI setup, but Debian's stability (which I love for my servers) means that a lot of laptop devices aren't supported. So I need something that has a more frequent update cycle.

Its there a trivial answer to "which edition should I run?"
Or do I need to understand the many options that I see.

Thanks
Pat

The closest to the 'traditional desktop' of the Mint editions is probably Mint Xfce. Even Debian Wheezy now defaults to Xfce. Now the question is whether to go with Linux Mint Debian Edition or standard Mint based on Ubuntu. LM13 Maya since Ubuntu is based on a frozen Debian Sid, but is a Long Term Support edition, actually has some packages which are even more recent than LMDE. LMDE is based on Debian Testing, and will be updating when Wheezy is released. LM13 is to a point, now, where most of the debugging has been finished and will give you about 2 1/2 years or more of updates, and is available now for testing on your platform.

Debian has a GUI installer, just select it when you first boot.

(ancient thread I know but Debian just had a new release and the GUI installer has been in there for 2 years now...)