[SOLVED]Sticking to Mint

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SatoshiKazuma
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[SOLVED]Sticking to Mint

Post by SatoshiKazuma »

Hello,
I've heard in a lot of places that Ubuntu, Mint, Zorin, etc are beginner friendly and distros like Arch, Slackware, Gentoo are more suited for professionals
Does this mean I have to move from Mint to something more advanced at some point
Why or why not?

Thank you in advance
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Moonstone Man
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Re: Sticking to Mint

Post by Moonstone Man »

SatoshiKazuma wrote: Fri Jul 23, 2021 1:52 am Does this mean I have to move from Mint to something more advanced at some point
No, absolutely not.

Why and why not is entirely up to you, and you alone. If, purely as an example, you have a thirst for knowledge then you may outgrow MInt, then again you might not outgrow it and still constantly wet your thirst. If, for example, you just want to get your work done, you still might or might not outgrow Mint. Really, it's different for everyone and there is no exact answer here.
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freshminted
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Re: Sticking to Mint

Post by freshminted »

What can you do in Arch, Slackware, Gentoo that you can't do in Ubuntu, Mint, Zorin? Aren't they all linux under the hood?
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Re: Sticking to Mint

Post by Moonstone Man »

freshminted wrote: Fri Jul 23, 2021 2:15 am Aren't they all linux under the hood?
No. "Linux" is only the kernel.
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Re: Sticking to Mint

Post by BenTrabetere »

freshminted wrote: Fri Jul 23, 2021 2:15 am What can you do in Arch, Slackware, Gentoo that you can't do in Ubuntu, Mint, Zorin?
It is my experience the One thing is you get a much deeper understanding and appreciation for what is going on "under the hood." Distributions like Arch, Slackware, Gentoo, Linux From Scratch, et al, demand and require a much higher degree of expertise than Debian, Ubuntu, Mint, Redhat, Fedora, et al.

I have tried the more "advanced" distributions, mainly to gain experience, but I continue to use Mint as my main driver. It is stable, stays out of the way, and ... it just works.
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ivar
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Re: Sticking to Mint

Post by ivar »

when time permits, I'm going to try out one of those rolling distros. But not on my "daily driver" There I agree with the above post
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Re: Sticking to Mint

Post by Petermint »

When Linux Mint 19 was old, I had to replace some software with later versions. Equivalent to changing a tyre on a car.

Some of the more "technical" releases are like buying a kit to build a Lotus 7. You end up with a lot of work and you are still stuck with the same speed limits on the road. The only time you might notice a difference is when you visit a racing track on the few days they let the public drive.
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Re: Sticking to Mint

Post by Moonstone Man »

Petermint wrote: Sun Jul 25, 2021 3:38 am Some of the more "technical" releases are like buying a kit to build a Lotus 7. You end up with a lot of work and you are still stuck with the same speed limits on the road. The only time you might notice a difference is when you visit a racing track on the few days they let the public drive.
That analogy doesn't make any sense after the first sentence.
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Re: Sticking to Mint

Post by Hoser Rob »

Kadaitcha Man wrote: Sun Jul 25, 2021 3:42 am
Petermint wrote: Sun Jul 25, 2021 3:38 am Some of the more "technical" releases are like buying a kit to build a Lotus 7. You end up with a lot of work and you are still stuck with the same speed limits on the road. The only time you might notice a difference is when you visit a racing track on the few days they let the public drive.
That analogy doesn't make any sense after the first sentence.
+1, thiough in Gentoo's case I think it'd be more like building a house by buying a woodlot and a sawmill.
For every complex problem there is an answer that is clear, simple, and wrong - H. L. Mencken
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Re: Sticking to Mint

Post by Hoser Rob »

Actually Ubuntu is big in the server market, which definitely qualiifies as pro, but tha's because they have so much expertise on their support sites. Seriously, it's better than Red Hat, and you pay for their support.
For every complex problem there is an answer that is clear, simple, and wrong - H. L. Mencken
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Re: Sticking to Mint

Post by DAMIEN1307 »

That analogy doesn't make any sense after the first sentence.
+1, thiough in Gentoo's case I think it'd be more like building a house by buying a woodlot and a sawmill.
+2...I know its more than redundant but thats my 2 cents, Errr im mean plus two's worth here...lol...DAMIEN
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Re: Sticking to Mint

Post by Petermint »

My friend who built a Lotus from a kit is currently stuck in really boring suburbia due to Covid lockdown. For all the effort put into the car, he says it is currently not worth driving. The analogy works for building up a desktop from a bare minimum Linux distribution then using the result only to browse a forum.

The extra effort of a minimal distribution might be worth the effort for a server or an early Raspberry Pi with only 256 MB or a gaming rig designed for just one game but not for regular desktop use.

The 20 year old machine I recycled several times had enough memory and speed to run LM Cinnamon. Something new in hardware? Add an expansion card. This year I looked at another recycle but decide the PCI slots were too slow. That killed that desktop. My other desktop had a slighly newer motherboard with fast PCI. I was able to add an expansion slot with an NVMe. Despite being old and limited, a minor hardware expansion gives me a speed increase many times more than what I would get from building from a slimmer trimmed distribution.

A long time ago there was a distribution that contained everything on a stack of CDs and the first screen asked what you wanted. Tick this. Tick that. You could set up a Web server or a machine with just Vi or every other combination I needed. Sort of like a self assembling lego set. Today it is easier to let the install put everything in and leave the unwanted unused. So long as the install does not add Chrome or KDE, it should run on any hardware.
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Re: Sticking to Mint

Post by Hoser Rob »

Actually gentoo is used a lot in embedded systems, and I think the kernel used in Android is a gentoo one with their own patches. Being able to build up a minimal system has a lot of advantages but it's certainly not for the casual user.
For every complex problem there is an answer that is clear, simple, and wrong - H. L. Mencken
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Re: Sticking to Mint

Post by Termy »

Please don't subscribe to the nonsense that Ubuntu and distributions based thereon are for newbies and newbies alone. As I say, it's absolute nonsense; hogwash; claptrap. I've been using Ubuntu as a base for ~7 years, from beginner to advance, and it's perfectly fine. I've ranted about this on YouTube a few times, but suffice it to say: "It's all Linux!" :roll:
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Re: Sticking to Mint

Post by SatoshiKazuma »

Noted.
Thank you
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MikeNovember
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Re: [SOLVED]Sticking to Mint

Post by MikeNovember »

Hi,

You need to understand on what are built distros:
- The kernel, this is "Linux", with the hardware drivers.
- The GNU part, all the programs running in console mode in the terminal, among with the package manager.
- The scripts capabilities, bash, python, perl etc.
- The libraries, used by all the programs of a distribution.
- The desktop, with the graphics: among them Cinnamon, Mate, XFCE, KDE, Gnome, Unity etc.
- The programs with a graphical interface.
- And the two big families, Redhat with rpm packages, and Debian with deb packages.

People making a distro will choose to derive it from Redhat or Debian; they will choose the kernel, the GNU, the scripting capabilities, the libraries, the desktop, the programs. They will choose to make a stable or a rolling distribution.

Linux Mint, for example, has 3 distros based on Ubuntu (Cinnamon / Mate / XFCE) and one base on Debian (LMD); the first three are a stable kind, and LMD is a slow rolling one. They are all "general purpose" oriented and Long Term Support ones..

User choosing a distro has 1st to choose the purpose of its distro:
- general purpose?
- server?
- education oriented?
- gaming?
- specific purpose (security, forensics, anonymous, backup and utilities...).

Then user has then to choose the desktop (it is a question of personal taste and of computer power: XFCE will run on most computers, Cinnamon will need a powerful one), and to choose a stable or rolling one (with stable, all works but it is difficult to have recent versions of programs; with rolling, you have recent programs but might find some instabilities). And Long Term Support means you can keep your distro installed for several years before to be obliged to install a new one.

Finally the support is part of the choice: non pay support (online documentation and community forums) or professional pay support (from Redhat, Canonical...) for companies.

Home users will generally choose a general purpose distribution, stable with LTS or rolling one, with the desktop of their choice. These distributions have almost the same capabilities.

Regards,

MN
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Moem
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Re: [SOLVED]Sticking to Mint

Post by Moem »

SatoshiKazuma wrote: Fri Jul 23, 2021 1:52 am Does this mean I have to move from Mint to something more advanced at some point
No. It just means that if you want to, you can. But if you don't, then there is no reason to.

Some motorcycles are more suitable for beginners than others. They make it easier to learn and to hone your riding skills. After that, you can buy a bike that is harder to handle... or not. If you've ever seen an advanced rider having fun / doing stunts on a "beginners' bike", you'll know that an advanced rider can do whatever they want to do on pretty much *any* bike. And while some of them choose to move on to other models, some just happily stick with their easy to handle "beginners' bike". A motorcycle, like an OS, is just a tool after all... it's what you do with it that counts.
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Re: [SOLVED]Sticking to Mint

Post by Petermint »

The bike is a good analogy. I buy GP, General Purpose, cars while some friends have GTs. I can go to really interesting remote places because my car has ground clearance. :lol:

I sometimes download the latest hot distribution to see what they install and :shock: it is the same as Mint. The only significant difference is often the theme.
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