What would you use if Mint wasn't available?

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DwightD
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Re: What would you use if Mint wasn't available?

Post by DwightD »

Linux Mint Mate is the my number one go-to desktop. Of course, I have tried most all of the other desktops as well as many of the other distros. Years ago, I used KDE on PCLinuxOS and liked it alot. I then discovered Linux Mint and have been satisfied. I still like to check what other distros have to offer. About 2 months ago, I loaded Manjaro Cinnamon, XFCE and found them to be interesting and very usable. Recently I loaded their latest version of MATE and made it look very similar to my Mint Mate desktop.
Manjaro has differences in the way packages are handled, but not so much that a little "elbow grease" and some reading cannot overcome. It is a rolling release. I'm not sure if that is where I want to be. They test the packages before releasing to their repositories. I have not had a problem thus far. They seem to have weekly, or so, upgrades of packages amounting to several hundred MBs of downloads. Manjaro MATE is very solid but I'm still testing.
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Arch_Enemy
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Re: What would you use if Mint wasn't available?

Post by Arch_Enemy »

Depends how much effort I want to put into it.

If I just wnat to install something and have most of the packages I like without too much hoop-jumping I'd us PCLinuxOS. Simple, quick, can make a complete backup on a USB.

Being the glutton for punishment I am I'd probably go back to Arch <shudder>...
I have travelled 37629424162.9 miles in my lifetime

One thing I would suggest, create a partition as a 50G partition as /. Partition the rest as /Home. IF the system fails, reinstall and use the exact same username and all your 'stuff' comes back to you.
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Re: What would you use if Mint wasn't available?

Post by Arch_Enemy »

DwightD wrote: Wed Feb 21, 2018 9:43 pm Linux Mint Mate is the my number one go-to desktop. Of course, I have tried most all of the other desktops as well as many of the other distros. Years ago, I used KDE on PCLinuxOS and liked it alot. I then discovered Linux Mint and have been satisfied. I still like to check what other distros have to offer. About 2 months ago, I loaded Manjaro Cinnamon, XFCE and found them to be interesting and very usable. Recently I loaded their latest version of MATE and made it look very similar to my Mint Mate desktop.
Manjaro has differences in the way packages are handled, but not so much that a little "elbow grease" and some reading cannot overcome. It is a rolling release. I'm not sure if that is where I want to be. They test the packages before releasing to their repositories. I have not had a problem thus far. They seem to have weekly, or so, upgrades of packages amounting to several hundred MBs of downloads. Manjaro MATE is very solid but I'm still testing.
I had issues with Arch and Manjaro on Mate last fall.
Plus it's harder than Hades to make a backup you can put on a bootable USB.
I have travelled 37629424162.9 miles in my lifetime

One thing I would suggest, create a partition as a 50G partition as /. Partition the rest as /Home. IF the system fails, reinstall and use the exact same username and all your 'stuff' comes back to you.
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Re: What would you use if Mint wasn't available?

Post by dXTC »

For older machines: Lubuntu. It almost went on my Lenovo Ideapad, to be honest, but Mint Xfce's richer feature set won out ever so slightly.

For newer machines: I might play with Manjaro XFCE. I've become somewhat fond of XFCE these past couple of years, thanks to my experience with Mint Xfce; I'd say it's probably my second fave DE (Cinnamon being #1). I might also give Fedora a serious try, should I find myself doing software development on the side. However, I'd most likely stick with an Ubuntu flavor as a main workhorse, as it's the Linux distro family that is directly supported by Bitwig, my new audio workstation software of choice.
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Lucap
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Re: What would you use if Mint wasn't available?

Post by Lucap »

I can't remember which of the Manjaro desktops i tried but it was just a wall of Black and Green.
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Re: What would you use if Mint wasn't available?

Post by jimallyn »

I would almost certainly use something Debian based, but beyond that, I really haven't given it much thought.
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absque fenestris
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Re: What would you use if Mint wasn't available?

Post by absque fenestris »

I think Minix... yes ... but I'm still looking for a usable desktop
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Re: What would you use if Mint wasn't available?

Post by Lucap »

Slackware runs nice if you don't mind living in yesterday with it's really sloooooooooooooooooow updates.
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Re: What would you use if Mint wasn't available?

Post by absque fenestris »

Lucap wrote: Thu Feb 22, 2018 4:46 am Slackware runs nice if you don't mind living in yesterday with it's really sloooooooooooooooooow updates.
No, no! Minix. I'll tinker a bit with ME, crack the secrets of Ring -1 and create a global mining company; from maintenance to minetance :mrgreen:
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Re: What would you use if Mint wasn't available?

Post by Lucap »

absque fenestris wrote: Thu Feb 22, 2018 5:06 am No, no! Minix.
A desktop that looks like it's from 1990? :)
jimallyn wrote: Thu Feb 22, 2018 4:34 am I really haven't given it much thought.
Are you saying you have never distro hopped? :shock: :D
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absque fenestris
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Re: What would you use if Mint wasn't available?

Post by absque fenestris »

Lucap wrote: Thu Feb 22, 2018 5:12 am
absque fenestris wrote: Thu Feb 22, 2018 5:06 am No, no! Minix.
A desktop that looks like it's from 1990? :)
Pretty appearance isn't always the best :lol:
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Re: What would you use if Mint wasn't available?

Post by Pjotr »

absque fenestris wrote: Thu Feb 22, 2018 4:43 am I think Minix... yes ...
No need to install anything at all, then: Minix is built into your Intel CPU. :lol:
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absque fenestris
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Re: What would you use if Mint wasn't available?

Post by absque fenestris »

Pjotr wrote: Thu Feb 22, 2018 5:31 am
absque fenestris wrote: Thu Feb 22, 2018 4:43 am I think Minix... yes ...
No need to install anything at all, then: Minix is built into your Intel CPU. :lol:
I just can't find a desktop for the built-in :lol: :lol: :lol:
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Re: What would you use if Mint wasn't available?

Post by DAMIEN1307 »

for me, since i have Peppermint linux version 8 on my aux. systems that would be my choice...its ubuntu based and a cross between xfce/Lxde...its really quite good as long as you realize its a minimalist setup and you would need to add other features that come stock in mint, but it is very good and stable...if you can run Mint, you can run Peppermint too...its just as easy...but i do not see mint going bye bye anytime soon...DAMIEN
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Re: What would you use if Mint wasn't available?

Post by jimallyn »

Lucap wrote: Thu Feb 22, 2018 5:12 am
jimallyn wrote: Thu Feb 22, 2018 4:34 am I really haven't given it much thought.
Are you saying you have never distro hopped? :shock: :D
At last count, I had 36 different operating systems installed in VirtualBox on my computer.
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151tom
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Re: What would you use if Mint wasn't available?

Post by 151tom »

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Last edited by 151tom on Fri Nov 23, 2018 12:23 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: What would you use if Mint wasn't available?

Post by Chemical_Ali »

I'd probably try Manjaro. If I don't like it, then I'd use Ubuntu.
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silfox2000
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Re: What would you use if Mint wasn't available?

Post by silfox2000 »

Since I use Mint Xfce ... well... Ubuntu Xfce :)
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Re: What would you use if Mint wasn't available?

Post by mike acker »

Portreve wrote: Wed Feb 21, 2018 4:59 pm It depends on the availability of a recent-enough version of adb and fastboot in the distro in question's repos, but...

Debian, if the Debian repos had a new-enough version.
The last time I checked, Debian didn't and there was no way I could find where I could realistically and feasibly do anything about it.

Otherwise, probably Fedora.
I'm working on a Debian 9.30 with non-free additive. at this point it looks like this will be a GO

this will be on 1 of the 4 machines initially: Just Office1. To do it I'll be changing out the 450W PSU for a new 650W and adding a 4th disc. The 4th disc for the Debian9.30 system.

There's a lot kinda up in the air right now,-- Canonical(Ubuntu) relationship to MSFT; future of LMDE. I've expressed here on occasion my feeling that I'd like to see MINT drop Canonical and work strictly on the LMDE Dist. That doesn't seem to be "in the cards"; LMDE continues as the "red head stepchild". In all fairness I think the MINT recommendation about starting with the "Main Edition" remains sound advice. Once the user has worked with Linux for a while he|she will probably be much more comfortable working in the Debian environment. If the "Main Edition" is Linux 101 then maybe Debian is Linux 201.

Just my thoughts on our question here.
¡Viva la Resistencia!
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Re: What would you use if Mint wasn't available?

Post by Jim Hauser »

Currently Kubuntu is installed here on a multi boot with Mint KDE as the main system. With the upcoming demise of a dedicated Mint KDE distro I thought it to be a good idea to look around a bit. I am taking the "testing" of Kubuntu very slow as there is no real hurry yet. As much as I like Mint, it is more important for me to have a good working KDE distro for the many tweaks and customizations available. I am not an expert or guru by any stretch of the imagination but I do enjoy an OS that can be tweaked and customized.
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