Why did you decide to install Linux Mint?

[MrGrimm]

nemo far more stable and responsive than windows explorer

Really? I certainly haven't found this to be true, although I happily note that the release notes for 19.1 say that Nemo has been heavily optimized.

lets put it this way FINALLY windows explorer is stable and responsive, but it took it being on a am4 system, nemo on my am3 system opens windows and tabs as fast as explorer does on the am4 system.

[AndyMH]

I decided to install Linux Mint because Xandros went out of business

Xandros, also my first distro back in the early 2000's, if it was still around I'd probably be using it. Came back to linux in 2016 when a friend gave me a copy of ubuntu, didn't like it. Then we got a decent internet connection and I could download stuff. Tried all the major distros, settled on mint and never looked back.

[kukamuumuka]

I installed Linux Mint because I am lazy. Everything like codecks, etc. were installed by default, so only thing was to use Mint.

[Mike-Linux-Mint]

Ah okay, actually it's a video of a guy who used to work for google and who was advising against dual booting Linux: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6nGskPedj6s

I've been satisfied with Mint so far except for this little glitch I can't seem to solve to install the driver of my scanner
but if we put this aside, my computer is now faster and more reliable. I used to have a lot of problems on win10, there always was something that didn't work, always some things to repair until that day where I was unable to boot my computer altogether so that's when I knew it was time. Apparently for some companies it's difficult to make something that does work. A computer shouldn't be a permanent problem to solve.

[AndyMH]

install the driver of my scanner

If you've not found a free solution, try vuescan, used it for years, downside is it's not free.

https://www.hamrick.com/?gclid=CjwKCAiA ... uIQAvD_BwE

[BenTrabetere]

As I see it, this is a two-part question. The first part is 'Why did you decide to install Linux over/along Windows/Mac? My computer is state-of-the-art 2005, but still meets my needs. At the same time WinXP was nearing EOL the primary HDD started to fail; since I would have to install and learn a new operating system if I moved to Win7, and I decided to take Linux for a serious test drive.

I have not looked back.

The second part of the question is the subject line: "Why did you decide to install Linux Mint?"

Ease of use and support were the most important priorities for my. I looked at major distributions from all of the Three Families (Debian, Redhat, Slackware/SuSE), decided something in the Ubuntu family best suited my needs, and I would have been satisfied with any of distribution based on Ubuntu.

I chose Linux Mint MATE because the installation was painless, it ran well on my machine, and because it was the easiest DE for me to simulate a desktop I have been using since OS/2 v2.1.

The reason I chose Linux Mint is the LM Forums. The forums were active,and the members seemed to capable of solving hard problems while remaining very friendly to newbies. I never felt the LM Forums relegated me to the Kiddie Table.

I've also heard from a software engineer that Linux wasn't the best option for people working in IT because it lacked some important tools like Adobe premiere and photoshop.

As others have pointed out, this is not true. In a past life Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign and Acrobat were core to my work, and that would still be the case if my career had not changed. It is my experience that print shops expect InDesign or QuarkXPress, and the Adobe suite is so well-integrated that it is difficult to escape that workflow.

However, today my needs are different - I still do similar work, but not professionally. I have shifted almost all of my Adobe work to darktable, GIMP, Inkscape, and Scribus. I am thankful my PDF needs are now basic enough to let me avoid the dumpster fire known as Acrobat.

[AndyMH]

The reason I chose Linux Mint is the LM Forums

+1. I found the forum after I'd installed LM, if not a reason for starting with LM, certainly a very good reason for not leaving.

Ah okay, actually it's a video of a guy who used to work for google and who was advising against dual booting Linux: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6nGskPedj6s

What a load of bollocks, if you will pardon me. Annoyed I even watched it.

[BigEasy]

I'm just curious to know the reasons why you think that Linux Mint is better/worse than Windows or Mac?

Never ever think that Linux Mint is better/worse than Windows or Mac in common sence. I think is Linux better for me? keyword is "me", not eberybody. After few experiments I decide to stop having two distros: Mint and PCLinuxOS. Why two? Answer: if after some update one distro stops working then me myself don't stop working.

[lsemmens]

+1 for Moem's comments.

@PHD21 will have to disagree on ACCESS - there IS NO Linux equivalent that comes close unless you want to migrate to a true SQL platform. The database packages in the various FOSS office suites are ok for basic stuff, but fall way short compared to Access which falls way short compared to SQL.

As for Excel, I have yet to find any reason to disparage the FOSS equivalents. They all seem to work as well as the M$ product and I do use automation (i.e. scripts and code) a lot.

[Neuron67]

Well said! I might miss Win 7 for some of the software that I've become accustomed to using but I have turned my back on MS for good.

[Mike-Linux-Mint]

I'm just curious to know the reasons why you think that Linux Mint is better/worse than Windows or Mac?

Never ever think that Linux Mint is better/worse than Windows or Mac in common sence. I think is Linux better for me? keyword is "me", not eberybody. After few experiments I decide to stop having two distros: Mint and PCLinuxOS. Why two? Answer: if after some update one distro stops working then me myself don't stop working.

I understand. Mint is great for me but it's probably not for gamers or for some specific needs. For those who can't get used to the terminal or those who play specific video games, windows is probably better suited for their needs. Why did you choose PCLinuxOS over all the other distros? I also wanted to install a second distro along with Mint but there are so many. I thought about deepinOS but then I read somewhere that it was a Chinese spyware of some sort but in the end, no matter how many distros there are out there, you must choose the one that works for you but even if, in the worst case scenario, Mint doesn't work anymore, there's still the possibility to do a fresh install, and quite easily I might add.

[Moem]

For those who can't get used to the terminal(...), windows is probably better suited for their needs.

I hardly use the terminal and I like Mint just fine. My mother uses it even less (meaning, never) and Mint suits her very well, too. She needs less help and support nowadays than she did when she was using Windows.

[MrGrimm]

For those who can't get used to the terminal(...), windows is probably better suited for their needs.

I hardly use the terminal and I like Mint just fine. My mother uses it even less (meaning, never) and Mint suits her very well, too. She needs less help and support nowadays than she did when she was using Windows.

GEE what do you know something we actually agree on. i don't have issues with terminal, but i only use it for apps i can't get any other way or for the quick command that can't currently be handled through a gui. for 90% of things it's all gui.

[Inundated]

For those who can't get used to the terminal(...), windows is probably better suited for their needs.

I hardly use the terminal and I like Mint just fine. My mother uses it even less (meaning, never) and Mint suits her very well, too. She needs less help and support nowadays than she did when she was using Windows.

A friend of mine has an aging computer with Windows 7 on it (not quite as aged as this old XP machine ) and I've seriously considered offering to install Linux Mint for him.

I help him out with Windows stuff and I think, based on my experience, that I'd have to provide even less assistance with Linux Mint.

I don't THINK he has any specific Windows applications that he needs.

[Mike-Linux-Mint]

For those who can't get used to the terminal(...), windows is probably better suited for their needs.

I hardly use the terminal and I like Mint just fine. My mother uses it even less (meaning, never) and Mint suits her very well, too. She needs less help and support nowadays than she did when she was using Windows.

I like Mint too, but as an example, I have a rather old multifunction printer and at the moment, I'm having trouble to install some drivers to use the scanner but without terminal, I don't know how I could do that, really. Don't get me wrong, Mint is great, better than windows for the most part but for a windows user it's easier to just plug its printer into a usb port and all drivers will be automatically downloaded while I haven't still figured out how to make mine work. It just takes more time to install specific things on Mint and we're fortunate to have this forum to talk about those things and try to find some help but on the other hand, it would take more time to protect and clean you computer on windows let alone all the many problems you will definitely encounter. Yet, when I have to choose between the two, Mint is definitely the one I choose, however, some things could be improved I think. In many business fields as well as universities, when you have to work on a specific software, you will only be given a choice between windows or mac. I still faced the case very recently. I'm studying at a French college and we were sent a cd with only those two options. Since my main OS is Linux, I couldn't install any of them; that can be problematic for a specific population.

[Arch_Enemy]

I'm just curious to know the reasons why you ended up installing Linux Mint over/along Windows or Mac?

I saw a video from a software engineer saying that Linux wasn't the best option for people working in IT because it lacked some important tools like Adobe premiere and photoshop. I don't work in IT so I don't know if it's true but for those of you who do, do you think that windows is better suited when it comes to software development and other specific tasks?

I'm just a regular user, I mostly use Mint for entertainment and a little for my work too, but not in IT, though, so Mint suits me perfectly but it may not be the case for people with very specific needs. Mint has a sense of familiarity I think, probably because its desktop is quite similar to what I used to know, though I would never ever go back to windows.

I'm just curious...did this software engineer work for Adobe, by any chance????

[Mike-Linux-Mint]

I'm just curious to know the reasons why you ended up installing Linux Mint over/along Windows or Mac?

I saw a video from a software engineer saying that Linux wasn't the best option for people working in IT because it lacked some important tools like Adobe premiere and photoshop. I don't work in IT so I don't know if it's true but for those of you who do, do you think that windows is better suited when it comes to software development and other specific tasks?

I'm just a regular user, I mostly use Mint for entertainment and a little for my work too, but not in IT, though, so Mint suits me perfectly but it may not be the case for people with very specific needs. Mint has a sense of familiarity I think, probably because its desktop is quite similar to what I used to know, though I would never ever go back to windows.

I'm just curious...did this software engineer work for Adobe, by any chance????

It's a possibility, indeed!
The guy made a youtube video that can be found here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6nGskPedj6s
I just wanted to check whether anything he said was true.

[Moem]

I hardly use the terminal and I like Mint just fine. My mother uses it even less (meaning, never) and Mint suits her very well, too. She needs less help and support nowadays than she did when she was using Windows.

I like Mint too, but as an example, I have a rather old multifunction printer and at the moment, I'm having trouble to install some drivers to use the scanner but without terminal, I don't know how I could do that, really. Don't get me wrong, Mint is great, better than windows for the most part but for a windows user it's easier to just plug its printer into a usb port and all drivers will be automatically downloaded while I haven't still figured out how to make mine work.

Sure, it depends on the software you use and the peripherals you happen to own. I have a HP laserjet that is just plug and go... I got it for a song because it was unsupported on W10!
We all have different circumstances and needs. And some of us really do not need to use the terminal at all.

[Inundated]

Sure, it depends on the software you use and the peripherals you happen to own. I have a HP laserjet that is just plug and go... I got it for a song because it was unsupported on W10!
We all have different circumstances and needs. And some of us really do not need to use the terminal at all.

And besides, the printer works fine without the terminal once you figure out how to get it going. Or in my case, it was my USB WiFI adapter...I just bought a new adapter that worked without any tinkering in the terminal.

[Mike-Linux-Mint]

I hardly use the terminal and I like Mint just fine. My mother uses it even less (meaning, never) and Mint suits her very well, too. She needs less help and support nowadays than she did when she was using Windows.

I like Mint too, but as an example, I have a rather old multifunction printer and at the moment, I'm having trouble to install some drivers to use the scanner but without terminal, I don't know how I could do that, really. Don't get me wrong, Mint is great, better than windows for the most part but for a windows user it's easier to just plug its printer into a usb port and all drivers will be automatically downloaded while I haven't still figured out how to make mine work.

Sure, it depends on the software you use and the peripherals you happen to own. I have a HP laserjet that is just plug and go... I got it for a song because it was unsupported on W10!
We all have different circumstances and needs. And some of us really do not need to use the terminal at all.

You're lucky.
If your printer is multifunction too, I'd really like to know the model you're using since I might have to buy a new one if the other doesn't work.