Is the 'live' version still a thing?

[ankheg]

Hellow. I was looking to make bootable CD of Mint but I could not find link to such version to download anywhere on the website. However, throu google i came to this subpage - https://www.linuxmint.com/edition.php?id=67 that seems otherwise unreachable from website main page. Is this version safe to use?

[Cosmo.]

NO. This is stone aged, more than 10 years without support. Forget it.

Besides that: There exists no current version, which fits on a CD; you need in any case a DVD or - possibly better - use an USB stick.

But as you mentioned such old techniques I wonder, how old is your computer? Possibly it is too old to run any Mint.

[xenopeek]

All the Linux Mint ISOs are Live ISOs. There is no version of Linux Mint that fits on a CD. They fit in a DVD. Most users use a USB thumb drive though.

The page you linked to is for Linux Mint 10 "Julia", which was released in 2010 and has been end of life for over 10 years. You should not use that.

The currently supported versions of Linux Mint are here: https://linuxmint.com/download_all.php. Click on a version and from there go to the Release Announcement—that has the system requirements for the version. Check if you system meets at least the minimum system requirements.

If you're on a computer that can't boot from USB and doesn't have a DVD player, you can look for the program "Plop Boot Manager" and put that on a CD. Boot from that and Plop allows you to continue boot from a USB thumb drive. So you can boot from Linux Mint on a USB thumb drive even if your computer does not support that.

[ankheg]

I have of course DVD player but just was thinking that the new versions won't start from the DVD disk or USB and need to be installed on hard drive. I will just download newest version and burn it on DVD. thanks.

[Moem]

was thinking that the new versions won't start from the DVD disk or USB and need to be installed on hard drive.

Installing on the hard drive is usually the end goal. But we do reach that goal by starting them from the DVD or USB drive first, and then starting the installer that is present in the 'live' version.

[weedeater64]

NO.
But as you mentioned such old techniques I wonder, how old is your computer? Possibly it is too old to run any Mint.

Sad but true.

A primary goal of all distros should be to bring old hardware a new life.

[Cosmo.]

How old? I have a 80286 to offer. (In the 8086 the power supply has died.)

[Moem]

A primary goal of all distros should be to bring old hardware a new life.

That's an opinion, and it's one that's not universally shared.

[missmoondog]

NO.
But as you mentioned such old techniques I wonder, how old is your computer? Possibly it is too old to run any Mint.

Sad but true.

A primary goal of all distros should be to bring old hardware a new life.

a lot of linux distro's claim to bring old hardware back to life, and they do compared to windows, but how old is TO OLD to bother supporting?

[MiZoG]

The demarcation line for non supported old hardware was set when Ubuntu, the base-distribution for Mint, dropped 32-bit support.
I don't expect early Athlons or pre-core 64bit Intel processors to run very well on Linux Mint but they are theoretically supported.
Still it is not a trivial thing that 15-17 year-old hardware can benefit from this "new life" and sometimes run incredibly well for its age.

[RollyShed]

On another thread I mentioned I'd installed Linux Mint 20.3 Cinnamon on an HP of 2008 vintage. The Microsoft label has 2005 written on it. Presumably Vista.

viewtopic.php?f=60&t=380122&start=80

[ankheg]

was thinking that the new versions won't start from the DVD disk or USB and need to be installed on hard drive.

Installing on the hard drive is usually the end goal. But we do reach that goal by starting them from the DVD or USB drive first, and then starting the installer that is present in the 'live' version.

I don't want to install it. I need just need a fully working linux that i can start from external source without installing it. Will the dvd of the latest version allow me to work like that?

[Moem]

I don't want to install it. I need just need a fully working linux that i can start from external source without installing it. Will the dvd of the latest version allow me to work like that?

Yes, it will.

[Petermint]

A primary goal of all distros should be to bring old hardware a new life.

Some are like that and some are aimed at the latest software releases or the latest hardware releases. For example, MX Linux has a special distro aimed at Intel Gen 12 and similar.

If you read the kernel development posts, you find mention of old code that can no longer be supported because there are no developers with machines that old for testing. Distros specifically supporting old hardware have to keep old packages and cannot maintain them without the hardware. The last of the XYZ series might have died or they ran out of paper tape to load their programs.

Then there is the middle ground. Focus on the applications instead of the kernels. Use the latest stable stuff, not testing. Focus on the user interface. I like the middle ground and know how to add the odd PPA or use a similar trick for the few occasions when I need the latest release of a package.

Up until recently there was still a Linux designed to fit on a floppy disk. My last floppy disk became a place mat decades ago. I do not miss those minimal distros. USB 4 and NVMe are too much fun to think about entering the OS by flicking switches on the front of the computer box.

[antikythera]

a lot of linux distro's claim to bring old hardware back to life, and they do compared to windows, but how old is TO OLD to bother supporting?

that's typically an upstream decision dictated by the folk who roll the kernel and if needed by your machine any proprietary drivers