With SnapDragon Elite looking like the real deal....

Questions about the project and the distribution - obviously no support questions here please
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earthlingkc
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With SnapDragon Elite looking like the real deal....

Post by earthlingkc »

...will Mint support ARM (and Elite) sooner than later? And will we see broad support for ARM flatpak apps? I'm ready.
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spamegg
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Re: With SnapDragon Elite looking like the real deal....

Post by spamegg »

Mint probably won't have Arm anytime soon, but maybe in the future (at least a few years away). There is a thread here: https://github.com/orgs/linuxmint/discussions/22
Even Ubuntu isn't quite there to be run on Arm devices: https://events.canonical.com/event/31/c ... tions/271/
They have Arm but only on server for specific chips: https://ubuntu.com/download/server/arm
I think Debian can run on Arm but I'm not sure how ready it is: https://www.debian.org/releases/stable/ ... 01.en.html
Anyway, adapting their software for Arm would be a MASSIVE task for the Mint team, it would take them many years to do.
Before they can do that, Debian and Ubuntu need to get there first, since Mint is based on those.
Not to mention, Mint designs their software to be run on desktops, not tablets / touch screens. Using Cinnamon on a touch device would be a bad experience.
Of course Mint devs might develop something for touch, but again would be a big undertaking.
Last edited by spamegg on Sat Jun 29, 2024 4:02 am, edited 1 time in total.
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SMG
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Re: With SnapDragon Elite looking like the real deal....

Post by SMG »

Moderator note: Post violating forum rules (and response to that post) removed.
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Hoser Rob
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Re: With SnapDragon Elite looking like the real deal....

Post by Hoser Rob »

Many users seem to overestimate how well staffed Linux FOSS projects are. Mint included. Even the biggest distros are very poorly staffed compared to MS or Google or Apple. I wouldn't expect Mint to support ARM soon.

Debian does support ARM but I don't think it's available in the easy to install live Debian iso with the graphical installer and pre installed nonfree firmware. They have probably the biggest pool of devs except for maybe Red Hat but they can only do so much with their resources. So while they have probably the best cross arch support, they don't customize or pimp their desktops like many distros do. The desktop environment comes pretty much as the DE devs made it.
For every complex problem there is an answer that is clear, simple, and wrong - H. L. Mencken
Hoser Rob
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Re: With SnapDragon Elite looking like the real deal....

Post by Hoser Rob »

Actually I don't think even Debian really has Snapdragon support because the new mainline 6.11 Linux kernels don't fully support it yet. And then Ubuntu, whose kernels Mint uses, will have to integrate it. I think you'll have to wait a bit.
For every complex problem there is an answer that is clear, simple, and wrong - H. L. Mencken
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smurphos
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Re: With SnapDragon Elite looking like the real deal....

Post by smurphos »

spamegg wrote: Fri May 24, 2024 12:11 pm Using Cinnamon on a touch device would be a bad experience.
Of course Mint devs might develop something for touch, but again would be a big undertaking.
I had Cinnamon on a Chromebook convertible with touch screen for a good few years. It was in general a pleasure to use. OOB Cinnamon may not appear touch friendly, but it's configurable enough that it's not hard to make it a reasonably touch friendly desktop environment. The bones are all present and correct.
For custom Nemo actions, useful scripts for the Cinnamon desktop, and Cinnamox themes visit my Github pages.
Danbor
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Re: With SnapDragon Elite looking like the real deal....

Post by Danbor »

As long as this touch screen stuff remains an option rather than a rule I don't mind. Believe it or not, there are those of us out here that actually detest having to get fingerprints all over the viewing area to get anything done.
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