Switching to MINT?

[newbi462]

Ok I am on the look for a new distro because I not qualified to make my own....

However I use Linux more because I dislike the GUI/UX of Windows or OS X.... love KDE but prefer compiz to kwin.... In time I would love to learn to develop and mod my OS UX to be 100% like I like and push the stuff out over GPL/LGPL... but in the mean time I need a good distro that will run on current hardware and has a community that wont bite my head of for being me and wanting to do what I want to do.

I have mainly used RPM distros, lat one was PCLinux, but as of late they have not been what they were, and they are trying to make the default to much like a MAC, if I need to tweak like crazy might as well use a DEB distro as that package manger is more common. I took a look at ARCH but the community seems a bit arrogant, while I can customize 100% over there and I prefer rolling distros.... if the community is of no help you really can not use the distro.

OK have explained what I like and dont like.

IS Mint rolling? ( I love just update as you go no re do your system every X time frame)

Which mint is Debian based as apposed to Ubuntu?

Will MINT work out of the box with things like the NVIDA cards and the Intel graphics so it can properly switch between them? referring the the bumble bee thing... I have tried but have no clue how to get it to work my self and have put off getting a new computer as a result...?

If MINT is not the distro I am looking for any one have any suggestions.... I love Linux want to keep using it... cant stand the W8 UI... but am trying to avoid the distro soup, but need to change distros so looking for some advice and what I can expect?

[newbi462]

Admins I see you moved the post I really am trying to get support... will I get it in the chat area?

[xenopeek]

Linux Mint Main Edition is not a rolling release. It is based on Ubuntu and release every 6 months (usually a few weeks after Ubuntu). Current release is Linux Mint 14. It comes in Cinnamon, MATE, KDE and Xfce editions. Bumblebee is supported as per Ubuntu: https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Bumblebee

Linux Mint Debian Edition (LMDE) is a semi-rolling release. It is based on Debian testing and while Debian testing is a rolling release, LMDE adds a layer of testing to improve stability and decrease upgrade issues by collecting the upgrades from Debian testing in "update packs". These update packs are tested for a few weeks before being rolled out to all users. LMDE comes in Cinnamon and MATE editions. There is an unofficial KDE edition by Schoelje (http://forums.linuxmint.com/viewtopic.php?f=61&t=113571) and he is also considering an unofficial Xfce edition (http://forums.linuxmint.com/viewtopic.php?f=61&t=118890). Debian supports Bumblebee, so it should be possible on LMDE also I think: http://wiki.debian.org/Bumblebee.

If you enjoy fiddling with configuration endlessly, I think you would be most happy with either Cinnamon or KDE. Cinnamon is the desktop environment being developed by Linux Mint, which runs on top of GNOME 3. It's pretty awesome There are a lot of themes, applets and extensions available: http://cinnamon.linuxmint.com/.

Edit: I was typing this reply... I moved your topic because you are asking for opinions, which you get here

[Brucey99]

Welcome to the community!

Linux Mint is generally regarded to be much more customisable in comparison to other desktop environments like Unity of Gnome3. I'm personally using Cinnamon which I can customise alot and really get it working the way I want.

One of the reasons Linux Mint was started was because the community wanted to do things its own way. Following the same philosophy, no one here will bite your head off for wanting to do things your own way too. In fact we'd encourage it!

We hope you try out Mint and it works out well for you. Let us know how you get on

[newbi462]

When you say "semi-rolling release" what do you mean?

Honestly I am not a fan of Gnome or GNOME based... while it is lighter weight GNOME also does a lot less... more a in this box desktop environment... a more widget based like KDE... hard to get boxed in... though sounds like KDE is not prime focus for mint...? I big on UI/UX so GNOME just not quite good enough... I know you can make it look KDE like stock mint looks like it did that some what... but it is still not widget based still not free flowing what ever.

My destop looks nothing like stock KDE and I go a bit widget/activities mad like the I can just ad what ever I want where ever I want flow.... and you just can not get that with GNOME or GNOME dirivetives....

[newbi462]

Not trying to poopoo I am tank full for the help.... but the more I look the more I wish I knew how to build my own from scratch distro.... I honestly think Ubuntu has it dead wrong, and GNOME for that matter, not trying to pick a fight, just in my opinion not the best UI/UX.... I see what I want, and know it is doable, just a bit ignorant how to put it together my self... and even if I figure it out... think a good distro should be turn key like MINT is.

If the average user has to scratch their head to much dont matter how good it is it is a FAIL. Honestly it sounds more and more like the distro I want dont really exist.... Full rolling a tweek/customization based on KDE as apposed to GNOME, with a UI/UX feel that full embraces the power behind widget based.... while having an open helpful community like MINT seems to have. And ideal makes the needed compromises to largely just work out of the box with common hardware.....

On a side note any one know where to find people to help bring an idea like that to life? Problem is I am more a designer than a coder, and need the team effort... if what I want is really out there I am all ears, but as of late I see linux diostros following this GNOME 3/XFCE band wagon or moding them... and honestly it is not the way I want my PC to go no matter how popular it becomes.

[xenopeek]

LMDE is semi-rolling in that you only need to install it once, but you don't get upgrades every day as you may be accustomed to with other rolling release distros. LMDE bundles upgrades from Debian testing in "update packs", and those upgrades are tested together before they are pushed to all LMDE users. There is an update pack released every few months. The LMDE FAQ answers perhaps a bit more: http://forums.linuxmint.com/viewtopic.php?f=197&t=91405

The resources go where the users need them; LMDE represents 13% of the users of Linux Mint, and overall 66% of the users of Linux Mint use either Cinnamon or MATE. So it is hard to justify the maintenance of editions other than Cinnamon and MATE for LMDE. That said, you can easily replace any the desktop environments on LMDE with any other that you want. Just install the package kde-full Or the unofficial LMDE KDE edition is available, which is a respin of the LMDE ISOs with kde-full and some other adjustments added.

If you feel LMDE with KDE is not for you, you may be interested in Chakra Linux. Chakra is a 100% KDE distro.

[Hawkeye_52]

Not trying to poopoo I am tank full for the help.... but the more I look the more I wish I knew how to build my own from scratch distro.... I honestly think Ubuntu has it dead wrong, and GNOME for that matter, not trying to pick a fight, just in my opinion not the best UI/UX.... I see what I want, and know it is doable, just a bit ignorant how to put it together my self... and even if I figure it out... think a good distro should be turn key like MINT is.

If the average user has to scratch their head to much dont matter how good it is it is a FAIL. Honestly it sounds more and more like the distro I want dont really exist.... Full rolling a tweek/customization based on KDE as apposed to GNOME, with a UI/UX feel that full embraces the power behind widget based.... while having an open helpful community like MINT seems to have. And ideal makes the needed compromises to largely just work out of the box with common hardware.....

On a side note any one know where to find people to help bring an idea like that to life? Problem is I am more a designer than a coder, and need the team effort... if what I want is really out there I am all ears, but as of late I see linux diostros following this GNOME 3/XFCE band wagon or moding them... and honestly it is not the way I want my PC to go no matter how popular it becomes.

If you want an extensible OS and don't mind getting your hands dirty, maybe you ought to take a look at:

https://www.archlinux.org/

Or:

http://www.linuxfromscratch.org/

There are a lot of very knowledgeable, power-user types who use Linux Mint (in one or more of its flavors) to accomplish what they want. You may, however, be searching for something that gives you a more 'from-the-ground-up' experience. You could also look at:

http://www.gentoo.org/

This is sourced based distro that allows true tailoring of the computer experience to your machine of choice. There are distros that have 'spun-off' from the Gentoo base, such as:

http://www.sabayon.org/

but that might have more structure built in than you would like.

If my comments are too simplistic for level of linux knowledge, I apologize. Although I am a pretty committed (and biased) Linux Mint user I would be remiss if I didn't suggest that 'your itch might be scratched' by a distro whose underlying philosophy and goals were more directed to the power user and/or developer...

Hawkeye52

[newbi462]

If you want an extensible OS and don't mind getting your hands dirty, maybe you ought to take a look at:

https://www.archlinux.org/

Or:

http://www.linuxfromscratch.org/

There are a lot of very knowledgeable, power-user types who use Linux Mint (in one or more of its flavors) to accomplish what they want. You may, however, be searching for something that gives you a more 'from-the-ground-up' experience. You could also look at:

http://www.gentoo.org/

This is sourced based distro that allows true tailoring of the computer experience to your machine of choice. There are distros that have 'spun-off' from the Gentoo base, such as:

http://www.sabayon.org/

but that might have more structure built in than you would like.

If my comments are too simplistic for level of linux knowledge, I apologize. Although I am a pretty committed (and biased) Linux Mint user I would be remiss if I didn't suggest that 'your itch might be scratched' by a distro whose underlying philosophy and goals were more directed to the power user and/or developer...

Hawkeye52

I tend to agree, and am more than willing to learn but because I am more a designer than a coder, I honestly need some hand holding to get me started. I got the feel from the ARCH boards that they don't really tolerate ignorance on any level. So while I love the concept and I think in time with proper help could make what I want using that as a base... it was made clear they would not help ignorant people and instead try and run them off.

LFS, I to would need some hand holding, but if I could get it would defiantly be the way to go. One of the sad problems with Linux is it is hard to find an education for some one who truly wants to do some from scratch tweaks. And most schools teach in practice on windows, maybe OS X if you are lucky, but you are on your won to learn how to adapt that to Linux. When I start to say well I think this should work this way and this would be so much better like this, and haven forbid I say I dont like solution X..... LUGs attack me say I must hate Linux because I don't like their favorite distro, and so on.... honestly this is the first place in a long time where a some what open and frank talk about LInux ant perfect, but the good news is is is OPEN so we can TWEEK, if only we can learn how.

Have not used Gentoo, I thought it was more chose you packages, kind of like ARCH just to a lessor degree, or did I mis understand the project?


What you guys have here is a willing student that has some what IMO are great ideas how to improve the UI/UX of GNU/Linux, and some observation of human factors of "no needs to come like this" so the user embraces it instead of learn to love it (and no I dont mean copy another UI).... But also someone who is ignorant in a lot of ways, probably do not fully understand just how grand and annoying executing those ideas will be. My ignorance has helped me fall so in love with I dont care how much work it is. But it is also keeping me from getting started. And most talented developers do not have the patience to to work with and mentor a noob who has a good idea.

[claudecat]

I'd suggest that you try Manjaro. It's a rolling release, supports bumblebee well, and has friendly forums and a helpful wiki. It's essentially Arch in an easier-to-install and more friendly (in terms of support) guise. The main edition is a nicely polished Xfce which plays nicely with compiz, but other DE's are available as well. It's somewhat similar to LMDE in that they test Arch packages before adding them to the stable repos, though it is possible to use the testing repos and be very close to Arch in currency. I've found it to be quite stable even when using testing repos and any questions not answered in their own forum or wiki can be researched in the insanely great Arch wiki pages.

[newbi462]

I'd suggest that you try Manjaro. It's a rolling release, supports bumblebee well, and has friendly forums and a helpful wiki. It's essentially Arch in an easier-to-install and more friendly (in terms of support) guise. The main edition is a nicely polished Xfce which plays nicely with compiz, but other DE's are available as well. It's somewhat similar to LMDE in that they test Arch packages before adding them to the stable repos, though it is possible to use the testing repos and be very close to Arch in currency. I've found it to be quite stable even when using testing repos and any questions not answered in their own forum or wiki can be researched in the insanely great Arch wiki pages.

Where is the KDE ver or how would I do that? I am only seeing the XFCE one on the site.... I know why they use XFCE people complain that KDE uses to much resources, and so is not ideal for lighter weight systems, but lighter weight also dose less so....

[killer de bug]

KDE uses to much resources, and so is not ideal for lighter weight systems, but lighter weight also dose less so....

That's a really really really stupid affirmation...

[newbi462]

KDE uses to much resources, and so is not ideal for lighter weight systems, but lighter weight also dose less so....

That's a really really really stupid affirmation...

which part?

[killer de bug]

The one in bold of course...

[MrD]

I honestly need some hand holding to get me started. I got the feel from the ARCH boards that they don't really tolerate ignorance on any level..

Last night I tried to install Archlinux to finally see what it is all about. Once I figured out that my USB flash drive needed to be renamed for the current release .iso and got booted to..........the command line, no x server, no nothing, I gave up exasperated. Even Windows is more "ready to use" after a basic install. I simply don't have the time right now to do this, and don't want to have to do this on every machine I install it on, or reinstall.

Through all my issues getting to that point I was googling the errors to find other blogs and boards talking about "fixes" that simply weren't the simple error, rename the flashdrive!!! Even on the Archlinux official board they kept repeating to people "read the beginners guide!" This isn't what happens here in the LM community. People come here, post their issues, and people genuinely help them, knowing the simple errors people can make, and most are figured out and responded to in a helpful and non-sarcastic/aggressive manner. Many other beginners can even answer other new beginners, because they've encountered similar issues.