What made you switch to Linux Mint?

[Habitual]

It wasn't Ubuntu. It was easy on the eyes, Orange is awful as a theme.
Ran it for about a year.
I quickly got bored with Mint.
Switched to OpenSUSE 11.x and ran that for a year or so.
I have used Slackware for 552 days.

Now I am looking into FreeBSD with 10-RELEASE in a virtualbox.
Probably will dual boot that with Slackware.

I get bored easily and very few OSs challenge me anymore (been in IT for 20 years).

Code: Select all

while (true)
{
    SelectDistro($distro);
    $boredOfDistro = false;

    while (!$boredOfDistro)
    {
        ScrewUp($epicFail);
        SolveProblem($solution);
   
        if (NowBored())
        {
            $boredOfDistro = true;
            $distro = FindAGoodDistro();
        }
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}

[katzerisko]

Well, I switched from Slackware (year 98 or 99) to Red Hat, then Debian (+ KDE), then Ubuntu, and from there... Except to Hurd and ReactOS, I went practically everywhere you can go! (Debian and Knoppix were my favs)

The problem with Ubuntu is that suddenly it shipped with two things I dislike : Spyware and agressive advertisement.

[cuthbia]

For 15 years before I finally retired after a total of 36 years in IT, I specialised in UNIX. When i quit in 1998, I was on my third PC, running under Windows 98SE. It was rather frustrating after UNIX but it served most of my needs. Finally, I discovered Linux, but there seemed to be a bewildering range of choice - and I was now using my own hardware at my own expense! Two factors that count heavily!

I tried running various flavours of Linux from CDs to get a feel; I installed cygwin but the need to compile applications was off-putting. I tried an attempt at a dual boot with Ubuntu from a supposedly trustworthy magazine CD and almost wrecked the machine.

Finally, about a year ago, Windows XP went bananas and would not boot up properly. Every attempt at restoring it to health failed, including buying a distro CD that would not load; this went on for a week - too long. Luckily I had a laptop for a standby, so I was not completely stuck.

Eventually as a last desperate resort, I tried unsuccessfully to install Ubuntu. When that failed, I turned to Linux Mint (another magazine distro!) and after 15 - 20 minutes, I was back in business. This turned out to be Linux Mint Mate 14; I was so pleased that when I found that LM 15 was available, I downloaded it and settled on that as my main system. I have recently switched to Linux Cinnamon 16 which is OK except that I am having trouble getting Thunderbird to work; Firefox functions as per the book.

I find that it's pleasant to get back to my old UNIX command line tools, like cpio, dd, find etc. after the limitations of Windows. I would never willingly revert to Windows; I much prefer Linux apps. such as Libre Office to Word/Excel and the rest.

[mbott]

I've been running Ubuntu since 7.04 and had stayed with 12.04 LTS version since it was released. Did not particually care for anything after that, so I stayed with it. All the while, I would try out the new releases of Ubuntu, Mint, Debian and OpenSUSE just for grins. That usually lasted for about a week to 10 days, then I'd swap the 12.04 LTS drive back into the laptop. However, I'm on my second week of Linux Mint 16 and I've yet to find a reason to swap the drive out.

--
Mike

[powerhouse]

Some 5-6-7? years ago I was "shopping" for a new Linux distro. Have been using Linux since ~1996/7. Windows was never an option, although I use it when needed.

What I liked then and what I like now about Linux Mint is its completeness and ease of use, as well as its stability. With completeness I mean that it comes with everything that's needed to get you up and running. All important applications and codecs are installed by default, no need to tweak and add stuff to make things work. The default applications are also the ones I would choose for the job - except for network-manager.

While Linux Mint is very easy on the user, it can also be tuned to whatever one wants. For example, my desktop PC runs Linux Mint 16 on a Xen hypervisor, with the ability to run Windows 7 as a virtual machine with full graphics acceleration. Dual-boot bye bye - I won't miss you!

My kid's PC is also Linux Mint - she's happy. Of course my media center PC runs Linux Mint, this time XFCE (I'm using XBMC as the media center software, but the media center doubles as file server and usually runs 24/7).

[Fuzzy Penquin]

I switched because of Windows7, MS's policy trends these days, and especially....Windows8. Burn it with fire. My options were now: Apple or Linux. I like building computers, so opted for a home-built PC with Linux Mint. A year in, and I still have no regrets.

I just don't like the direction that MS is going (a tablet OS on a desktop PC & Metro interface), the things they are implimenting into their software, the things they are taking away from users, their policies, the dumbing down of their OS, and many other things. So I left, and will never return.

[jasonsmith]

I switched from Windows to Ubuntu in something like the 9 time frame. As a developer, primarily Java, Windows is slow and kind of awkward if you want to get any real work done. Ubuntu did everything I needed to get my job done, allowed me to go way beyond what I could do with Windows, and I liked the old Gnome-based desktop.

Around the time Unity came out, I started experimenting with other desktops. I found Unity to be opinionated, and I didn't share its opinion on some key points. I used Xubuntu for a while and found more usable than Unity, but drab. At some point, I switched over to the XFCE edition of Mint. With my latest laptop, I switched to Mint Cinnamon, and recently to LMDE Cinnamon.

So why did I switch to LMDE? I flew out to see the parents over Christmas, and my Mom's Windows laptop - which had be completely rebuilt only 3 months before - was already rendered unusable by malware. LMDE was supposed to just get the computer running until she could get Windows reinstalled. As it turned out, Mom liked the Cinnamon desktop better than the "Windows experience." Now her laptop is faster and more responsive than before, and she doesn't have to worry so much about malware. LMDE may not be quite as polished as the Ubuntu-based versions, but its still apparently loads better than Windows, even for a "relative" novice.

Until just recently, my machine was on Mint 14 - in need of an upgrade soon anyway. So now I am running LMDE Cinnamon. Nice distro. Stable and boring, and really pretty. The kind you marry.

[mike acker]

me switch from Ubuntu because:
1. I think Canonical is drifting into the commercial camp with their lens adapter hooked into Google. this was a minor point.

2. Canonical BBS got hacked and then they told us we had to use the same password on Ubuntu1 and on their BBS . this is a total violation of Best Practice and I de-camped from there when they did that.

why me switch from Windows

1. security
2. performance
3. nickel-dime

I added a program called "WinPatrol" to my Win7 box. this monitors your system for adds/changes to your software. Their cute little watchdog "Scotty" was barking all the time-- mostly for "do you want to allow an add to your start ups list ? " of course not. but in the end I concluded: I have NO IDEA what all my Win/7 box is doing... ... ... end.

I'm still a new convert-- I converted to Linux Oct. of 2012. as a new convert the Linux software was un-familiar, -- and I felt a little lost. but in retrospect, when I go back to Windows now -- their software feels terriibly clunky . the sooner Linux can become a viable alternative for students the better.

http://www.amazon.com/1015E-DS02-10-1-I ... 541&sr=1-1

[ChrisPZA]

I switched to Mint Mate because I broke my Artistx installation trying to install Cinnamon desktop.

I love the fact that I can make every element readable, including a mouse cursor that I can actually see! All from one location,

However.... This is my second attempt at this post. I switched to EditPad Pro (Pluma is a joke) for my password, and my taskbars vanished.

Reboot.

Mate (is there a diacritical?) does not fail gracefully.

The number of times I have had to pull the plug to terminate an unresponsive system is disheartening.

This is not a rant, but I no longer have the short-term memory and concentration to edit config files and hack away in the terminal.

So. Shall I just suck it up and stick with Mint, or go back to Artistx, or ... what?

Please give me your ideas.

PS. Apologies in advance: I am an Aspie and find communicating difficult. So please don;t take offence at anything I say.

[CupOfCoffee]

I switched to Linux Mint because..

1. First of all, Windows Vista was running like a computer that had 2mb of memory, while I had 2gb of memory at the time, isn't that amazing?

2. I secondly tried Ubuntu, which wasn't much of a jump from my slow Windows days. Unity was unappealing to me and overall was a process hog on my computer. From 2mb on Windows to 4mb on Ubuntu...

3. After I dumped Ubuntu, I finally found Linux Mint . It runs like a computer SHOULD RUN. It utilises my memory in a very intelligible manner, I never get ANY freezes on Mint, and it's WAY more appealing to the eye than Ubuntu. It's a champ!

I think the only reason that Ubuntu is the #3 Linux distro in the world (please correct me if I am wrong) is because it's better known than Mint. Honestly.

Microsoft, even though the age of cellphones and tablets may be near, please remember that computers are STILL COMPUTERS (yes, I mean you, Windows 8.)

[BigSteve_G]

For the Windows refugees as it were (like may self) just wondering if this sounds familiar?

With Win 3.11 most of your time was spent in just DOS
With Win 95 / 98 most of your time was spent setting up programs to prevent the system crashing & going wrong (+ defrag)
With Win 2000 most of your time was spent making config' changes to get stuff running just right
With Win XP you could work albeit the MS way but still had to keep virus scanners & system tune up stuff running as well as running defrag now & then

With Linux Mint you can just get on with what you want to do

- on maybe its just me

[RacerBG]

For the Windows refugees as it were (like may self) just wondering if this sounds familiar?

With Win 3.11 most of your time was spent in just DOS
With Win 95 / 98 most of your time was spent setting up programs to prevent the system crashing & going wrong (+ defrag)
With Win 2000 most of your time was spent making config' changes to get stuff running just right
With Win XP you could work albeit the MS way but still had to keep virus scanners & system tune up stuff running as well as running defrag now & then

With Linux Mint you can just get on with what you want to do

- on maybe its just me

Your list also can be seen in this way:

Win 3.11 - install something: reboot
Win 95/98 - install something: BSOD
Win 2000 - install something: brake another thing
Win XP - install something: get a new virus for free

[Dngrsone]

Funny, I had few problems with Win 95 or XP that I didn't do to myself...

Of course, I do like Mint better.

[tek_heretik]

Cinnamon, seriously, got real sick of KDE bloat and 'searchware', with Debian under the hood.

[XpRefugee]

Bill_Graves =XPrefugee
This is me just posting so I can track my old threads

http://forums.linuxmint.com/viewtopic.p ... 14#p812000

[tek_heretik]

This was very funny, thanks for the chuckle!

I get bored easily and very few OSs challenge me anymore (been in IT for 20 years).

Code: Select all

while (true)
{
    SelectDistro($distro);
    $boredOfDistro = false;

    while (!$boredOfDistro)
    {
        ScrewUp($epicFail);
        SolveProblem($solution);
   
        if (NowBored())
        {
            $boredOfDistro = true;
            $distro = FindAGoodDistro();
        }
    }
}

[Conni]

My first Linux experience was in 2008 with Ubuntu 8.10 on a Dell Laptop (together with Windows XP). I was really happy with it. In 2012 the laptop broke down, so for a while I used my old Athlon Desktop from 2003 (which is still in use ) solely with Ubuntu 8.10 out of laziness, although I was fully aware, that the OS was not supported anymore. Last year I had to update my system, because the internet browser was outdated. Hearing of the integration of spyware (shopping lense) in Ubuntu 12.10 was really sad . So I switched to Ubuntu 12.04 LTS. But even without spyware the Unity UI was a low point mildly speaking. Everything feels worse than in the former UI (Gnome).

After buying a new computer I looked for something else. I tried LMDE MATE and felt in love with it on the spot. I also like the rolling release model. And I survived UP7 and UP8 . I still use Ubuntu as a second OS (mainly using LXDE), but that's only a relationship of convenience (primarily looking DVDs is not working very well in LMDE; today I tried it again, I could see the single pictures, just like every second frame was lost, I don't know )

[ben2talk]

--and what about it might get former Windows users to give up their os for Linux?

If I right click n delete a 1kb file, I don't get a dialogue telling me that my superb Windows OS is thinking about calculating the time it will take......

Those dialogues STILL count up instead of down!!!

[goshmo]

^ Yup. I am a user of computer, not it's nanny.

("Where do you want to go today?" "To pick a linux distro and wipe you out you attention greed princess...")

I started (2 months ago) with Ubuntu, but couldn't stand that "unity". Found Mint. Installed it.

Today I simply LOVE to use computer again - i don't even think about "operation system" (impossible with windows...)

[lifebird64]

Cause I like mint. Peppermint, Spearmint, Mint Chocolate, Mint Tea, Mint Juleps, Mint Jelly, Minty-fresh-breath.
Seemed only natural that I'd like "Linux Mint" too.

Seriously: Ubuntu 12.04 was the OS I jumped into after pretty much abandoning PCWin/MacOSX. It worked; for the most part, but I found it clunky (too much overhead on my 2008 hardware) and it just threw too many inexplicable, non-descript errors claiming 'something went wrong' but not giving me any clue as to what that something was. Some things, like Steam, simply never worked whereas it worked 'out-of-box' on Mint. I have no major objection to 'Unity' but it's not my preferred interface. A work colleague recommended Linux Mint. Been using it for a few months now and, aside from occasional cinnamon-hiccups, it has been an aesthetically pleasing, solid, and reliable workhorse. I use other distros (Slackware, Linux-from-Scratch, CentOS, Debian, Kali) for server, development, security-focused platforms, but as far as desktop distros go, Mint's doing a great job.