Linux Mint 18: The best desktop -- period

RV_ · July 11, 2016

I'm for Windows 10 all the way to my phones. But there are folks who, for any number of reasons ranging from the budget challenged to the technically proficient, who want an alternative to Windows. So for you folks here is a good write up on a Linux distro that is always at the top of lists for Linux.

Excerpt:

"You could keep worrying about being forced to upgrade to Windows 10, or you could try the best of all Linux desktops: Mint 18.

I've been using Linux desktops since the leading desktop front-end was Bash. Things have changed in those 25 years. Today, the best Linux desktop is the latest version of Linux Mint: Linux Mint 18 Sarah with the Cinnamon 3.0 interface

Indeed, from where I sit, it's not only the best Linux desktop, it's the best desktop operating system -- period.

Many of you, for example, are struggling with the question of whether to "upgrade" to Windows 10. Many of you feel -- with some reason -- you're being forced to move from Windows 7 to Windows 10. Others are now realizing that Microsoft seems to be changing Windows from a purchase model to a subscription model. If you really want to "own" your operating system, you're going to need to move from Apple's macOS, Google Android/Chrome OS, or Windows 10 to Linux. All the other "desktop" operating systems are moving to subscription and cloud models.

That said, what's great about this latest version of Mint is that it's a solid, up-to-date Linux desktop where you, and nobody but you, gets to decide what you run.

Specifically, Mint 18 is long-term support desktop. Mint will be supporting it until 2021. It's built on the foundation of Ubuntu 16.04.

Despite these changes, Mint still runs on old computers you have sitting in your garage. You only need 512MBs of RAM to run it, although 1GB is recommended. You can fit Mint on a 10GB hard-drive, although 20GB is recommended. As for a display you can run it on 1024×768 resolution or even lower if you don't mind using the ALT key to drag windows with the mouse.

There have been some changes in what Mint can support. The 64-bit ISO image can boot with BIOS or UEFI, but the 32-bit version will only work with BIOS. Mint highly recommends running the 64-bit version on any modern -- late 90s and up -- computers.

As for UEFI, Mint has no trouble with it so long as you disable the Windows specific Secure Boot. Mint's developers warn you about running Mint on systems with Secure Boot enabled, but I haven't had any trouble with running Mint side-by-side on my Secure Boot enabled Windows systems.

Mint's system Update Manager has also received a nice face-lift. With it you can now easily choose between:
1.Update the system with stable versions of software
2.Update the system with stable versions of software as above, but show whether the user would like to install additional updates which could lead to instability issues
3.Update everything, and if something breaks, then you better know how to fix it!

You may notice that update to an entirely new operating system, which you may not want, isn't listed.

Besides, once you get used to Mint, which looks and works a lot like Windows XP, you may not want to move to a new operating system. I haven't, and I use almost every desktop OS on the planet."

The article with a screen shot of it and a lot more detail is here: http://www.zdnet.com/article/linux-mint-18-the-best-desktop-period/?ftag=TREc64629f&bhid=19724681974700635514865380622813

DuneElliot · July 11, 2016

As someone who runs Linux Mint 99% of the time (Windows 7 only for Photoshop and my video editor) I can attest to the fact that it is a very easy, user-friendly operating system. I'm still on 17.2 but am looking at what it will take to upgrade to 18.

TheDuke · July 12, 2016

Here we go again. A very reasonable article about Linux, in this case Mint 18. So I say to myself maybe I should look at Linux again after some poor results the first time. Then the first response is "looking at what it takes to upgrade".

So I ask, if it runs on anything I have sitting around why do I have to consider things just like I do with Windows?

DuneElliot · July 12, 2016

I don't know that I want to upgrade from 17.2 to 18 necessarily, but as someone who has been using Linux for a couple of years now I have never found the need or want to "upgrade" to the next newest release...and I've never done it. I believe you have to re-write your entire OS on the HD just like if you installed Windows 7 over Vista so not willing to do that just yet. I'm happy with 17.2

skp51443 · July 12, 2016

Something you can do with this style Linux, to make upgrades less work is to use a separate partition for the home directory. That way you can upgrade the operating system to a newer version without disturbing any of your user information. It will only take a few minutes to put any changes you made to the default operating system install back into the /etc directory and you'll be back up and running.

There are other options for Linux styles that are called something like "rolling releases" depending on the brand, they very rarely need an actual upgrade as all the components are patched as newer versions become available.

Some Linux brands offer both options, OpenSuse offers Leap, the one needing a reinstall to upgrade all components and Tumbleweed the rolling release that upgrades everything as it is available. Both keep the user type programs updated to the latest versions and changes to the operating system level programs that aren't updated are rarely an issue unless you have new hardware that is better supported on the latest version of the operating system.

TheDuke · July 12, 2016

"I believe you have to re-write your entire OS on the HD just like if you installed Windows 7 over Vista "

"use a separate partition for the home directory"

" without disturbing any of your user information"

"back into the /etc directory"

Once again you have complicated what everyone says is so simple.

So 18 upgrades over what period of time? I guess I can live with how often I get Windows upgrades.

Next I have to find a program to separate partitions and how to use the program.

Then I have to know what user information I save in what, the /etc folder? And, I would guess, what user information I didn't save there. Then move this data back and forth in the partitions.

I can do all that crazy stuff on my Windows computer.

And you wonder why everyone doesn't jump to Linux.

Just for the fun of it, I searched on how to move files on a Linux system. Since all the answers on the first page show doing it on a command line, I am guessing there isn't a file manager to do it. I quit using the command line 16 years ago and even then I used it just for a specific project.

And just in case you might ask, I have upgraded from XP to Vista to Win 7 to Win 8, and to Win 10. All in place upgrades. And yes I do know Windows very well which is why I can say here that Linux doesn't offer me any thing that I need a new OS for.

k4rs · July 12, 2016

Duke,

There is a bit of a learning curve to Linux, just like there was with Windows. I don't really think it is more complicated, just different. As for a partitioning tool, one is included with Mint. And yes, there IS a file manager (actually you have many to choose from). Heck, you can even cut and paste or drag and drop files just like Windows. In fact the user interface in both operating systems work similarly. Many Linux users prefer the command line but it is rarely required.

Safe Travels...

budeneighe · July 12, 2016

I just downloaded the 1.5 mint 18 with Cinnamon desktop and installed it into a separate partition (55gb) on my SSD. Win 10 is in the first part.

Only glitch is that it did not pick up my win 10 install in the boot manager so now I have to go and find (re-find) the info on how to do that so I can boot my win 10 system.

I do have Opensuse leap and Ubuntu 15.4 on other drives but I have never found any of them a complete replacement for windows for what I do. To be fair, it is pretty clear to me that linux expects a certain level of knowledge and perspective of its users to install and tune it. I don't have that background and knowledge so things that are "no brainers" to linux folks, like what is ROOT, HOME, etc. don't really mean anything to me and I have to spend a lot of time trying to find answers (or call a linux headed friend, that usually gets me vague answers that I also don't intuitively understand).

I have linux to keep trying, though, to see if I can find a replacement for windows and its tools. So far, close but no cigar but maybe, just maybe Mint 18 will be it.

I run a 4k 25" Acer UHD monitor and it is fantastic for old eyes because the text is much more readable, even in much smaller sizes but I run the display in full UHD mode and then scale up the icons and text to comfortable reading size. Linux 18, of course, came up in 2 point (*maybe smaller) size so the first thing I did was right click the desktop, picked DESKTOP settings and did not find anything to help make it bigger but I hit the "<-" at the upper left corner and it took me into a general system configuration tool that had DISPLAY under HARDWARE section and that easily let me rescale everything to MY readable size.

Just saying, I was never able to do this successfully on any previous version of linux including opensuse and mint so I am impressed.

Lots more testing to do but I have to get my windows bootable again, first.

skp51443 · July 12, 2016

Linux isn't going to replace Windows for everyone anytime soon, probably never, but for some folks and some situations it is a great option.

It really isn't all that complicated adding a partition for the home directory is a couple clicks in OpenSuse, changes to the /etc directory are dealt with by the installer or setup (yast) program, again usually just a few clicks and entering a bit of data. Or as an example: I want my computer named p490.home instead of p351ad.site so I open yast, click networking, click the system name tab, enter the new name and click finish.

You can pick a Linux that will take years of study to use effectively, there are some great options if that is what you want but the opposite is also true. You can pick a Linux that you can install in under an hour (mostly reading the how-to stuff) or 15 minutes if you just go with the on-screen prompts. You can even get a Linux that you don't need to install, just stick in the CD, DVD or thumb drive and run it, most aren't as fancy as the ones that need installed but are just the thing if you have a glitch in your other system and need to get on-line fast or fix a file or configuration problem.

Pick your level, whatever you are comfortable with and go for it.

Mom at 92 is perfectly happy with her OpenSuse, a very old version, and has no interest in upgrading as long as updates are available for it. When it does need updated I'll do it for her in about 15 minutes for the install and about as long getting her favorite icons back just where she expects them. All she wants is to be able to do snail-mail letters, surf and check her e-mail so it meets her needs with no complications other than clicking OK when it offers updates.

budeneighe · July 12, 2016

OK, happiness has returned to castle Nash. All bootable again.

Yes, Mint 18 installed from USB boot to HD boot in 17 minutes including configuring. Most of the slippage was in figuring out what a couple of error messages meant (like no ROOT ) and making sure I was not going to remove win 10 in the process since it is sharing that drive in a 55gb partition. As usual, it clobbered the win 10 boot record but that might have been my fault because I got a warning message and chose the less assertive response and it apparently made win 10 invisible to the grub installer so it did not show up in the list.

After getting win 10 booting again, I avoided all the terminal commands to rebuild/recover the grub boot records by just doing a new install into the same partition (yeah, again with the ROOT warning but I persevered).

I have to say that this is the very first version of Linux that has made Chrome installation easy. Just picked it from the software manager and clicked INSTALL and it did it right the first time. Brought it up and logged in and it immediately started installing all my Chrome apps, pws and ids along with bookmarks and in only a few minutes, I could not tell I was on Mint 18 except that the Chrome icon was now the Chromium icon. The rest is all the same as it was a few minutes before when I was running on Windows 10. Nice work, guys.

budeneighe · July 12, 2016

I found this site quite useful (after I had gotten it installed... twice) but figured it might help the curious with some perspective before striking the match to the system. https://sites.google.com/site/easylinuxtipsproject/mint-cinnamon-first#TOC-Optimize-your-Solid-State-Drive-SSD-

jerryneal · July 14, 2016

As with Dune, I still use Windows 7 on my "big box" for Photoshop CS6 and video editing. It's a rock solid OS and behaves well with all of my production software. I've looked at Windows 10 and come back to why? I also have Mint on a laptop with a Core2 processor. The performance is amazing and I like the Windows feel. If Adobe would migrate to Linux, I'd move everything in a minute.