Any Issues with Mint?

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Vigilant_Mr_Doe

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Hiya,

I have been thinking about installing Mint on a new computer. I believe Mint is now the world's most popular version of Linux, which boasts about having over thirty thousand software packages available innit.
Has anybody ever had any issues with Mint, if so what is a better option? Are there any privacy issues on Mint?
And, how does Mint compare to Debian? Debian seems to be the foundation of most new Linux OS, such as Ubuntu and Mint. Debian is less than three hundred mBT's, but Mint is over a Gig.
Is Mint easier to use than Debian, and are there any suggestions about other Linux versions, such as FreeBSD. There's a version of Debian that is made after FreeBSD, or using it as a foundation. Which is best. What Linux version has the most software.

Does anybody know of any good art programs on Linux, such as Maya? I would like to find a good 3d animation program that isn't unfairly expensive.
 


1) Linux Mint is NOT the world's most popular version of Linux.

If you look at the table in Distrowatch Linux Mint appears above Ubuntu. It is not a measure of how popular distros are - --it is a measure of the page hits on Distrowatch.

The essential difference between Linux Mint and Ubuntu? Ubuntu believe, rightly or wrongly, that they should not produce an ISO with certain programs on it. It is easily cured by installing ubuntu-restricted-extras. Linux Mint produce an ISO with those programs.

2) Debian is said to be a wee bit more difficult. (Not sure I agree with that.) It is available in different forms e.g. stable and testing. Stable is ...err...stable. It is a little bit older, but more tried and ...stable.

What is your concern about "security"? Where? How? What? You can encrypt your Hard Drive. You can send encrypted emails and messages.

3) BSD is not Linux at all.
FreeBSD is a freeUnix-likeoperating system descended from Research Unix via the Berkeley Software Distribution(BSD). Although for legal reasons FreeBSD cannot use the Unix trademark, it is a direct descendant of BSD, which was historically also called "BSD Unix" or "Berkeley Unix." The first version of FreeBSD was released in 1993, and today FreeBSD is the most widely used open-source BSD distribution, accounting for more than three-quarters of all installed systems running open-source BSD derivatives.[2]
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FreeBSD

4) Autodesk Maya has a Linux Version. There are also alternatives http://alternativeto.net/software/maya/

Blender has a downloadable magazine http://blenderart.org/issues/ and tutorials.

5) You might look at Ubuntu Studio http://ubuntustudio.org/
(You need to know that Ubuntu has "ordinary" issues, which last less and "LTS" (Long Term Support) versions which last longer.)
 
I started with Linux Mint. I didn't care for it as it had too much stuff that I didn't want or need installed. So, checked out what Mint derived from and it's Debian -->>Ubuntu -->> Mint. I ended up going with Debian. It's very easy to use! If you want to go with Mint and bypass the Ubuntu layer, there is a Linux Mint Debian Edition. (LMDE) I tried it in a VM and considered using it, then I read more about Debian (along with playing with it in a VM) and I found it very simple to use.

@arochester answered your other questions and gave the same link(s) I was going to. ;)
 
One of the advantages Debian or Ubuntu have is that they can have a minimal install. You can build exactly what you want from the ground up.
 
I highly recommend Debian Stable for most users. I install actually use the Testing version (Currently Jessie) on all my laptops, desktops, and servers. Netinst is the easiest to install a system.
 
I highly recommend Debian Stable for most users. I install actually use the Testing version (Currently Jessie) on all my laptops, desktops, and servers. Netinst is the easiest to install a system.

Netinst is the easier, but dang, you need a good internet connection. It took 5 hours to install via netinst! (I only installed desktop, laptop, system(?) - no sql, mail, web etc - first option and last two options) The configuration wasn't the way I wanted it, so I ended up downloading the cd1.iso and reinstalled and that only took an hour (most of that was trying to get my partitions correct). I live up in the mountains in the middle of a forest, so internet is slow.

So, if you have limited/slow internet connection, use the cd1.iso . Otherwise, yes @rstanley is correct, use netinst.
 
... It took 5 hours to install via netinst!. ... I live up in the mountains in the middle of a forest, so internet is slow.
Out of curiosity, what is your Internet connection? What speed?
 
It varies depending on the router I use. The main one went out and was much better (but still slow at times unless I hardwired in) but now we are using an old one. It can get down to as low as 29 kb per sec. Yes kb! (might as well use dial up, eh?) We're debating whether to buy our own router or ask the ISP to give us another one. Our ISP is not the greatest with customer service. You call to complain and you get bad customer service. No matter how nice you are. Since we're in an area that is fairly small (less than 10,000 people during the season and 5, 000 off season), we're kind of stuck. I won't go into cell reception! ha ha ha
 
It varies depending on the router I use. The main one went out and was much better (but still slow at times unless I hardwired in) but now we are using an old one. It can get down to as low as 29 kb per sec. Yes kb! (might as well use dial up, eh?) We're debating whether to buy our own router or ask the ISP to give us another one. Our ISP is not the greatest with customer service. You call to complain and you get bad customer service. No matter how nice you are. Since we're in an area that is fairly small (less than 10,000 people during the season and 5, 000 off season), we're kind of stuck. I won't go into cell reception! ha ha ha
GEEEZ LOUISE!;)
 
Hiya,

I have been thinking about installing Mint on a new computer. I believe Mint is now the world's most popular version of Linux, which boasts about having over thirty thousand software packages available innit.
Has anybody ever had any issues with Mint, if so what is a better option? Are there any privacy issues on Mint?
And, how does Mint compare to Debian? Debian seems to be the foundation of most new Linux OS, such as Ubuntu and Mint. Debian is less than three hundred mBT's, but Mint is over a Gig.
Is Mint easier to use than Debian, and are there any suggestions about other Linux versions, such as FreeBSD. There's a version of Debian that is made after FreeBSD, or using it as a foundation. Which is best. What Linux version has the most software.

Does anybody know of any good art programs on Linux, such as Maya? I would like to find a good 3d animation program that isn't unfairly expensive.
I finally broke down and decided to give mint a try. I gotta tell you, If you are running antique hardware like I am, it just does not run. I scroll my mouse and wait 3 or 4 seconds for something to happen. I guess I will have to either stay with Puppy, or (Choke):eek::eek: spend some money to upgrade! Even my keyboard input is too fast , with just 2 fingers!!!:p:p I would never be able to watch a video on this system running mint!!!

Paul
 
Been using Mint for while myself - havn't had too many problems that I couldn't fix. I don't mind Cinnamon but also installed a couple of other desktops to try them out ( Unity, KDE, XFCE). I am not running NASA on my computer so happy to experiment.
 
I have a 10 year old Dell D630 Core2 Duo laptop; 2.4 GHz Core2 Duo, 4GB memory, 500 GB drive. I have Linux Mint Cinnamon. Aside from a slightly long startup time (30 to 40 seconds), I actually like it, and it performs well for me.

Cinnamon works for me; I am one who cannot remember names or titles. Unity on Ubuntu drove me crazy, as there was no *easy* way I found to drill into menus to find applications. If I want the music player, I cannot remember Banshee or Rhythmbox - I would have to google the name! (I just did google those names now.) This defeated the whole "menu button, type a few characters and the title shows up" paradigm that Unity relies on. I also hate tons of quick-start buttons; I would put a few there (SVN Workbench, VPN, browser, terminal) but anything beyond that was a game of hide-and-go-seek for me.

With Cinnamon, I hit the menu button, click multimedia, and once I see the names I remember what I want. I have always had trouble coming up with a name on the fly - it's just the way I am, I suppose. For the same reason, I struggle with Windows 8.

I understand why people don't like Mint; however, for some like me, it's a godsend of simplicity to help with my "I can never find a name when I need it" mind.
 
Okay, so I upgraded my hardware to an older dual core (a cast-off from my brother in law after I upgraded him to an eight core monster). I had to do a major tear down and cleaning on it, but it should do just fine for a long time. The speed change is breathtaking! It has 3 gig of much faster ram, and runs mint Cinnamon just fine. In fact, I use it most of the time for most things. As an old cartoon character once said "What's all the hubub, Bub?"

I still have a drive, running puppy, just for on line bill paying, but mint runs circles around win XP (especially startup/shutdown times), I still have not managed to get Multipsk to run in wine on Mint. Oh, well, I needed another project anyway! Oh, yeah, I also need to get serial drive caddies too, and adapt a serial drive port for the stack of ide drive caddies on my desk.
 
It varies depending on the router I use. The main one went out and was much better (but still slow at times unless I hardwired in) but now we are using an old one. It can get down to as low as 29 kb per sec. Yes kb! (might as well use dial up, eh?) We're debating whether to buy our own router or ask the ISP to give us another one. Our ISP is not the greatest with customer service. You call to complain and you get bad customer service. No matter how nice you are. Since we're in an area that is fairly small (less than 10,000 people during the season and 5, 000 off season), we're kind of stuck. I won't go into cell reception! ha ha ha

Buy your own! That way you can control the security setup.
 
I love Mint and have never have had any problems with it. If there is stuff you don't need with it then don't use it. You can if you want completely remove it as I have done with firefox through Synaptic Package manager which is easy to do. There are a lot of choices in the software Manager and there is Flatpak as well. The forum is great for finding other stuff. Mint is just uncomplicated and in my opinion a good choice to start off with if you are coming from Windows as things are where you expect them to be. Linux is never about popularity, it is about what suits you. There are fans for every Distro. Distrowatch is great for listing most Distros and giving you a chance to look at them. All I can do is say Mint suits me and I've no problems with it at all and while I've tried others I have gone back to it and have stuck with it because I like it. Others will like other Distros, but as you question is about Mint I have tried to answer just on that. Also look at the distros on this forum as here you'll get a good spread of them
 
Good comments @Ptahhotep and @Scott B. -- but just a reminder that you're replying to a thread that's almost 3 years old now. Old threads are a great reference and helpful when searching out problems/issues, but it's easy to not see the date of posts and to not realize that the thread has become somewhat stale. :eek::D

Cheers
 
Good comments @Ptahhotep and @Scott B. -- but just a reminder that you're replying to a thread that's almost 3 years old now. Old threads are a great reference and helpful when searching out problems/issues, but it's easy to not see the date of posts and to not realize that the thread has become somewhat stale. :eek::D

Cheers
Must admit I didn't see the date of it when I replied :oops::oops:
 
Must admit I didn't see the date of it when I replied :oops::oops:

No harm at all, and your comment was still good and relevant. I think a lot of folks miss the post dates, so just an opportunity for me to bring it up to help readers to recognize that it's there.

Cheers
 

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