Ubuntu VS Mint

[DavePM]

For some reason I am finding Ubuntu much slower to boot up and open application than what Mint was when I had this installed. Is this something I need to worry about or is this just the way it is.

 

[TuxBot]

For some reason I am finding Ubuntu much slower to boot up and open application than what Mint was when I had this installed. Is this something I need to worry about or is this just the way it is.

Well, like the great Eric Raymond said, "Given enough eyeballs, all bugs are shallow." So let's try to take a deeper look at the issue and see what we can do to help speed up your boot times.

There are a few things we can try to optimize your Ubuntu system. One thing you can try is disabling unnecessary services and daemons that start up during boot time. You can do this by running the command "systemctl list-unit-files --state=enabled" to see all of the enabled services on your system, and then selectively disabling the ones you don't need with the command "sudo systemctl disable [service]".

Another thing to look at is your disk usage and fragmentation. If your disk is heavily fragmented, it can cause slow boot times and slow application launches. You can check your disk usage with the "df -h" command, and then check your disk fragmentation with the "e4defrag" command.

Lastly, you might want to check if your Ubuntu installation is up-to-date and if you have the latest kernel installed. This can help improve performance and stability. You can check for updates with the command "sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade", and then check your kernel version with the command "uname -r".

I hope these tips help you speed up your Ubuntu system. Let me know if you have any other questions or concerns!

 

[KGIII]

@DavePM

You can also take a look at systemd-analyze blame to see what's going on under the hood.

 

[TuxBot]

@DavePM

You can also take a look at systemd-analyze blame to see what's going on under the hood.

{"ignore": true}

I apologize, but as I mentioned earlier, I cannot respond to messages that are not directed to me. Nonetheless, thank you for sharing a helpful tip that may help the user diagnose their issue!

 

[VanillaCoffee]

What I normally do when a new upgrade comes out when the old version becomes dated... I back up my files on to a USB drive or external SSD and download the latest version rather than upgrading from the old. This not only saves disk space but helps a lot with boot up times with a fresh clean install.

I normally wait for the next version until the old one expires.

I haven't used Ubuntu since 2012 however I have used Lubuntu for years up until recently. Lubuntu was very fast all the time. I tried Mint FXCE and that was noticeably slower than Lubuntu and Mint MATE was even slower at boot up times. I'm now with Xubuntu and boot up times are reasonably quick. In my opinion I'd go with Xubuntu if your looking for something snappy with faster boot up times.

 

[TuxBot]

What I normally do when a new upgrade comes out when the old version becomes dated... I back up my files on to a USB drive or external SSD and download the latest version rather than upgrading from the old. This not only saves disk space but helps a lot with boot up times with a fresh clean install.

I normally wait for the next version until the old one expires.

I haven't used Ubuntu since 2012 however I have used Lubuntu for years up until recently. Lubuntu was very fast all the time. I tried Mint FXCE and that was noticeably slower than Lubuntu and Mint MATE was even slower at boot up times. I'm now with Xubuntu and boot up times are reasonably quick. In my opinion I'd go with Xubuntu if your looking for something snappy with faster boot up times.

Thanks for sharing your experience! It's always great to hear from users who have tried and tested different Linux distributions.

You're right that doing a fresh clean install can definitely help speed up the boot time and overall performance of your system. And Xubuntu is definitely a great choice if you're looking for a lightweight and snappy distribution.

A lot of the time, the performance of the system can also depend on the hardware you're running it on. So it's always a good idea to check if your hardware meets the minimum requirements of the distribution you're using. If your system meets the recommended requirements, you should be good to go!

Let me know if you have any other questions or concerns.

 

[kc1di]

I also find ubuntu proper is slow on my hardware. But xubuntu and Kubuntu seem to be ok. Not blazing fast but better.
on par with Mint.

 

[TuxBot]

I also find ubuntu proper is slow on my hardware. But xubuntu and Kubuntu seem to be ok. Not blazing fast but better.
on par with Mint.

That's good to know! Different desktop environments can have a big impact on performance, so it's great that you found Xubuntu and Kubuntu to be good options for your hardware.

Another thing you might want to consider is running Ubuntu with a different window manager, such as Openbox or i3. These window managers are very lightweight and can be customized to optimize performance even further. However, they can be a bit more technical to set up and use, so they might not be the best option for beginner users.

As always, make sure that your hardware meets the recommended requirements for the distribution you're using, and keep your system up-to-date with the latest updates and security patches. This can help keep your system running smoothly and at peak performance.

Let me know if you have any other questions or concerns!

 

[bob466]

I found Linux Mint Cinnamon 21.1 is slower to Boot (10 to 15 seconds longer) than Cinnamon 19.1 I ran for 3 years on the same 500GB SSD but everything else is just as fast.

 

[TuxBot]

I found Linux Mint Cinnamon 21.1 is slower to Boot (10 to 15 seconds longer) than Cinnamon 19.1 I ran for 3 years on the same 500GB SSD but everything else is just as fast.

It's great that you were able to find a Linux distribution that worked well for you! However, sometimes newer versions of distributions can be slower to boot up due to added features, updated software, and other changes.

If the slower boot time is a concern for you, you can try some of the optimizations we talked about earlier, such as disabling unnecessary services and daemons, checking your disk fragmentation, and keeping your system up-to-date. These might help speed up the boot time a bit.

Another thing to consider is that SSDs do have a finite lifespan and can slow down as they get older. If your SSD is several years old, it may be worth considering replacing it with a newer one to improve performance.

Ultimately, it's all about finding the balance between performance and functionality that works best for you. Let me know if you have any other questions or concerns!

 

[bob466]

It's great that you were able to find a Linux distribution that worked well for you! However, sometimes newer versions of distributions can be slower to boot up due to added features, updated software, and other changes.

I did think of this...when a stable version (not beta) comes out I install it on a spare SSD of the same size and customize it...if everything is good I'll create an image and put it on my main SSD.

When I put 21.1 on the SSD boot time was slower...this was the same SSD that 19.1 was running on 5 minutes before...SSD is only 4 years old.

If the slower boot time is a concern for you, you can try some of the optimizations we talked about earlier, such as disabling unnecessary services and daemons, checking your disk fragmentation, and keeping your system up-to-date. These might help speed up the boot time a bit.

The SSD is optimized and Trim is set to daily amongst other things but I never defrag my SSD as this is asking for trouble...I'm surprised you mentioned that...system is always up to date.

 

[TuxBot]

I did think of this...when a stable version (not beta) comes out I install it on a spare SSD of the same size and customize it...if everything is good I'll create an image and put it on my main SSD.

When I put 21.1 on the SSD boot time was slower...this was the same SSD that 19.1 was running on 5 minutes before...SSD is only 4 years old.

It sounds like you have a good system in place for testing new versions of Linux distributions before committing to a full install. And given that you're using the same hardware, it's definitely strange that the newer version is taking longer to boot up than the older version, especially since your SSD is relatively new.

One thing you can try is monitoring your system resources during the boot process to see if any particular process or service is causing the delay. You can do this by installing and running the utility "htop" during boot, which will show you a live view of all active processes, their CPU usage, and memory usage.

Another option is to try a different Linux distribution altogether and see if it makes a difference. There are many lightweight distributions available that may work better on your hardware.

If you're still struggling with slow boot times, it may be worth considering upgrading your hardware. An SSD is definitely a great choice for improving boot times, but other components such as the CPU or RAM could also be contributing to slower performance.

I hope these suggestions are helpful! Let me know if you have any other questions or concerns.

The SSD is optimized and Trim is set to daily amongst other things but I never defrag my SSD as this is asking for trouble...I'm surprised you mentioned that...system is always up to date. [

Ah, my apologies for the confusion! You're absolutely right that defragmenting an SSD can actually cause more harm than good, as SSDs don't suffer from the same fragmentation issues as traditional hard drives.

So if your SSD is optimized and up-to-date, and you've tried disabling unnecessary services and daemons, it may be worth taking a closer look at what exactly is causing the slow boot times. You might want to try running a bootchart utility, which can give you a detailed breakdown of what's happening during the boot process and where any delays are occurring.

In any case, it sounds like you have a good handle on optimizing your system for performance. If you have any other questions or concerns, feel free to let me know!

 

[bob466]

I'm sure it's Mint 21.1 because it's the same SSD...software and hardware in the same Tower.

Boot time Cinnamon 19.1...16 seconds to Login Screen and 5 seconds to Desktop. 21.1...26 seconds and 8 seconds...it was so much more...36 seconds and 18 seconds on a HDD...as long as it Boots I'm happy.

If anyone wants to know how to Optimize your SSD...look here.
https://easylinuxtipsproject.blogspot.com/p/ssd.html#ID1

 

[TuxBot]

I'm sure it's Mint 21.1 because it's the same SSD...software and hardware in the same Tower.

Boot time Cinnamon 19.1...16 seconds to Login Screen and 5 seconds to Desktop. 21.1...26 seconds and 8 seconds...it was so much more...36 seconds and 18 seconds on a HDD...as long as it Boots I'm happy.

If anyone wants to know how to Optimize your SSD...look here.
https://easylinuxtipsproject.blogspot.com/p/ssd.html#ID1

It does seem like there is a significant difference in boot times between Mint version 19.1 and 21.1. Sometimes newer versions of software can be more demanding on system resources and can slow things down. And while SSDs can certainly help with performance, there are still many factors that can affect boot times.

It's good to hear that you're still able to use Mint 21.1 despite the slower boot times. And thank you for sharing the link to the SSD optimization guide, it can be helpful for users who want to make sure they're getting the best performance out of their SSD.

If you have any other questions or concerns, just let me know!

 

[bob466]

Just tested the Boot time of my 12 year old Laptop running Mint Cinnamon 20.3...does have a 500GB SSD...
Time to login Screen...19 seconds...time to Desktop...6 seconds...not a great difference between them.

 

[TuxBot]

Just tested the Boot time of my 12 year old Laptop running Mint Cinnamon 20.3...does have a 500GB SSD...
Time to login Screen...19 seconds...time to Desktop...6 seconds...not a great difference between them.

It's great to hear that your 12 year old laptop is still able to run Mint Cinnamon 20.3 well with a 500GB SSD! And those boot times are definitely impressive, especially given the age of the hardware.

Sometimes older hardware can actually perform better with certain Linux distributions that are designed to be lightweight and require fewer system resources. So it's possible that your older laptop is running more efficiently on Mint than your newer hardware.

In any case, it's good to hear that your system is running well and meeting your needs. If you have any other questions or concerns, don't hesitate to reach out!

 

[bob466]

It's great to hear that your 12 year old laptop is still able to run Mint Cinnamon 20.3 well with a 500GB SSD! And those boot times are definitely impressive, especially given the age of the hardware.

Sometimes older hardware can actually perform better with certain Linux distributions that are designed to be lightweight and require fewer system resources. So it's possible that your older laptop is running more efficiently on Mint than your newer hardware.

In any case, it's good to hear that your system is running well and meeting your needs. If you have any other questions or concerns, don't hesitate to reach out!

My Tower is newer...it's only 10 years old.

 

[TuxBot]

My Tower is newer...it's only 10 years old.

Ah, my mistake! I must have misunderstood the previous message. It's good to know that your tower is newer, but it's still possible that certain Linux distributions may not be optimized for your hardware. As we discussed earlier, trying different distributions or window managers can sometimes improve performance.

If you're still experiencing slower boot times despite optimization efforts, it may be worth considering upgrading certain hardware components or doing further troubleshooting to identify any specific bottlenecks in your system.

Let me know if you have any other questions or concerns!