Review Linux Mint 18 Sarah A week with and ratings-Part 7
I'm currently on day two with Mint. It's Sunday, and I can easily wipe this off my machine and be on to the next distro. I can not describe how badly I want to do that and be done with Mint.
For the record, I have literally nothing bad to say about this distribution. It is the number one distro on distrowatch as it should be. This is by far the best distro I have come across in terms of polish and usability. If you are new to Linux and timid about transitioning, this is where you should start. If you are the sort of person that likes things to "just work" with minimum fussing, this is the place you should start. It works, it's pretty, it's reasonably stable, it's got any and all Linux software available...it seems to be (for the desktop user that wants simple)....the best out there.
And as I've said before I absolutely hate it. I despise this distro. I need breakage, I need to configure. The only polish I want on my box is polish I put together.
It's weird...but that's part of why I run Linux in the first place. What can you change in Windows? I guess there's software out there that will let you dig into the loook and feel, but for the most part...it's windows. I don't want that on Linux. Though in fairness, I'm moving off topic. I can do all of these things under Mint....but why would you WANT to? It looks so...perfect out of the box. Ugh...disgusting.
So, there's no way I'm running this thing for a week.
If you want to...go for it. It's a great distro. Arguably the best for the majority of people.
If you're an ADHD, compulsive distro-hopper that likes to tweak and configure and problem-solve...I don't think Mint is the one.
Ratings
Ease of installation: 9
The Mint installation process is probably as easy as it gets. I'm not sure how it handles NVidia cards nowadays(I used to have to do nomodeset on fresh Ubuntu and Mint installs), so I'm going to ding it a little on that. But...it's a quick, easy, intuitive install that drops you right into a polished and familiar desktop.
Package management: 10
Linux Mint has an easy to find, easy to use Software Manager, plus synaptic installed by default, plus applications included (Spotify, etc) that I honestly haven't seen anywhere else included by default, plus a new user guide that can walk most people through the process. This is an easy perfect score.
Amount of packages available: 10
It has everything that Ubuntu has plus more than I've ever seen. Again, the inclusion of software like Spotify, Skype and dropbox is something I haven't noticed in other distros. A huge plus for new users out there.
Distro innovation: 5
I really don't see any innovation here. Linux Mint is like German engineering. They make it perfect, I mean PERFECT, but innovation....notsomuch.
Even the Cinnamon Desktop Environment (and mint-tools) which is a beautiful, wonderful thing and perfectly timed. Is it innovating? I don't think so. It's the desktop that wasn't there and was necessary. And it was built and delivered perfectly. But not innovative. Gnome3 is innovative, KDE 4 was innovative. Heck...even Unity was innovative to an extent.
Mint, and everything Mint specific, is really well crafted spit, polish, and packaging.
Community/support/documentation: 10
I don't think it's possible to find better support and resources. Easy 10
Stable enough for a business: 8
I think it would be an easy daily driver for business. I can't speak to issues in an enterprise environment, but for a solo, or small business, it should work just fine. I'm sure there would be occasional issues like most distros, but I doubt anything major or regular.
Overall performance:9
I'm tempted to give this a ten. But we're talking about performance. I've had a few small issues, but nothing too frustrating. It runs just fine. Combine that with all the huge benefits of running Mint, this is a no-brainer for most people.
Fun-factor: 6
For me? Very little, for reasons I mentioned above. Not only is it NOT fun for me, I actually cringed this morning at the thought of booting it up. For most people, I don't know. How much fun is something that looks so pretty and just works? I've given it a 6 because I think the vast majority of users out there will love this distro. If I were being true to myself on this one....I'd give it a 1. I hate Linux Mint....
Overall rating: 8.375
Realistically, this distro should be between a 9 and 10. I'm trying to inject a degree of neutrality will making my personal opinions known. This is a great distro to start with, or run.
Summary
Linux Mint works great, looks great, has great support and resources and is noob friendly. It's the best in so many ways. It you want polish...try it out.
If the thought of something so perfect and functional makes you cringe (like me)...run away fast. Leave this distro alone.
On to the next one....
For the record, I have literally nothing bad to say about this distribution. It is the number one distro on distrowatch as it should be. This is by far the best distro I have come across in terms of polish and usability. If you are new to Linux and timid about transitioning, this is where you should start. If you are the sort of person that likes things to "just work" with minimum fussing, this is the place you should start. It works, it's pretty, it's reasonably stable, it's got any and all Linux software available...it seems to be (for the desktop user that wants simple)....the best out there.
And as I've said before I absolutely hate it. I despise this distro. I need breakage, I need to configure. The only polish I want on my box is polish I put together.
It's weird...but that's part of why I run Linux in the first place. What can you change in Windows? I guess there's software out there that will let you dig into the loook and feel, but for the most part...it's windows. I don't want that on Linux. Though in fairness, I'm moving off topic. I can do all of these things under Mint....but why would you WANT to? It looks so...perfect out of the box. Ugh...disgusting.
So, there's no way I'm running this thing for a week.
If you want to...go for it. It's a great distro. Arguably the best for the majority of people.
If you're an ADHD, compulsive distro-hopper that likes to tweak and configure and problem-solve...I don't think Mint is the one.
Ratings
Ease of installation: 9
The Mint installation process is probably as easy as it gets. I'm not sure how it handles NVidia cards nowadays(I used to have to do nomodeset on fresh Ubuntu and Mint installs), so I'm going to ding it a little on that. But...it's a quick, easy, intuitive install that drops you right into a polished and familiar desktop.
Package management: 10
Linux Mint has an easy to find, easy to use Software Manager, plus synaptic installed by default, plus applications included (Spotify, etc) that I honestly haven't seen anywhere else included by default, plus a new user guide that can walk most people through the process. This is an easy perfect score.
Amount of packages available: 10
It has everything that Ubuntu has plus more than I've ever seen. Again, the inclusion of software like Spotify, Skype and dropbox is something I haven't noticed in other distros. A huge plus for new users out there.
Distro innovation: 5
I really don't see any innovation here. Linux Mint is like German engineering. They make it perfect, I mean PERFECT, but innovation....notsomuch.
Even the Cinnamon Desktop Environment (and mint-tools) which is a beautiful, wonderful thing and perfectly timed. Is it innovating? I don't think so. It's the desktop that wasn't there and was necessary. And it was built and delivered perfectly. But not innovative. Gnome3 is innovative, KDE 4 was innovative. Heck...even Unity was innovative to an extent.
Mint, and everything Mint specific, is really well crafted spit, polish, and packaging.
Community/support/documentation: 10
I don't think it's possible to find better support and resources. Easy 10
Stable enough for a business: 8
I think it would be an easy daily driver for business. I can't speak to issues in an enterprise environment, but for a solo, or small business, it should work just fine. I'm sure there would be occasional issues like most distros, but I doubt anything major or regular.
Overall performance:9
I'm tempted to give this a ten. But we're talking about performance. I've had a few small issues, but nothing too frustrating. It runs just fine. Combine that with all the huge benefits of running Mint, this is a no-brainer for most people.
Fun-factor: 6
For me? Very little, for reasons I mentioned above. Not only is it NOT fun for me, I actually cringed this morning at the thought of booting it up. For most people, I don't know. How much fun is something that looks so pretty and just works? I've given it a 6 because I think the vast majority of users out there will love this distro. If I were being true to myself on this one....I'd give it a 1. I hate Linux Mint....
Overall rating: 8.375
Realistically, this distro should be between a 9 and 10. I'm trying to inject a degree of neutrality will making my personal opinions known. This is a great distro to start with, or run.
Summary
Linux Mint works great, looks great, has great support and resources and is noob friendly. It's the best in so many ways. It you want polish...try it out.
If the thought of something so perfect and functional makes you cringe (like me)...run away fast. Leave this distro alone.
On to the next one....
Review Linux Mint 18 Sarah A week with and ratings-Part 7
Reviewed by cptr13
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12:34 PM
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Reviewed by cptr13
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12:34 PM
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