why *shouldn’t* I use mint?
Posted by Slimebot32@reddit | linux | View on Reddit | 213 comments
For reference, I recently got into linux after using windows for a while, mostly for the terminal and to avoid bloat/spyware eating my cpu. My only real experience has been with mint so far (i’d heard good things about it and liked it aesthetically), and i’ve been absolutely loving it.
Thing is, i’ve since heard a lot of people also saying it isn’t that great, and I want to know exactly why. The only thing i’ve heard specifically is packages being outdated, but I don’t know specifically what problems that causes/entails, and it sounds like people have other grievances that I haven’t seen explained.
Basically, I want a technical rundown of why exactly some of you may not recommend mint, what issues I may face, or what drawbacks it have that I may not have noticed from my limited sample size.
crookdmouth@reddit
I doubt there is a reason unless you must have newest updates. I don't want to think about my OS and Mint has never failed me in 11 years. I have not found a reason to switch.
Slight_Manufacturer6@reddit
Does the default still look as ugly as Windows? I hate installing and having to completely change the desktop so it isn’t so ugly every time.
crookdmouth@reddit
I suppose you could just install another DE but I just don't care myself. If it did, I would probably just use Debian with Neon Plasma or wbatever. Its been working for me for over a decade and I like the way it works so I stick with it.
Slight_Manufacturer6@reddit
I would just stick with Windows if I wanted Windows. I hate the inefficiencies of that design.
crookdmouth@reddit
Thats exactly it. Use whatever works for you.
QuickSilver010@reddit
If you want the newest updates, you can just install nixpgks on top of mint.
Slight_Manufacturer6@reddit
Or just install a distro that supports modern software and features out of the box… then no need to hack around to make it work.
QuickSilver010@reddit
You missed the point. This is about the availability of software. Not about preinstalled software.
Slight_Manufacturer6@reddit
You missed my point. My point is software availability is not the only reason not to use Mint.
And I’m not saying the reasons can’t be worked around, but they are valid reasons.
QuickSilver010@reddit
I never argued for any reason to use or not use mint. Mint was never actually part of my argument. I was just giving a helpful tip for a cross distro package manager that can get the latest packages. You can't miss a point that's never made.
Danny_el_619@reddit
That is one way. I use that for some cli's because installing cli programs with flatpak is suffering (
flaptpak run program).Too bad home-manager causes cinnamon to crash.
QuickSilver010@reddit
I don't use nixpkgs with config
I just install stuff with nix-env
Danny_el_619@reddit
Almost the same time and also Mint and Cinnamon have never failed me. I have very little experience with other distros just because I never had a need to use them.
Mr_Lumbergh@reddit
There’s no good reason not to. It’s a solid distro and easy to use.
Maybe-monad@reddit
it might lack support for newer hardware
pilatomic@reddit
Not anymore, they ship with a very up to date kernel since Mint 22 :-)
Slight_Manufacturer6@reddit
The current distro does, but then they will be stuck on that kernel for a while because they are only utilizing LTS.
If you really want to keep up with new hardware, you need a distro that updates more frequently.
Also Wayland support is only beta so it will not support modern display features like HDR well.
clearlybreghldalzee@reddit
And hows the mesa situation for new gpus in mint?
mmdoublem@reddit
Just as every distro that is not bleeding edge though.
madthumbz@reddit
TimurHu@reddit
There is a difference between bleeding edge and being outdated.
Irregular_Person@reddit
Yes, those are indeed two different things
Hrafna55@reddit
https://linuxmint-user-guide.readthedocs.io/en/latest/edge.html
They have a variant for that issue.
dadnothere@reddit
The update center allows you to update the kernel, which is currently the most recent. In addition to being compatible with liquorix https://weskerty.github.io/LinuxOneClick/
leaflock7@reddit
Reasons to not use Mint
1. You don't like the Cinnamon, XFCE, MAte desktop env.
2. The above don't run wayland yet. For me this is a thing since on my 4k monitor with Cinnamon i get screen tearing
3. You don't want to use an Ubuntu/debian based distro
4. You don't wat to be based on the LTS version and want something more up to date and current
5. You don't want a point release and want a rolling release
those are in the top of my head
JazzyWarthog@reddit
Is that why my 4k monitor stutters or has screen-tearing? Turning on force full pipeline composition gets rid of the screen tearing but not the stuttering.
leaflock7@reddit
could be. for me this is the case. You can try login to Cinammon with Wayland if you are using the X11, to try different drivers if you are using nvidia
Slight_Manufacturer6@reddit
And that said, Wayland is only beta on Mint so best to use a Desktop that has better Wayland support.
Slight_Manufacturer6@reddit
Mint doesn’t support 4k well. You want a modern DE that uses Wayland if you want modern display technology.
Otlap@reddit
If you are using nvidia GPU with wayland on Driver version < 560 then yes.
daemonpenguin@reddit
Cinnamon has a Wayland session in the latest release.
Moneydollar3@reddit
An experimental Wayland session. It’s functional but not too much beyond that. KDE and GNOME are light years ahead in terms of Wayland support.
AmSoMad@reddit
Mint itself is fine. It's based on Debian, it's pretty okay. But it's primary desktop environment, Cinnamon, as well as its secondaries MATE and Xfce, are older environments, built on older versions of GTK, that are meant for older/weaker hardware; and Mint still uses X11 as it's default display protocol.
The newer, faster, fancier distros (which are still pretty light and performant) are using GNOME with GTK4, and KDE with QT6, and Wayland instead of X11. That includes other Debian distros like Ubuntu, and Debian itself.
Mint was a long time recommendation for people trying to switch from Windows, usually on older hardware, who wanted a "good distro, that wasn't demanding, but familiar". But in 2024, it pales in comparison to the monster distros like Fedora, using monster desktop environments like KDE and GNOME. And not only that, if you install Fedora/KDE and compare it to Mint/Cinnamon - you'll probably only be using 200MB of additional RAM at IDLE on Fedora/KDE. That's not exactly a huge performance hit.
lazycakes360@reddit
As someone who's used fedora, fedora is not as user friendly as mint when it comes to a lot of things. You're not going to know to do things like installing the nvidia driver from the RPMFusion repos (and enabling them if you're not using workstation with the giant button that says "Enable third-party repositories"), switching the free codecs for the nonfree ones, installing firefox's H624 support, etc. Fedora is good don't get me wrong, but for a first time user coming from windows it's not really ideal or intuitive.
AmSoMad@reddit
When you install Fedora and boot it for the first time, one of the first things it does is ask you "if you want to enable third-party repos/drivers", which includes the proprietary NVIDIA/RPM Fusion drivers, and the common additional codecs (including H.264).
If that doesn't work, for any reason, it's INCREDIBLY EASY to add the third-party repositories after the fact, and ensure all the codecs are installed.
I can only imagine that you're talking about Fedora 4-years ago+(ish), and not current Fedora. COVID made Linux development absolutely explode, and it continued post-COVID. Fedora now has the same exact driver, codec, and repository support that Ubuntu does. It recognizes hardware just as well as Ubuntu. And it uses less resources than Ubuntu at idle. The only discrepancy I can even think of, is if I install GSConnect, I have to install OpenSSL from the command-line, because it does come installed by default. Even my off-brand Chinese fingerprint sensor and network card are recognized by Fedora.
Patient_Sink@reddit
Last I checked, it doesn't enable the hardware acceleration support for some codecs on AMD even if you toggle the 3rd party repos. If you want to enable that, you need to add rpmfusion and use dnf to swap some packages. This sometimes causes issues updating when rpmfusion hasn't caught up.
Or you can just install the flatpak versions of browsers/video players and it'll work fine either way. But it's not as easy as just ticking the box for 3rd party repos for AMD hardware unfortunately.
AmSoMad@reddit
You're right, the Radeon integrated graphics w/ Vulkan are running correctly w/ the default AMDGPU drivers. I was missing a few of the RPM Fusion codecs though (none that I've encountered or had issues with, but I went ahead and added them anyways).
I'd still call it "easy", but I guess it depends who you ask.
lazycakes360@reddit
Where it prompts you for turning them on is only on workstation. None of the spins have that prompt.
My issue isn't the functionality, it's the fact that users aren't going to know that they should do this stuff when they install fedora for the first time (except for the nvidia driver.) They aren't going to know what RPMFusion is or how important it is to switch codecs. Unless they're following a tutorial, they'll be totally lost.
FengLengshun@reddit
For the most part, I agree, but that's why I'd say people should just use Nobara or Bazzite. Honestly, if you just want to game and browse, just use Bazzite.
lazycakes360@reddit
While I think nobara is good, I tend to not recommend it since support isn't exactly widespread and it could always be dropped at any time. The only bid you really have is the discord server or reddit. Most base distros like Fedora or Ubuntu already have many threads with problems & solutions that you can search with a single google search.
I think Bazzite is great though if you're willing to commit to flatpak.
FengLengshun@reddit
Yeah, IMHO people should try to go for Bazzite until they hit a wall with the immutability limitations that can't be addressed through distrobox, Nix, layering, or making your own image (which is surprisingly easy, only the idea is daunting).
There are a lot of guides to circumventing its limitations, that by the time you exhausted them, I think you are ready in terms of tinkering skills to go with Nobara or Arch-based distro.
k4ever07@reddit
u/lazycakes360 is right. Fedora is not as user friendly as Linux Mint, even for experienced users like myself. I've done some extensive testing of Fedora 39 and 40 installed on a spare SSD on my Surface Pro 8. Adding support for non-free (normal) codecs and Firefox H264 is a royal PITA. There is a whole page of instructions dedicated to it that are a little confusing, depending on which version of Fedora your using. Linux Mint handles this for you with a single click. EndeavourOS (Arch Linux) seems to do this automatically (no input from you at all). However, if you use Nobara Linux, which is based on Fedora, all of this is also done for you automatically. Like I mentioned, I do a lot of testing with Fedora. However, the whole free vs non-free thing that Fedora has going on is a MAJOR turn-off for me. I support open source whenever possible, I just don't want it forced down my throat.
drunkondata@reddit
So old and light vs new fancy and... faster than the lightweight?
AmSoMad@reddit
If your on an older machine with extremely limited graphical performance/capability, then maybe you don't want to use Wayland, KDE, or GNOME, but the distro itself shouldn't cause a huge difference.
If you have very little RAM, then maybe something like Puppy Linux w/ Joe's Window Manager (which probably uses 100-200MB of RAM at idle) is better than Fedora KDE (which you can get down to 500MB of RAM at idle) or Fedora GNOME (which you can get down to 700MB of RAM at idle).
But generally speaking, if you have less then 4GB of RAM, you're going to be in a tough position regardless. And if you have 4GB+ of RAM, the extra few 100MBs usage probably won't be a big deal.
So yeah, I'd pick the fancy new stuff, that's almost just as lightweight, unless I was on some real junk hardware. And when I say "real junk hardware"... you can buy $30 used computers online that'll run the newer stuff just fine (including Chromebooks). You really gotta be trying hard - using some 15 year old laptop you found in your closet - to require older/lighter approach. If that crappy laptop was running Windows Vista, then it can probably handle a regular Linux.
KeyboardG@reddit
I run Cinnamon on current hardware because it just works. It’s clean and not overflowing with settings.
AmSoMad@reddit
For me that's GNOME. I use the "Just Perfection" extension, and the result is a complete anti-desktop environment. It's a blank workspace (no taskbar or dock). Three-finger swipe up shows the dock, taskbar, type-to-search, and all your windows/workspaces - and three-finger swipe up again shows your programs list. Literally nothing else to it (but part of why it's so powerful is because of Wayland's gesture and animation improvements/support).
To me Cinnamon feels like the same simplistic, Windows-style, mouse-oriented desktop environment that almost all the DEs are going for (KDE, Xfce, Budgie, with Panthon and Deepin kind of being Windows/Mac hybrid approaches). No matter which one I use, I find myself trying to make it look and function like the new GNOME (which again, looks like nothing, because it's a blank workspace, workspace/window management, and an app list).
xabrol@reddit
Gnome on gtl4 or kde on qt6 both on wayland is pretty much the only way I can stand using Linux anymore.
Going back to x11 with a total amount of screen space over 12 pixels wide, is painful.
xAsasel@reddit
Really? I find Wayland way to buggy still, I have 2x 3440x1440 monitors. I don't notice any difference between Wayland and X11 when it comes to performance, so I just run X11 by default. Wayland causes my second monitor to freeze randomly as well as making half of it go white from time to time lol
k4ever07@reddit
This really depends on whether or not you have an NVIDIA dGPU. Wayland on NVIDIA is buggy as hell right now when compared to Wayland on Intel or AMD GPUs. I'm typing this on my NVIDIA GTX 1060 dGPU based gaming laptop. I have trouble with Wayland on it every other time I wake it from sleep, which is a vast improvement from a year ago, when I had problems with Wayland every time I woke it from sleep. It's gotten better. However, I have no issues at all using Wayland on my Intel iGPU based Surface Pro 8 and my AMD iGPU based 12 year old HP potato laptop. I have EndeavourOS (Arch Linux) with KDE Plasma 6.1.4 installed on all three.
xAsasel@reddit
Eh, I have a 7900XTX from AMD and still have lots of issues with Wayland
xabrol@reddit
Runs good on my 3090 ti, there was a driver update for Wayland recently.
k4ever07@reddit
I have a laptop that I'm using as a desktop while at home. I guess I could disable sleep while I'm at home since it doesn't draw that much power. However, that doesn't do me any good when I need to travel. It also doesn't do any good for other non-desktop users to ignore or dismiss this bug.
xabrol@reddit
Yeah, im not saying to dismiss it, just that it seems stable for me outside of sleep on a 3090 ti.
k4ever07@reddit
I don't disagree with you. For me, it's very stable outside of sleep also, which is definitely an improvement to what it was less than 2 years ago. At that time, a Plasma Wayland session on NVIDIA would give you a blank screen on login. About a year ago, before NVIDIA's own sleep mode was mature, the display in Plasma Wayland session would be garbled or full of artifacts after waking from sleep. Now, there is an occasional lockup or slowdown after waking from sleep when using NVIDIA's sleep mode with Plasma Wayland. So, it definitely has improved. However, until it works near flawlessly after wake from sleep, you will continue to hear that Wayland is buggy on NVIDIA from laptop users.
xabrol@reddit
Yeah, laptops can be extra complex too because many of them have dynamic dual gpu displays where it runs off the onboard gpu unless something needs the ingegrated gpu and it switches. These hybrid drivers are pretty stable from AMD and kind of non existant for nvidia.
Laptops with dedicated gpu's with no onboard gpu tend to fair better ime.
xabrol@reddit
How long ago was it that you actually tried that. And I have a lot more pixels than you.
xAsasel@reddit
Trying it right now on my PC with freshly installed Fedora, as soon as I connect my second monitor Wayland craps itself lol.
Funny thing is that it works without most of these issues on Debian Testing with Wayland. Only problem there is the second monitor freezing haha!
I run the AMD drivers that comes with the kernel, never had issues with them on other distros so I can't see why Fedora would give me any.
xabrol@reddit
Dunno, I run Manjaro.
small_tit_girls_pmMe@reddit
Huh. I have the opposite problem. I frequently run into quirks and bugs with X11, and Wayland is completely fine for me other than Discord screen sharing being shit.
Plus, X11 just feels jittery and unsmooth. And the trackpad gestures on X11 make me want to throw my laptop out the window.
xAsasel@reddit
Ah, I use X11 on my gaming PC with a 7900XTX and a 7600X. I've actually never encountered any of those issues, Wayland on the other hand makes me aware of the input lag from my mouse as well as the other issues I mentioned. No hate, Wayland is awesome when it works! I just find it funny that it differs so much from person to person haha
xabrol@reddit
You're running AMD cards. What drivers are you using? Open source or vendor? Proprietary?
Im running a 3090 TI nvidia.
aflamingcookie@reddit
Only LMDE is based on debian, the regular linux mint is based on ubuntu. Aside from this, Cinnamon is implementing Wayland support, which is currently in an experimental state and can be enabled by users. They also offer an "edge" install iso periodically, for those with newer hardware. For example, mint 21.3 used LTS kernel 5.15 by default, while the edge version of mint used kernel 6.5. You can also just upgrade to a newer kernel either using synaptic (LMDE) or the built in kernel manager (regular mint)
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bhones@reddit
Packages/drivers will be outdated subject to the available repos, including video drivers. This has been mentioned several times over the last week or so by one of the driver devs in comments IIRC
KimKat98@reddit
If you add the NVIDIA repository to the driver manager you have access to everything up to 560, but I don't know if you can do that for AMD cards. Mint is far more stable for me for gaming than Pop_OS was.
Slimebot32@reddit (OP)
what problems does that specifically cause though? I’ve heard that a couple times but I haven’t seen an example of why having things a bit outdated is bad or what issues that causes tangibly
seventhbrokage@reddit
It's going to depend on what software you're looking to use. It's no big deal if you're just surfing the web or typing up a document, but it's absolutely a showstopper for gaming. There are some games that will flat out not work if the drivers aren't sufficiently up to date, among other less severe, but equally frustrating issues. The problem with Mint (up to this point, at least) is that it's not just "a bit outdated". Before Mint 22 released earlier this year, 21 was running something like kernel version 5.18, when rolling release distros were on 6.8 at the time. It was to the point where the devs had to release the "edge" version that used the 6.5 kernel just so people with newer hardware could do the bare minimum of using their hardware.
bhones@reddit
I was trying to be nice when I said pretty far lol.
seventhbrokage@reddit
I'll be the one to be blunt about it lol
Don't get me wrong, I think Mint is a fantastic distro for the right use cases, but I wouldn't touch it with a ten foot pole for my daily driver. I want my shiny new games to actually work some time within the first eight months of release, thank you
Turtlereddi_t@reddit
Which Distro do you use/recommend for gaming? I have tried a little gaming on Linux and I never had issues, but thats mainly because almost all games I play a natively supported anyway (Factorio + Valheim e.g.).
bhones@reddit
Same as /u/seventhbrokage , EndeavourOS.
seventhbrokage@reddit
I personally use EndeavourOS, but there are plenty of good options out there for different tastes. Arch itself works fine if you're familiar with managing the system yourself. Garuda gives you the Arch base with most gaming optimizations either built in or available in the installer/first run welcome center. Base Fedora is fine, but it requires a bit of tinkering to get up and running for certain hardware. Nobara is based on Fedora, but similar to Garuda, it's built specifically for gaming and has most software and optimizations built in. Bazzite is based on Fedora Kinoite, but is basically SteamOS for full computers. And then of course you could use OpenSUSE Tumbleweed, but I haven't tried that one out myself, at least as far as gaming is concerned. I'd imagine it's along similar lines as Fedora. You could also go for Pop!_OS, since it's also a gaming-focused distro, but it's based on Ubuntu and isn't quite as up to date as the others I mentioned. My main point here is that the large majority of distros are going to be fine to game on. It's mostly just Mint and Debian that I would avoid, but even something like Ubuntu would probably be fine for the right users.
bhones@reddit
Same here brother. I have to say I don’t miss League, or Fortnite. I think they are the only things I played in my past life that I 1. Can’t on Linux, and 2. Don’t want to anyway. Other than that, the latest GE Proton or Wine, Steam, Lutris for running mod managers, (r2modman is native!) and I haven’t found but a handful of games I can’t play at great frame rates on Wayland.
I’m also using a Radeon 6900XT and a GTX1070 FE for the VM. Loving it.
Brahvim@reddit
Did you mean: Wayland and the desktop environment of choice instead?
bhones@reddit
There are various bugs that could affect you, and like most people that report bugs or complain about them you’d likely be complaining to the devs, reddit or a forum to hear “what did you expect?” or “this was fixed a year ago, it’s because you’re on Mint”, etcetera.
I’m not saying go bleeding edge, or go Arch (disclaimer I’m on EndeavourOS), it comes with its own bag of considerations and sometimes issues. Not as bad as most make it out to be, I use Arch based Linux for my daily driving gaming machine, for work (remote work, IT), run a Windows VM with a secondary gpu passed through to it, and the only time I break things is entirely because of the KDE wallpaper engine plugin from the AUR and being dumb and applying a wallpaper with effects it doesn’t support. You CAN make it work and be “stable”. But mint, popos, Ubuntu (and community flavors) run pretty far behind. Might be fine, might not be fine. YMMV.
I don’t recommend *buntu, popos, mint, or similar distros. I recommend what I run when I do recommend or am asked because my recommendation comes with the ever-assumed “I’ll be your personal support desk for any and all issues” that I never say, but always end up being. I want hands on experience with whatever I’m gonna have to fix for “you”, whoever that may be.
Slimebot32@reddit (OP)
Hopping back to ask—mostly out of curiosity; does the same apply to LMDE? you make it sound like it’s mostly an ubuntu issue but I wouldn’t know
(also thank you so much for the detailed reply, I forgot to say that earlier)
YNWA_1213@reddit
LMDE can be even more out of date because it’s 6 months behind the latest Debian release, and not a priority for Mint devs to patch. I wouldn’t use LMDE on a daily just yet personally unless you can either fix things yourself or lean way more into Debian’s ‘Stable’ mindset and workflow.
mrvictorywin@reddit
To be able to play a 10 year old game on 7 year old hardware I had to update my GPU drivers. https://github.com/doitsujin/dxvk/issues/3604
s0litar1us@reddit
I used to daily drive it.
But I eventually switched over to a rolling release distro (Arch, btw) after getting tired of dealing with the point releases (it at one point it broke a lot of stuff on my system after trying to update to a new point release), also I was getting tired of both having to deal with both apt, and manually installing stuff to get the latest version of some software I needed the latest version off.
It works great as a beginner friendly distro, but in my case it eventually began getting in my way, which probably was because I liked tinkering with my system a lot.
Also, it's based on Ubuntu, and spends a lot of effort trying to remve the Ubuntu crap. Though they are woking on a version directly based on Debian.
NotScrollsApparently@reddit
Isn't it kinda the same in arch, you just use pacman instead of apt?
s0litar1us@reddit
Yeah, it's another package manager, but the repos are different, and it has the AUR (Arch User Repository) where it is all in one place instead of the PPA crap where you need to add a repo and then install the package.
Also, the arch repos usually have a very up to date version of the package, and in some cases it compiles it directly from the git repo of the project (the package is usually suffixed with "-git" in that case), so having to manually install something instead of installing it using the package manager isn't something I do now.
NotScrollsApparently@reddit
You have no idea how deranged you sound to someone not proficient with linux xd
I think I'll try endeavourOS for a general purpose windows-replacement OS so i hope it's as convenient as you say
s0litar1us@reddit
Well, Arch isn't intended for people not proficient with Linux, as you kinda have to do some things yourself and understand more about how your system works. Though it us technically possible for beginners to use it, but they likely won't have a good time. (Though some distros based on Arch can be a lot easier for beginners to use.) So this was more of explaining my experiences and how I do things as someone already familiar with Linux rather than a beginners guide.
btw, have fun with endeavorOS, I have heard some nice things about it.
6950X_Titan_X_Pascal@reddit
coz mint's a piece of sh*t
Slimebot32@reddit (OP)
out of all the responses i’ve gotten, this one is by far the most well thought out and helpful. Thank you for putting in the time to write this <3
faisal6309@reddit
If Cinnamon works for your use case then keep using it. I just could not see myself using anything other than KDE. I tried latest Cinnamon but did not like it. Your experience may differ from me. It's your operating system and your choice. You should keep using what you are comfortable using.
CreepyOptimist@reddit
Mint is the number one distro I suggest to people transitioning from Windows. It has that windows 7 feel to it . everything is as it should be and the os doesn't do dumb shit. Use Mint it's a solid distro
Slimebot32@reddit (OP)
part of me wants to take that as a challenge
CreepyOptimist@reddit
Oh no what have I done
Crazy_Amphibian_8440@reddit
big linux does NOT want you to use mint
vainstar23@reddit
big mint wants you to use Oooobooooooooontooooo
MintyNinja41@reddit
the furries of the tech community urge you to use UwUbuntu :3
BradChesney79@reddit
There is probably something deeply wrong with you.
Just, you know, follow the contribution guidelines when submitting open source patches & feature enhancements.
Be sure to document in your code with very descriptive names for variables and functions.
Otherwise, carry on you mostly harmless weirdo.
MintyNinja41@reddit
what is deeply wrong with me?
BradChesney79@reddit
Oh, don't you go pretending to not know.
Kids these days...
MintyNinja41@reddit
if you have a problem with me, I’d like you to please tell me what it is.
BradChesney79@reddit
If you don't know, I am not telling you.
(I'm just mimicing my ex-wife. While I know I am being ridiculous,... I still am fairly certain she never had that self realization. It is what it is.)
Potential_Courage216@reddit
i support this statement
Swift3469@reddit
You can install the Debian based Mint, without the Ubuntu code base, if you'd rather!
Capable-Reaction8155@reddit
Does this matter? General question but I heard the mint release removed the telemetry nonsense.
Swift3469@reddit
If you like software without a Corporation dictating the direction of its capabilities then yeah, it matters. Debian has been that distro from day one. Mint has been focused on bringing it to the masses. Great combo!
NewspaperComplete150@reddit
I use LMDE but thats just because i dont like the idea of basing Mint on Ubuntu. The Mint team does a great job decanonicalizing Ubuntu. There is no practical reason to use LMDE, it's more of a fall back in case Canonical does something really stupid to Ubuntu
Swizzel-Stixx@reddit
They did iirc, but lmde is there for if ubuntu ever disappears, they have a backup
AmSoDoneWithThisShit@reddit
I love mint.. but I use LMDE...not because of any specific Ubuntu hate, but somehow it works better for me.
Eternal-Raider@reddit
As a use case OS its great its stable it usually just works. If you need support for modern hardware or wanna do any gaming mint falls short and thats when id stay away from recommending it
alihan_banan@reddit
If it works, it works. All the issues are small and not really influencial on the user experience, so don't bother, But these small issues still exists and these are some of them:
If you have latest hardware you are gonna face comptability issues. Like, I tried Mint when they still used kernel 6.6, so I couldn't control keyboard backlight, battery health and other rather cool stuff to have, but Fedora did with their Kernel 6.9.
Mint uses X11 + PulseAudio and all the linux distros are moving to Wayland + Pipewire. Why does it matter? X11 doesn't really support proper fractional scaling, so if you have high dpi screen it's gonna be blurry, X11 has some issues with dual monitor set up etc. Pipewire is cool since it nicely integrates into XDG-Portals and Wayland forming nice combo that can operate like a modern Operating System with handling hardware, like cameras, micros, speakers and remaining more secure by creating nice and yeah secure ways apps can use previously said hardware and file system too.
Mint is an Ubuntu derivative, which is a Debian derivative that means a lot of good things since it means you can get help from a wider community and more resources that cover Ubuntu and Debian, but at the same time, Mint might be trying to hard to drviate from Ubuntu and sometimes they mess up dependencies when they ship older packages to avoid libadwaita and ubuntu-influence, so there can be some Mint-specific issues that are less likely to be broadly covered in the internet.
halfanothersdozen@reddit
It doesn't matter. It's Linux. The "best distro" is basically the same thing as "best character class" in Skyrim. Despite obviously being "Khajiit", it really doesn't matter. Sure it makes the early game a little more interesting but you're just wind up a Destruction arch-mage who keeps Lydia locked up in the house.
bhones@reddit
Khajiit isn’t a class, it’s a race. :/
halfanothersdozen@reddit
I don't see race
bhones@reddit
Open your eyes or you’ll end up consuming skooma unintentionally, if one even does so unintentionally.
Fine_Push_955@reddit
Software is tested on LTS versions of Ubuntu, making beta software and new hardware support hard to keep up exactly with Ubuntu… I’d honestly advise against it if you have high compatibility requirements.
waterslurpingnoises@reddit
Old software. Same with Ubuntu and Debian. Mint uses Ubuntu as base iirc.
Things got so much better with a slightly more almost-bleeding edge distro, like Fedora/openSUSE. Or Arch if you're daring. You don't have to wait for half a year for e.g Wayland improvements.
You also shouldn't use Mint if you use very new hardware that old Mint probably wouldn't support.
k4ever07@reddit
The answer to your question depends on your display hardware. Linux Mint uses 3 older GTK-based desktops, Cinnamon, XFCE4, and MATE, that lack (full or any) support for Wayland. If you're using older, less exotic display hardware (no HIDPI display with HDR support or a touchscreen), and you're a beginner to Linux, then Linux Mint is an excellent choice for you. However, if your display is HIDPI, has HDR support, or has a touchscreen, you won't have good or any support for those features with Linux Mint, especially on MATE, until Cinnamon and XFCE4 completes their Wayland transition. Even then, support will probably still be slightly behind GNOME (which doesn't have good support despite having Wayland, but is better than none at all) and WAY behind KDE Plasma (which currently has the best support for these features of any Linux desktop). You could install GNOME or KDE Plasma on Linux Mint, but they won't be fully supported by the Linux Mint team.
Also, Linux Mint is a beginner distribution with some support for experienced and power users. If you are already experienced with using Linux on the desktop (not server), Linux Mint is very, very limiting. You will definitely be better served by a non-Ubuntu based distribution like Arch Linux, OpenSUSE, or Fedora. I recommend EndeavourOS on the Arch side and Nobara Linux on the Fedora side because both give you better support for newer display hardware than Linux Mint.
Next_Information_933@reddit
It's fine, just distro snobs being distro snobs.
The only reason you might not want to use it is that updates might be a touch behind and forums/tutorials online are going to be more common for ubuntu/red hat as those have enterprise server distros that are very common out in the world.
Kliwenad@reddit
no reason not to. Cinnamon is probably the best desktop environment.
al_with_the_hair@reddit
Hackers have distributed malware through Mint's official site, and Mint is the only distribution of its prominence that I'm aware of that has been publicly compromised in that way. I think it speaks poorly to the project's ability to secure their technical infrastructure.
Based on me being downvoted in the past for bringing that up, I guess people don't think it's a fair criticism. Personally, I don't understand how that isn't a pretty big deal. Perhaps one figures that was a while ago and it's just their bad luck and it could happen to any project. Some truth in that: consider the more recent alarming situation with
xz. Still, I'd say nobody can deny that Mint has a lot less manpower and resources than other distributions I could recommend, and I think the failure to keep the website secure is a symptom of that.Maintaining a Linux distribution is a huge project that I'm only willing to entrust to the big projects with a lot of staff. For a purely community-based distribution, that means Debian or Arch. For a corporate-sponsored distribution, that means Ubuntu, Fedora, or openSUSE. I really only recommend those five options and maybe a couple others. Not all of them are as beginner-friendly as Mint, but Ubuntu and Fedora should be similar in ease of getting started. Fedora only becomes difficult to get started, in my opinion, if Nvidia drivers are needed.
Burzowy-Szczurek@reddit
Probably because it's not that up to date, which is an important thing for gaming.
goishen@reddit
It's not a rolling distribution. So, the packages might be a little dated. Other than that, I can't think of a reason not to use it.
ultrasquid9@reddit
While you can use any distro you would like, I personally do not recommend Mint to people for a variety of reasons. Three of my biggest reasons are:
Mint uses 'stable' packages, however this does not mean 'bug-free'. A stable package just means that you can always expect it to have the same behavior - while this may sound good on paper, this also means that you will be stuck with the same bugs, and not get any new features either.
Mint uses the Cinnamon desktop. Cinnamon still uses X11, an older display method that is very quickly losing support. And IMO Cinnamon looks dated as well, its theme looks like it hasn't been updated in forever.
Mint has been making some very weird choices regarding flatpaks recently (an app distribution service that allows graphical apps to be kept up-to-date). In particular, they are hiding unverified Flatpaks by default, and hiding their reviews if enabled. The problem with this is that several major applications, like Chrome and Spotify, are unverified - and with the removal of reviews, there is no way to tell apart malicious actors from verified ones.
I personally like to recommend Bazzite OS - a SteamOS clone available on desktop PCs and other handhelds.
EKX22@reddit
watch out ull become a femboy
BosonCollider@reddit
Old versions of things. Otherwise, not really, it's all just linux. There's many other choices to pick from and mint can easily end up being overlooked since it doesn't stand out much, but that isn't as relevant if you are already using mint.
Neglector9885@reddit
I just commented about this in another sub. I want to open by saying that I think Mint is an excellent distro, and I personally recommend it to everyone I encounter who asks what their first distro should be.
That being said, I do have reservations about Mint. They really have a lot of stuff going on, and I'm concerned about the possibility that they may spread themselves too thin, negatively affecting the quality of their software.
They have their main distro, currently Wilma, with three separate images for desktops that they maintain for it.
They're also providing support for the past 8 point releases.
They also have a secondary distro called Linux Mint Debian Edition, currently LMDE6 Faye.
They also have the Edge iso for computers with newer hardware.
They also have a host of their own software that they develop for Linux Mint, including the Cinnamon desktop itself, and TimeShift.
They really have a lot going on, and over the last few years I've seen them keep adding more and more to their plate. They seem to have it under control for now, but I'm concerned that if the trend continues, they may end up spreading themselves too thin.
I don't turn people away from Linux Mint, but I do warn people about using LMDE. For starters, it's based on Debian directly instead of being based on Ubuntu. This means that solutions for problems on flagship Linux Mint may not work for LMDE. Furthermore, as a side project, the Mint devs will prioritize LMDE below flagship LM. If they have to pull their attention away from something, they'll pull their attention away from LMDE first.
NatoBoram@reddit
https://www.linuxmint.com/searchengines.php
Swimming-Disk7502@reddit
You shouldn't use Mint if you don't like it.
Original_Dimension99@reddit
Idk i had real issues with getting adaptive sync to work in mint, which worked flawlessly out of the box in Nobara.
GL4389@reddit
Linux Mint is a good distro and there isnt much wrong with it. I have used Linux Mint Debian edition myself.
But many Linux users want something technically unique such as complex setup in Arch, cutting edge features in updates like Fedora, immutable distros, gaming specialized distros etc. Mint has none of this. It is an all around easy to to install & use distro OS. so, some people look down on it
manlybrian@reddit
I'm not very good at Linux yet and I've had the most success getting things to work with Mint. Especially AnyDesk, man. I haven't been able to get that shit to work with anything but Mint so far. 😓
Gudfors@reddit
mint is awesome but... arch exists
jdigi78@reddit
mint and arch are nowhere near the same class of distro.
Gudfors@reddit
?
jdigi78@reddit
The overlap of people who should be using Arch and people who should be using Mint is about zero
Gudfors@reddit
oh sry i thought he said hes coming from windows not macos... i can imagine macos user never being able to use arch he also said he wants to avoid bloat
swn999@reddit
Mint is really good overall for a near commercial and commercial complete OS. Enough options for mainstream daily use, for me I preffer LMDE and it works great on old hardware and is a good experience.
jdigi78@reddit
Personally I just think Fedora is easier to use. RedHat is also much more of a trendsetter in recent years than Canonical so Mint has been lagging behind in technological and usability improvements as well as updates.
peteg_is@reddit
I've been using Linux Mint for a while and found one package that wasn't great - Lazarus (Free Pascal). I installed that from the official distribution for Lazarus and it worked perfectly. Otherwise no issues.
With older versions, I had problems with audio on a HP laptop which got fixed with time.
ben2talk@reddit
This is a 'YMMV' question - why shouldn't I eat Vanilla Ice Cream?
I started with Ubuntu until I had good reasons to stop using it - and as I liked gnome2 and didn't want to be bullied, I tried Mint.
Despite the issues (for example, the 'spices' really sucked and extensions aren't it's strong point) it provided me with a very polished interface.
After using it for 5 years, I had reasons to stop using it (mostly about packaging and issues with my personal use) which led me to give Manjaro a spin and test KDE which had progressed to the state where it became my favourite environment.
There are a million reasons NOT to use something - many people think there are many reasons not to use Manjaro... but I don't care about them because it worked for me for 7 years now.
BudgetAd1030@reddit
If you absolutely want to point out some "negatives" about Linux Mint, here's my perspective:
githman@reddit
After distrohopping through many distros over many years and finally settling on Mint, I can imagine only one reason: Wayland. I hear some people find Wayland important for their specific hardware, especially for exotic display configurations. (Nothing wrong with it, of course. Linux is all about choice and self-expression.)
Apart from this, there's no reason not to use Mint. I check on other distros regularly to see if there are any rrrevolutionary cutting-bleeding-hacking-edge features I may need, and each time I decide that there are none.
drunkondata@reddit
Some Linux purists prefer a different distro.
Clearly you shouldn't use what is not preferred by all.
Good luck finding a distro.
Due-Vegetable-1880@reddit
It's a fine distro. Unlike Ubuntu, I can't think of a reason not to use it
cla_ydoh@reddit
There is no technical reason to worry about if it works great for you.
The so-called technical reasons people give are from reaching some sort of limitations in doing what they want to do, or maybe bugs in something that they use that affect them. Or there may be some (possibly perceived) extra hoops to jump through to do something more technical in nature.
You may not experience those yourself.
Anyone coming from a system that is more current than something based on an Ubuntu LTS (like Mint) won't necessarily want take a step backwards, and may have some hindsight showing that they didn't really need to start with a Beginner " distro.
Flatpak and Snap solve the issue of outdated software for those that care about that, without needing to have a more constantly or regularly changing OS.
Mint gets system level security fixes, etc. Its kernel, unlike Ubuntu LTS, doesn't normally see kernel and graphics (Mesa) upgrades that can support newer hardware and provide improvements in gaming.
I have no problem suggesting Mint, but there are many different ways to go. It is so easy to switch distros, but that is both a positive and negative- imo it can take extra time to actually learn things as opposed to simply jumping ship at every stumbling block.
Use and enjoy what you like.
Also, it's the Internet and everyone is a hater, or at least can sound like one.
mrlinkwii@reddit
out of teh box Ubuntu dose get get upgrades , ubuntu uses a HWE kernal , and from 24.10 they will be shipping teh latest kernal , so this point is false
IverCoder@reddit
kernel*. Always bugs me to read people spelling it as "kernal".
cla_ydoh@reddit
Mint provides regular out of the box kernel upgrades?
Swizzel-Stixx@reddit
Mint does provide kernel updates. In the update manager, there is regularly a newer kernel update, or you can choose a kernel version manually.
cla_ydoh@reddit
Yes, security patches, not actual kernel version upgrades. the original 5.15 to the current 6.8 HWE. for example.
I did miss that Mint 22 will apparently follow Ubuntu's HWE setup now, which makes things even more similar. And better-er.
Swizzel-Stixx@reddit
You can still upgrade kernels in the update manager, the newest I can get is 6.8.0-40, on mint 21.2, but I am currently running 5.15.0-119-generic because it works fine with all my games and drivers, and it’s what the system recommended me.
Automatic kernel updates are exactly that though, they’re just updates. I see your point now, if you want to upgrade you have to do that manually.
NGRhodes@reddit
This has changed for Mint 22, uses HWE kernels as default.
https://blog.linuxmint.com/?p=4660
mrlinkwii@reddit
so dose ubuntu by default ( 22.04 is on 6.8.0-40-generic which is HWE)
pomcomic@reddit
what I don't really understand is ... what's the cutoff point when it comes to "support newer hardware"? like, what would be some examples of hardware that would not work with an LTS like Ubuntu or Mint? (Sorry if this is a dumb question, I'm fairly new to the world of penguins - but I'm loving it so far)
cla_ydoh@reddit
Not dumb at all.
Mainly, I'd say it is very recent gaming hardware (GPUs), and mainly for those who game on such equipment.
People who are converting Chromebooks to Linux usually need more current stuff for full hardware support .
AMD graphics cards saw a boost from a mesa update in Ubuntu 22.04 that provided a noticeable boost. My 'gaming' system saw close to 10% increase in FPS from that.
Many recent Chromebooks need a more current kernel and audio stack for support. I can't use 22.04 based stuff on my 11th gen Intel Chromebook if I want audio and touchscreen support.
Mint do have an ISO that provides newer kernel. Most everyone will be fine on the (previous) Ubuntu LTS/Mint, but again, it depends on one's goals as well.
Being Linux, one can find a way to update things or modify stuff, even Mint.
pomcomic@reddit
iiiinteresting. okay, so since you can already update the kernel with the update app in Mint (last time I checked it was on 6.8.something - and I *think* the latest bleeding edge kernel was 6.10?), most PC hardware that's currently available should be covered then, but to be perfectly honest I'm not keeping up with the latest and greatest in tech anymore (mostly because the latest and "greatest" in gaming leaves me cold, bitter and bored to tears, so what's the point in chasing the GPU dragon, innit).... anyway, thanks for the explanation, appreciate it
Diomedes2024@reddit
I thought that there IS a technical reason, that being reduced privacy on Mint. I just switched from mint to ubuntu for the first time last night, and idk why I didn't just start with Ubuntu ... Might even go Debian, but I'm learning one step at a time lol
Capable-Reaction8155@reddit
Ubuntu is know for their worse privacy btw
mrlinkwii@reddit
no it hasnt btw
cla_ydoh@reddit
What does this even mean, exactly?
Mint IS Ubuntu, in terms of the OS, and I don't know if or what they might change from Ubuntu that would have a bearing on this.
Yes, that is one of my points :D
skivtjerry@reddit
Ubuntu has some telemetry that Mint removes. Not a big deal though.
cla_ydoh@reddit
You mean the option to include some data once, during the install process?
Small-Movie3137@reddit
GigaHelio@reddit
Whenever I was on desktop linux, I always wanted to love mint. It spoke to me deeply, especially a lot of the built-in software. My only issue was that I could never get screen tearing to stop. No matter my configuration. If you can, godspeed to you, it's a fine distro.
moopet@reddit
I don't know what it's like now, but its main selling points back when it started were, "includes a shitload of non-free stuff by default", and "looks pretty".
Both of those are things you can add to any distro with one or two commands, so if that's what you want, choosing Mint is saving you 5 minutes, tops.
The other thing that differentiated Mint was a reliance on some GUI app store, iirc. Like all GUI app stores, it basically sucked.
As I say, I don't know what the state of play is nowadays, but originally it was a pretty pointless distro. It pitched itself to newbies as making things easier so they wouldn't need to install codecs, etc., but by doing so it was kind of trying to be Windows in spirit.
Personally, I never checked to see if it has anything new to offer because of that.
PNW_Redneck@reddit
There is no real reason NOT to use it. Personally I'm on Arch, but if for whatever reason I HAD to switch, it'd be Mint, followed by Pop!_OS. Mint is a SOLID distro to choose man. I believe as of Mint 22?(someone correct me if I'm wrong) it has an insanely up to date kernel with support for modern hardware. It uses cinnamon as a DE, which while yes very basic and in my experience not as customizable as say plasma, it's SOLID, and just works.
Bhakk_Sala@reddit
If you have the latest legion laptops, then you can't. I mean, you can… but you have to put up with 100% brightness, bad battery life and if you change your refresh rate to 60hz, get ready for tonnes of tearing.
SpongebobFan1994@reddit
While I haven't run into this issue yet, SystemD (the distro's init system) has sparked controversy where its supposed to help make the Linux ecosystem run more smoothly, but it's drawback is it being too bloated or making distros too fragile and dependent on it. As a result, a number of SystemD-free distros have started popping up. Here's an article about SystemD for you to read: https://www.infoworld.com/article/2251761/linux-why-do-people-hate-systemd.html
DriNeo@reddit
I hate the philosophy behind Systemd, I would like to drop it, but realistically its a pain. The easiest distro that don't use the systemd init is MX Linux, but it uses many parts of the project.
returnofblank@reddit
Honestly, Mint is pretty good to use now since the latest release. No more Pulse(no)audio, or Xorg.
We Pipewire and Wayland up in this bitch.
Chromiell@reddit
The only reason that comes to mind would be if you have very recent hardware you might have problems because the kernel that Mint ships can be very old. It's a solid distro to start with, although I personally think that out of the box it's ugly as sin but that's just my aesthetic taste.
With Mint you'll be lagging behind in updates, this is mostly relevant for gaming because the Linux gaming experience is developing extremely quickly and having access to more recent software, especially for Kernel, Mesa and Nvidia drivers can result in a solid boost in performance.
I personally wouldn't use Mint, the fact that it's based on Ubuntu I think is more an issue than a perk, but I know it's a solid choice for many users.
InstantCoder@reddit
Mint comes with a tool to update the kernel for that. So it’s not a problem.
And it also comes with flatpak, and these are quite up to date too.
Sh_Pe@reddit
If you absolutely need the latest software (e.g. needs hdr, tearing, nvidia’s explicit sync on Wayland etc.) that is probably unavailable for mint (though I haven’t checked) then maybe rolling releases is your o key option. But I doubt that’s your case.
Libra218@reddit
In the end all what the distro means is three things you are somewhat locked into: (there's a few more, but that will be nitpicking)
Everything else is relatively easy to change about the disto. Mint is a superb distro for a range of users, not just Linux novices. The only reason you shouldn't use Mint Linux is it stops meeting your requirements.
whosdr@reddit
I feel that about 18 months into a major release. But I tough it out for 6 months and everything I'm missing comes right back into fold.
I actually love that though. Everything's as I'm used to for 2 years, then I get some new changes, spend a few days fixing things up, then back to another few years of things just working as I expect.
grady_vuckovic@reddit
Currently using and have been using Linux Mint for about 5 ish years now, out of all the distros I've tried it's my favourite and my default choice of OS for any computer, and I regularly donate to the project.
So I think it's fair to say I'm a fan of it and not a "hater".
That said, here are some potential downsides to it:
The default file manager, Nemo, while there's a fair few things to like about it, it has some stability and performance issues which make it sometimes a pain to use. There's one particular issue right now that really bothers me, a memory leak when browsing files that emblems, such as the sync status emblems that software like Dropbox adds to files. It's a really bad memory leak, it's possible to exhaust all of my RAM on my laptop (16GB) just scrolling through some of my folders.
Cinnamon is at times, in my opinion, kinda laggy and buggy, particularly with how it handles multiple monitors. I've had situations for example where I've walked away from a computer with multiple monitors, come back and hour later, shook the mouse to wake up the PC, and one of the monitors is just "gone". Not even registered as connected. One restart later and it's back.
Cinnamon is very customisable but the UI to do those customisations is in my opinion quite terrible. It's confusing and glitchy trying to do something like moving a taskbar applet from one side to another. And there's no option to copy a panel, which is a big thorn in my side for me with a triple monitor setup.
The Mint team are working towards Wayland support but it's not here yet and likely won't be for a while. I'm ok with this because Wayland still seems to have a lot of issues even on the distros that support it the best. But Wayland is essential for some modern features like having different refresh rates and scaling for different monitors, or HDR. If these are important things to you, this could be a deal breaker.
There are a lot of other smaller issues but they all mostly come down to one common theme. The Linux Mint team is quite small and a lot of the stuff they're working with, such as Nemo, are software projects they forked at some point in time and have been trying to maintain ever since. Which is a lot of work. Possibly too much for a team their size. There are gaps in Cinnamon's UX and ways in which other desktop environments are technically superior.
...
Having said all that. I could make a similar list of complaints about all OSes, with Windows getting the longest list. Everything has imperfections. It's just a matter of deciding which distro's flaws don't bother you and which distro's flaws do bother you.
whosdr@reddit
Nemo isn't my cup of tea either. Very early into my Mint install, I shopped around and landed on PCManFM. Four years later though, still happy with it.
creeper6530@reddit
It doesn't support bleeding edge hardware, but if yours was released later than a year or two ago, it should be fine. Same with software: it'll be a few versions behind, but that's no problem for majority of people. And if it is a problem for you, Mint has preconfigured Flatpaks, which solve this elegantly.
Some people dislike Cinamon, especially in comparison to other, possibly more lightweight, desktops, but that's a matter of taste.
And it's not a rolling release, which some don't like either, but again, that's up to you and actually rolling isn't recommended to newbies that Mint is targeting.
doubGwent@reddit
You should explore among different Linux options instead of thinking you need to pick THE ONE. Most users never use only ONE LinuxOS.
BlobbyMcBlobber@reddit
Mint is totally awesome. Different people with different needs and different hardware will always have a different experience. But for me it was smooth sailing and a desktop experience that I didn't even realize how much I missed. Just go for it!
timmycz11@reddit
Linux Mint is really designed to be installed and used as is. This is the modern equivalent of what Ubuntu was in the 00's (before Canonical went full Canonical).
This is why it is such a good distro AND is not the favourite among linux hobbyists.
ZunoJ@reddit
Usually you just have to decide how state of the art your software needs to be. Debian based distros (like mint) have older packages with a slower upgrade cycle. The benefit of this is a more stable and robust environment. The downside is ... older software obviously
No_Code9993@reddit
To be short, give it a try by yourself and see how does it feels. :)
I've been using Mint for a long time now, and from my personal experience, I found it really reliable.
I'm using it on my work PC, from 19 version to the current, never experienced any major problem.
Software package are up to date as their ubuntu counterpart and there's also PPA and LTS support as well.
There's no flatpak/snap by default, and it does require some manual actions to make it works.
The hardware recognition is "sometimes" better than other distro but not perfect (always in my experience), in example I had more success with bluetooth devices with Mint than Debian, but sometimes experiencing little problems with intel graphics hardware that in Debian hasn't occured.
traingood_carbad@reddit
Mint is excellent. For general use by someone who isn't interested in becoming a Linux nerd I can't think of a better distro.
Obviously if you want to specialise your computer for a singular purpose then there are better distros, for example Nobara for gaming, or Tails for anonymity, or Tinycore for really old hardware.
archontwo@reddit
Ignore all the distro fandom. Use what works for you and discover if there is anything missing for your workflow.
Everyone has an opinion but the beauty of Linux is you don't have to do anything anyone else says you to do.
You are in control and your destiny is your own.
YourFavouriteGayGuy@reddit
It’s absolutely fine. The only reason I’d give for why you shouldn’t use mint is that there are other distros today that are better at what mint is trying to do. Namely Pop!_OS. I don’t daily drive either of them, but I’ve stopped recommending mint as the best distro for new users since I tried Pop! for about a week. I think it’s just got less baggage because it’s not such a mature project. Mint feels like it’s still tied down by design decisions from the last two decades of development. Pop! doesn’t have that, and seems to be moving in a direction that won’t fall victim to that kind of aging for a long time.
That being said, both mint and Pop! are great at what they do. I just think Pop! is shaping up to be the future of that kind of general-use, stable distro.
Equivalent_Law_6311@reddit
I am on Mint right now and have been for several years, I also have Windows 10, Solus Plasma and Zorin 16 Pro installed, just uninstalled Manjaro and Elementary OS, I simply have not found anything better for what I do.
GreatBigBagOfNope@reddit
If you don't want to. There aren't really any good technical reasons why an ordinary home user shouldn't use it.
InkOnTube@reddit
Reasons for not using Mint might be for experienced elitists who don't want it set up as Mint does but in their way. So if you are such person then yeah Mint is not for you as well as some other distros.
johncate73@reddit
Mint is a great choice for a new user, especially one coming over from Windows. Mint Cinnamon is my go-to recommendation for anyone leaving Windows.
Yes, it may not be the best choice for a power user who has a lot of experience with Linux and wants the latest developments, but you want something that works, is reliable, and is easy to use. Mint is perfect.
marcour_@reddit
As others say, it may lack the support for newer hardware due to its outdated kernel, which was changed in mint 22, ig?
But that brings me to the second one. The update process through major versions seems kind of rustic. You have to install some package in order to upgrade, or something like that.
Besides that, I think it's a pretty solid distro.
steaksoldier@reddit
I don’t use mint because it’s got more bloat than I really need. 90% of what comes with Nobara I already use so it’s better for my specific use case.
Thats not to say it’s a bad distro or anything. It’s perfect for new linux users and really easy to operate. If you don’t have bloat hang ups like me, you should have no problems rocking Mint.
SupFlynn@reddit
I have been always fan of arch linux because of its modulity there i say, i always have used really really old system i have tackled that problem by using arch with manual package selection install, i believe that gives you an edge on performance also with latest packages. Which elimantes the weak points of mint and it is not that complicated as people exaggerated.
InfameArts@reddit
If you are going to use a desktop computer, use mint. If you mind atleast a bit of power, use something harder like Pop OS, and so on until you reach NixOS
redoubt515@reddit
Mint is a very fine choices, particularly if you are relative new-to-linux and coming from Windows. It's based on Ubututu so its easy to use, and adds some refinements of its own. And the flagship desktop (Cinnamon) is beautiful and aesthetic, and feels familiar if coming from Windows.
With that said, here are some reasons you might prefer something other than Mint:
MetroYoshi@reddit
It's slow to update. Not a huge problem if you onky want up-to-date software since you could just use flatpaks. It's more of a problem if you have new hardware (eg. new GPU) as you won't have the drivers for them. I ran into this problem a while back when I upgraded my GPU.
IonianBlueWorld@reddit
I haven't used Mint in years but there is nothing wrong with it. It's a very good general purpose distro; if not the best? If you have more specific needs or wishes you can always move to a more specialized distribution. Until then Mint is excellent. Although I would have said the same for other distros too
Kromieus@reddit
You don't like mint.
Lmde is imo the best desktop Linux option for new to medium experience users, with either vanilla Debian or fedora (if you need newer software) as my recommendation for general desktop use
DAS_AMAN@reddit
Because you want support for new hardware, you want a touch friendly interface, you need Wayland features and apps, you like to updates to software quickly etc
extremepayne@reddit
I’ve occasionally had issues on Debian based systems where stable is several updates behind on a piece of software and therefore I can’t use some fancy new plugin or feature with that software. But that’s really the only issue I’ve had and it’ll be true to degrees of any point-release distro
Dinux-g-59@reddit
Well, I have been using Mint for about ten years on my pc. I never had any issue. On my work pc I used Ubuntu, but really I prefere Mint Now I am trying Manjaro on a spare laptop, just to see a different approach, and that's ok. Mint is a good choice for a desktop distro, so if you like it, use it. I think that Cinnamon is a very nice and very good DE, and I suggest Mint with it to any person who wants to give Linux a try. So, go on with Mint :-)
jdub213818@reddit
I had system freezing issues using mint
WaulsTexLegion@reddit
I was using Mint for awhile and noticed some quirks, specifically with Heroic Game Launcher. It would say all my installed games weren’t playable until I launched one. Then it would slowly figure out that they were. There were some other things that were minor foibles, but I love distro hopping, so I installed Bazzite to see what the fuss was about. Long story somewhat shorter, I’m back on Mint because it works better than Bazzite did.
Moral: Do what works for you.
Ryebread095@reddit
if it meets your needs, and you like it, then there's no reason not to use a given distro. personally, i don't care for mint's desktop environment options, and i prefer more up to date packages, so i don't use it
dobbelj@reddit
Linux Mint is a distro made by amateurs. They don't build their own packages, they mix and match Debian and Ubuntu packages, which can lead to instability. They don't care about copyright or laws, so they will include any sort of proprietary software without regard for whether or not this is actually legal.
They have no CVE or security database, so the answer to the question "is this version of Mint vulnerable to this exploit?" is who the fuck knows. Linux Mint only exists because the grown-ups in the room(Fedora, Ubuntu, SUSE, Debian) do the proper legwork so they don't have to. You want to support Linux? Stop using leeching distributions.
It's a distro by clowns, for clowns.
Iwisp360@reddit
You shouldn't use it if you have new hardware. Fedora could be your go to choice then. It has new software and it's easy to update it.
Creative-Mammoth@reddit
The only problem is the package manager. The Mint/Debian package manager is slow and can be so buggy/corrupt that you have to format the system.
That's why I stopped using Debian-based distributions and switched to Manjaro.
Donteezlee@reddit
Manjaro is even worse lol
gamunu@reddit
Mint provides an excellent snapshot solution for the entire system, I messed up numerous times and restored the data. And you migrated from a fairly stable distribution to a one of the worst arch distros.
Creative-Mammoth@reddit
I have worked with Manjaro for several years. For me it is the best arch distribution because they offer system tools that other arch distros do not have and it is more stable than arch because updates are less frequent. Unstable packets are filtered upstream.
Silent-Revolution105@reddit
so what mythological distro are people looking for if Mint isn't good enough?
bhones@reddit
Whether it’s good enough or not is subjective and case by case. Generally speaking it’s outdated. But it’s also familiar and very friendly to people that aren’t technical and don’t want to be.
But then again, if you’re running new hardware and aren’t one of those “I’m running this on a ThinkPad from 2002 that I just love because” or “I have it on my half broken laptop from ten years ago” or similar folks, you’re likely to have issues with hardware support, for starters.
Goghor@reddit
I've been living with Mint since 2016, and just last month I switched to Arch. Not because Mint is bad, or Arch is better; but because I just wanted to try something else. Cinnamon in Mint is pretty straightforward, no heavy tinkering required to make it usable, it's also user friendly which means not only me can operate it but also my wife can use it without ever asking me where do I save the family picture archive or how to open the web browser. Even though I'm using Arch now, I'm still very grateful for using Mint for the past 8 years.
EldenDuke@reddit
I use Mint and I love it. It just work. I think it's a great project with a great philosophy behind it.
jr735@reddit
Everyone has a different opinion and different use case. That's why. There are many distributions I would use, and many I wouldn't. Some of the opinions are informed, and some are not. There's very little anyone can tell you why you shouldn't use Mint without knowing something about your use case.
If you're happy with the software you're using and the experience, that's really what matters most.
eriomys@reddit
Mint is for the users migrating from Windows and who wish to tinker and experiment with the system as little as possible and preferably use an nvidia card as it has outdated mesa libraries for amd cards.
You can manually update things like gpu drivers, kernel, libraries, provided it does not break the system. Eg I tried adding nvidia drivers 555 and 560 from the ppa and system would freeze after resume. While with official 550 drivers there is no such issue. Performance in games is fine and stable for the majority.
Downside is that Wayland is still experimental and v22 has still issues, especially if you upgrade from 21.x
It is a very stable distro overall and perfect for beginners to Linux.
InternationalPlan325@reddit
Basically, the "next step" would be the AUR. So if you feel like you are missing out on "bleeding edge" content, that would prob be the one big "shouldnt". Haha