Linux Mint is what you should start out with, and it's probably what you'll end up with once you're tired of ricing and constantly having to fix stuff. This is the full circle distro.
I didn't use Mint for very long. I went to Ubuntu, but that was unstable on my laptop (with frequent crashes when lid was closed) for some reason, so a couple weeks ago I installed Arch and ironically it's the most stable distro I've used so far
@@grapesalt mint is really good. I happen to use pop os just because I did a fresh install and wanted to see it. Ultimately both are Ubuntu based, I don't prefer either of their stock desktop environments, so there's fundamentally no difference for me at this point lol I'd definitely recommend mint to a new Linux user though
Been using Linux since 2008 I didn't start with Mint but I ended up using it as my daily driver and I've messed with tons of different DEs/distros. Once you have a kid you stop having as much time to tinker.
I tried ubuntu and didnt like it. Switched to linux mint cinnamon and haven't looked back. When I get more comfortable with it windows 10 will be uninstalled.
My father complained about his old win7 PC became sluggish. I found out it was infested with spyware that could not be uninstalled. I wipe the drive clean and installed Linux Mint. No more complain since then.
@@Person106 With my parents they just wanted something familiar and to work for them to open browser and look at pictures and documents. Their laptop is old and windows wasn't good option even with debloating script. So when I showed them Zorin and Mint they just said "sure, looks simple enough"
Out of the ones I’ve used, Mankato and Elementary are the most need friendly. But there are so many nowadays.... there’s probably the perfect one for newbs that I just haven’t found
Just being tech-savvy is not the only criteria. It also depends on how much of your time you like to spend fiddling with OS stuff versus how much time you want to spend using applications. After 25 years in IT, I am tired of tuning systems by hand. I just want the OS to work so I can play my game, edit my document, or listen to my music.
Full ack, using Linux since 2006 and the last 10 years I didn’t waste any time in customizing my kubuntu. The only thing I did was to disable all power saving settings and screen savers and bouncing mouse cursors when you start a program. Even didn’t change background because I fu……ng didn’t care anymore 😂
Mint is the most user friendly for non-software professionals who have no interest in expending time and energy tweaking their OS, but simply want to use it to get work done.
I've tried a lot of distros since 1994. Many have come and gone and I usually ended up going back to Windows a few weeks later because the interfaces weren't that great. Caldera had just up and quit on me. That was probably one of my favorite distros back then. Then, in 2018, I decided to jump the Windows ship for good and go Linux all the way. I knew enough about Linux to be comfortable with my decision. My first attempt was with Ubuntu. I had actually installed it and was making my move from Windows. Then I heard about Mint 18.3 and thought I'd give it a try in a VM. About 2 days later it became my daily driver. I installed it and shortly after that, 19.0 came out and I updated to that. I learned a lot from Mint in the 16 months I ran it. Enough to give Arch Linux a try. I've been running Arch now since February of this year. I owe my new computer life to Linux Mint.
Linux Mint 14 was the first distro I ever installed on bare metal, it was the first distro I fully replaced Windows with, and I've been using it ever since. Yes, I've hopped to dozens of distros for periods of time, and yes, I've went through the process of installing Arch, but at the end of it all I always just go back to Mint.
@@peterjansen4826 Linux Mint Cinnamon will be always more up-to-date than any Ubuntu flavor with Cinnamon, same for DDE because Cinnamon who created the DE, so updates in their own DE will come first for their distro, then, others. And that Ubuntu Cinnamon is a messy, uglier than Mint, bad logo, bad colors, bad set of applications. I hope it never become a true flavor.
@@peterjansen4826 But, if it changes, Mint Cinnamon will be the first to the actual "change" while others will need to wait a bit. First priority will be always Mint. Plasma is an excellent option, it's a pity they stopped working on this flavor.
I'm a very experienced Linux/Unix user/SA for many years. I like Mint better because I like the interface more. I used Ubuntu a few years ago extensively. And have tried a ton of various distros either in VMs or on hardware. I keep going back to Mint. It does what I need.
hi Derek, came across your channel while surfing thru youtube, as I often do. Your channel is excellent! I may be an anomaly as I am a diehard Windows user since the days of 3.1, which is what I started on. I worked in IT for a long time. Except for my first computer, which was given to me, I have built my own computers. Windows has always done the job for me and done everything I needed it to do. I am currently running Windows 10 Pro on an Intel i9 based computer that I built 1 year ago. Because Windows works for me I have no desire to switch to Linux. I guess it's my geeky side that enjoys your videos. Just wanted to give you a big thumbs up and tell you to continue the excellent work. Love your passion for Linux distros. :-)
Why not just try a better, modernt distro like Fedora/Monjaro/Arch? You know if you are using Linux as a main drive you can benefit from newer kernel versions with a newer features and performance improvements?
@@d1namis There is something to be said when it just works. I know Unix dev ops guys who are in the 40s who use Mint at home. Archlinux reminds them of debian back in their 20s. Been there done that and are beyond configuring Xorg window managers and playing with alternate inet loaders. It has no appeal and they need to get shit done. At the end of the day a stable OS where they don't need to change things after a few days post install is a feature. They use older kernels at work too as we have expensive software which can't crash
I'm sure you know that joke from years ago, 'Ubuntu is the Zulu word for "I can't configure Debian"'. I think Debian has improved massively though. I installed 10.4 on a home server literally last week, it was the easiest thing ever to install and get going, it runs just fine on 12 year old hardware, and since it's Debian it will never F up. Great experience.
This was a great video I work as a Windows System admin and I gravitated towards Ubuntu. My main goal is to eventually move over to Linux as my daily driver. I'm going to revisit Linux Mint on physical hardware however I'm pretty happy with Ubuntu so far.
I switched to linux while teaching myself to code. After a lot of research I decided to start with Arch as my first distro. Thank God I did, is all I can say.
@DistroTube This is exactly what I wanted to see from you. When you said to stop throwing a million new distributions at new users, I knew you were really on to something. But instead of giving them Ubuntu, I thought we should chose Linux Mint because of it's past success in bringing Windows users into Linux. Distributions only matter to brand new users. After they feel safe in something like Mint and they start adding other programs or replacing the desktop like in your “Noob to Power User” video, I am hoping they have that "Ah ha" moment and see that distributions really don't matter. At that time, I hope they go to Arch or Debian. And if they fail, they can always return to Mint, instead of Windows. Again, thank you for all that you have done and for sparking this with your brilliant direction you have given all of us in the community!
Debian is incredibly stable for servers and Parrot OS is supreme for networking and hacking tools. But as a standard Jack of all Trades and as a desktop environment I prefer Ubuntu/Mint.
Great comment. Agreed, I realized with time that distros matter little the more you understand Linux. But when I started out, it was the difference between sticking to Windows or taking a leap of faith. 12 years later, I'm a happy Arch dwm user.
Linux Mint was my first distro, and I agree with your opinion on this matter, Derek. If I had been confronted with Gnome as a Linux beginner, I would have been lost and highly peeved (
I completely agree, Mint is much better for beginners. It was my first linux distro back in 2011 and I loved it! I tried Ubuntu a couple of times but... it was just weird, for all the reasons you mentioned in your video. Good job explaining this topic. I will always recommend Mint to anyone who wants to switch from Windows, Mint is one complete experience, install and go.
Outstanding episode. I clicked on this video because you show your face and I remember how comforting your advice was previously. You cleared up questions I didn't have the vocabulary to ask...
Your Channel is awesome, i'm using Linux for about 3 months and now i'm using Ubuntu thinking to chance to Mint as well... I'm brasilian and your way to speak is realy good to understand, not slowly, but clear and objective... Congratulations and tnks for the content.
My bipolar feeling about Gnome, my mixed feeling about Canonical and my personal experience with hardware means I always recommend Mint or MX LInux to fellow noobs.
@@dougwin5267 You do realize that MX Linux has several options for installing newer software than Debian stable where you want/need it? Really, though, for most new users the software in Debian stable is up to date enough, unless you want to use it for gaming. There are other reasons I wouldn't recommend Debian itself for new users, though, especially for gaming.
The concept of Gnome is great, but the execution is terrible. They didn't need it to consume so much RAM, nor did they need to add all of those dumb features like the "hot-corner" or the panel that is so hard to customize.
I installed Mint on an older windows laptop yesterday after failing with elementary, fedora and Ubuntu, because of my inability to update the Nvidia drivers successfully with those distributions. Mint finally got me through the painful process. ♥️
I totally agree that Linux Mint is the better choice for beginners. I have already used many distributions and recently I was heading back to Linux Mint as well. The Cinnamon desktop is already that polished, just intuitive and productive that I am really enyoing using it as my daily driver. It needs only some optical tweaking to look not that old fashioned anymore. :) Anyway, I think the distribution is very stable and the perfect daily driver for every Linux desktop user if you like Cinnamon, Mate or xfce.
Hi DT, I found your explanation of Linux Mint to be both insightful and Informative. Although I haven't followed you in the past it does seem that when it comes to Linux and Linux distos you do know what you are talking about. I came to Linux mint as a win 7 user back around the Mint 17.2 version and have stayed with it ever since. For Me at least it has everything I needed and runs other programs very well. I use Discord and also use Firestorm viewer for VR grids and all works well, I've been on Steam and it works well although I'm not a big gamer. Kudos on this vid. look to see more about Linux Mint in the future. Cheers!
A couple days ago I read about the main reason to use Mint over Ubuntu. Linux Mint banned snap after Ubuntu forced chromium uses to install snap. I left Ubuntu because of snap.
Very good listening while I was installing Mint. Haven't been on a linux OS since I stopped being an engineer 6 years ago and keen to see the latest and greatest.
I tried installing Fedora and Debian 2 years ago on my Nvidia machine, and well we know the story of Linux and Nvidia, so tired of black screen I quit and went back to windows. 2020 arrives, Ubuntu 20.04 releases, I decide to try it. Within 2 hours, I got my entire machine learning suite up and running like a breeze (containing cuda and stuff). This was the moment I fell in love with Ubuntu. Guess will have to try out mint. Nice video!
I'm late to the party here clearly (it's February 2021) but you hit this perfectly, sir. Dead on. EDIT- Just saw your point about breaking extensions in GNOME. .. That was a huge problem back in the early days of Linux which I define as 1999 to say 2005 or so (I started with kernel 2.0 and RH w/X11 & WindowMaker and also OpenStep X evironments - GNOME was just beginning). Broken packages at first, were a huge problem and fixing them was a nightmare and sometimes led to complete rebuilds. Eventually it became, broken features after an update or - gasps - an upgrade. One always had to have a full backup of what mattered and one also had to be fully prepared to start over and pull in their backups to the new release. This led a large majority of us to be skeptical of updates; "Is this gonna break my ish or what?" A lot of older IT guys have held on to this same skepticism despite the fact it's gotten lightyears better over time. These issues are largely gone now thankfully, but you're right, there are still things that will break a GNOME environment beyond comprehension.
Mint is not just a Beginner's Linux. Experienced Linux user's also do prefer and use Mint as well. It's a no frills-just works out-of-the-box distro. This video was pretty light on its content, probably because DT cringed making a video on bloated DEs because he needed a video. There are so many other things to consider with Mint over Gnome 3 in Ubuntu. Such as: 1.Theming is easier on Mint - no need to install another tool just to theme 2. Warpinator - making it easier to transfer files between another Linux PC 3. Includes Timeshift and a Backup Tool - For backing up your files and ability to restore right where you left off 4. USB Image Writer - so you can easily create bootable Linux distros onto flash drives from an .ISO 5. Software Mirror - so you can find the closest and fastest mirror to you 6. Driver Manager 7. Kernel updater And more I've missed
I agree Mint over Ubuntu, I really dislike Gnome3. The last 10 days I've been test driving Kbuntu. I like the plasma desktop and it would be a good distro for a new to Linux user.
I'd recommend Feren OS and then removing snap and it's packages after install if you want the premium Ububtu/KDE experience. Or install Plasma on top of Mint.
nope 2gb from a cold boot is what i have with windows so really if any linux distro does that its just no good ... with fedora im at somewhere around 700megs with xfce running...
@@urugulu1656 I suppose 2gb might be normal. I haven't used Windows in long enough to know; I vaguely remember getting nearly 4gb on cold boot in windows a few years ago. Now I get 100mb on cold boot in Arch (200mb when I start xorg and dwm) so 2gb would be insane
@@benjaminbrady2385mustve been in the vista days in the w10 days its more like 2gb. and yes with only a command line or a commandline and a window manager you are running quite low. for my netbook with only 1gb of ram i run at roughly 220-250megs with xubuntu 32bit and i3
@@urugulu1656 250mb on a DE!? That's so low! It's amazing, with only 1gb windows would be unusable; with Linux it's tons depending on how minimalist you're willing to go and you can get near the windows experience with a DE and presumably a browser, image editor, compiler, etc. running too with less than 1gb anyway
I am glad that I install linux mint, even terminal is nice and saves life of nice old computers. I agree as form me I prefer lighter distro for my ageing computer
I'm moving to Linux because every time they force an update on me the computer gets slower and slower and always something stops working and it takes me forever to figure out the problem, Sick of Microsoft.
I left Ubuntu over a month ago because of snap. A couple days ago I read that Mint banned snap. If I would have read that last month I would have installed Mint. I fell in love with Arch though.
Oh? You _like_ Mint now?!?! Cool ! I'll subscribe again :-) When I switched to Linux, I chose Mint because the Cinnamon desktop "out of the box" resembles Win 7 more so than other Linux desktops.
Just to share my experience, I was curious about Linux and I thought that if I can handle arch linux, I can learn more about Linux (thanks to DT) and I just tried it out. After 4 months, I am using arch linux with qtile now. It is not easy for a new user but it is definitely edifying if you want to learn Linux.
@@peterjansen4826 Not for me and I'm using it for years. Something that has gives headaches was Ubuntu, the distro everyone recommends and that it's "stable". Not for me, actually the opposite.
I love your work - clear and compelling. Do you have any videos on how the Mint community functions? I'm wondering about how it relates to Ubuntu and how much double up there is working on both Ubuntu and Debian directly - and if they're working on Debian directly - why not just skip the Ubuntu version and go straight to that?
I started out with Ubuntu. I moved to Mint to try it. I used Manjaro for a while, and tried to use a couple of other distros for a while. I always came back to manjaro, though. What I ended up sticking with in the end though, was Ubuntu Budgie. I love the budgie desktop, but I kind of don't like certain things about Solus. That's what works for me, though I do often miss the AUR from when I was using manjaro.
I’ve been going back and forth trying to decide which distro to use. I thought for sure I was going to go with mint. But then I saw manjaro, and feren OS looks really good. So now I’m thinking about KDE.
I'm currently test driving linux mint on a spare ssd as a daily driver os to (mostly) replace windows. it's actually much more usable and pleasant than I expected, and I'm seriously considering keeping it as my primary os
In my own experience, i never found any real difference between Ubuntu Linux and Linux Mint, but as far as i know, Linux mint is considered easier for Windows users, compared to Ubuntu.
I don't know what it is, but DistroTube looks really good on this video, he is not pale. Hi, I am a Mint user, I've been reading stuff from the Linux community and the majority of the time there will be a person who says that Ubuntu(Canonical) is bought by Microsoft or Ubuntu is the Microsoft version of Linux. Is this true? Why are people saying that?
I’m going to get an icy dock 6 bay. I have been running Mint virtually for many moons. I’ll start with Mint and try a rolling release at the same time or full time.
Facts. I started with Ubuntu and it just felt weird, so I then switched to Mint and now about to go back to Ubuntu now that I have developed a strong foundation of linux skills/knowledge.
When I switched from Windoze to Linux I opted for Ubuntu and got on fairly well with it. Lots of community support. In those days, Unity was the new desktop, although that could be switched to Gnome fairly easily (by the way, the G in Gnome is silent). I used it for a couple of years, having tweaked it to feel more like Win XP, then discovered Xubuntu which is lighter, faster, and uses the XFCE desktop. There's a desktop switcher which has an option called Redmond. Select that, and it instantly feels pretty much like XP. I've been using Xubuntu for several years now very happily. I will try Mint soon, in a VM. I tried it years ago and couldn't get it to run well enough to be of any practical use, but I'm sure it has improved over the years.
In my experience, it varied alot by my hardware. For my laptop, Pop_os was the best as far as gaming on my laptop due to integrated, Nvidia GPU. However gnome gave me a few annoying bugs, and dual booting took some time to figure out. On my desktop (all AMD), Manjaro worked the best out of the box. And once I figured out yay and AUR, it got even better.
Man as a noobie now for about 2 months the package managers are a nightmare. My mom has manjaro and I have to have her show me how to install things that would take 2 commands in mint.
I think it's time to make another comparison! This one is a year old ;-) Both Ubuntu and Linux Mint has done lots of things, and, as someone who loves your channel and started in the 90:s (with Debian and it was, and is, fun!). I'm not as brilliant as you at doing videos on here, but you are :-D AfterStep was a fun one, I liked that. And then there were other fun ones to get lost in. That's the power of Linux, or maybe the lure... Anyway, I hope you make another one like this one. I still prefer Debian, it's like home for me. So both MX Linux and Sparkylinux are great for when people ask me where to start, and so is Linux Mint, and... Lots of Distros actually. I'm an agnostic when it comes to KDE/Gnome/Cinnamon/Xmonad/Mate on top of Linux. They all work (I hope gnome gets their sh*t together and listen to the users, and get it to use less RAM though...) Well, thank you for a great channel, keep up the good work!
I'll take Linux Mint over Ubuntu any day of the week, Ubuntu is fine for people who like using the Terminal and working out computing puzzles, but I don't want to program the computer, I just want to use it!
I am a hardcore Linux Mint Cinnamon fanboy. It was the first Linux I had tested out of a USB. Later I saw many other videos of other distros & even tinkered with many of them on VMs. One of the key lines in the summary of this video is "I will compare the flagship editions of both Ubuntu and Linux Mint". This to a huge extent becomes GNOME vs Cinnamon & we know Cinnamon feels & looks very similar to what is available in Windows & its just more user friendly even for the experienced Linux user. A better comparison would have been Ubuntu MATE vs Linux Mint MATE? Or Xubuntu vs Linux Mint XFCE? Or even Ubuntu Cinnamon vs Linux Mint Cinnamon? Then you would have a common ground for a fair comparison. Some of the points mentioned here will still hold though. And you can argue that the video is meant for new Linux users so they really won't know much about official vs community editions, different DEs etc etc. But I just don't feel its a fair comparison if you put up Ubuntu GNOME against Linux Mint Cinnamon. I repeat, I am a Linux Mint Cinnamon fanboy.
I remember when Ubuntu first came out. I was living in NYC, and got to be a distributor of it. I never cared for Unity, and it ran really slow on the hardware I had when it first came out. But it's great now. I still like Mint better though.
Hey, many Mac users are considering switching to Linux too. We also exist! Question: If you want to start out by installing Linux on an older and pretty slow Mac, what's Mint like compared to minimalist versions of Ubuntu, like Xubuntu and Lubuntu?
As a Mint user I agree with all your reasons. But I think your reasons apply to all users, not just new users. Your video makes a good case for any user to pick Mint over Ubuntu (and you didn’t even mentions snap).
I started with ZorinOS from MacOS because I wanted a unix-based OS but I sold my macbook, and had some fun with it. Eventually I went to windows because I got into PC gaming. However, I really preferred Unix based OS' for work because thats what I'm used to. So I switched to EndeavourOS as a way to learn about my system through trial by fire. After about a month and a half, I got tired of constantly configuring shit, so I switched to Pop OS. I've settled on Pop so far, I love it. It's been 2 weeks and I've had absolutely zero issues, I got my fingerprint sensor to work, I got some games to work like Rocket League and Minecraft, and I'm super happy with everything except one thing: I kind of miss the AUR. The Pop shop is cool but the AUR was so vast and easy to use. I'll find the debian equivalent eventually I suppose.
I started my "Linux-journey" almost exactly a year ago with installing Mint on my Laptop and it was probably one of the best choices I ever made lol. Mint ran way better than Windows on my lower-end laptop and it was way more fun to use it and play around with it to see what it can do. Now, that Laptop runs Manjaro and I am currently typing this comment on my Desktop running Fedora, and while I'm by no means an experienced user, all the things I learned over the last year are, in a way, thanks to Mint. 10/10 would do it again.
The Mate desktop is good. Everything is organized pretty well in the main menu. The control center is also similar to the Windows control panel. I never use or recommend Gnome 3.
excellent video! New linux user here hooked on mint after trying lubuntu which was not good with the lxqt too complicated and not as fast as the xfce on ulnaya i think but what do i know haha thank you will subscribe!
Linux Mint is what you should start out with, and it's probably what you'll end up with once you're tired of ricing and constantly having to fix stuff. This is the full circle distro.
Lol just switched from arch
I started on Mint I now use Solus Budgie full time now.
I didn't use Mint for very long. I went to Ubuntu, but that was unstable on my laptop (with frequent crashes when lid was closed) for some reason, so a couple weeks ago I installed Arch and ironically it's the most stable distro I've used so far
@@grapesalt mint is really good. I happen to use pop os just because I did a fresh install and wanted to see it. Ultimately both are Ubuntu based, I don't prefer either of their stock desktop environments, so there's fundamentally no difference for me at this point lol I'd definitely recommend mint to a new Linux user though
Been using Linux since 2008 I didn't start with Mint but I ended up using it as my daily driver and I've messed with tons of different DEs/distros. Once you have a kid you stop having as much time to tinker.
I think the way everything is laid out on Linux Mint makes a lot more sense than with Ubuntu.
@@420247paul yup I've never used Ubuntu as main driver. I start with lubuntu or kubuntu and then change to my liking.
I tried ubuntu and didnt like it. Switched to linux mint cinnamon and haven't looked back. When I get more comfortable with it windows 10 will be uninstalled.
@Uncle Pete haven't had need of the forums yet but I'll keep that in mind.
I installed for both my parents linux mint, they are 71 and 70 and still have no issue with mint, I am glad I did
How did you convince them to jump from Windows?
My father complained about his old win7 PC became sluggish. I found out it was infested with spyware that could not be uninstalled.
I wipe the drive clean and installed Linux Mint. No more complain since then.
@@Person106 With my parents they just wanted something familiar and to work for them to open browser and look at pictures and documents. Their laptop is old and windows wasn't good option even with debloating script. So when I showed them Zorin and Mint they just said "sure, looks simple enough"
@Uncle Pete no
A lot of distros are better for beginners nowadays than Ubuntu.
Mint, Pop Os, Zorin maybe even Elementary, all those are more beginner friendly.
Manjaro, Solus, Deepin also are easier and not based on Ubuntu.
Out of the ones I’ve used, Mankato and Elementary are the most need friendly. But there are so many nowadays.... there’s probably the perfect one for newbs that I just haven’t found
@@peterjansen4826 EndeavourOS is like Antergos. Very nice!
I installed Linux Lite for a novice friend. He is happy!
.... even your momi is better than ubuntu or other caca distro ! :))
Just being tech-savvy is not the only criteria. It also depends on how much of your time you like to spend fiddling with OS stuff versus how much time you want to spend using applications. After 25 years in IT, I am tired of tuning systems by hand. I just want the OS to work so I can play my game, edit my document, or listen to my music.
Full ack, using Linux since 2006 and the last 10 years I didn’t waste any time in customizing my kubuntu. The only thing I did was to disable all power saving settings and screen savers and bouncing mouse cursors when you start a program. Even didn’t change background because I fu……ng didn’t care anymore 😂
Mint is the most user friendly for non-software professionals who have no interest in expending time and energy tweaking their OS, but simply want to use it to get work done.
Mint was my first "on the metal" distro. I had no reason to change besides exploring/learning. The desktop experience with Cinnamon was flawless.
Only thing I liked about Cinnamon was Nemo, but it works in other DEs.
Richard Stallman won't use proprietary codecs. Even his food is open source and available to the community for viewing.
its free not open source....
@@shivamnaik2460 Someone had to. Thanks for being that person.
@@shivamnaik2460 We all know the source of his food- his foot skin. Therefore open-source! It is not FOSS because it is not free as in free beer.
Open sauce.
@@anshsrivastava1059 foot fungi*
The day when DT show some love for LinuxMint 2020/07/19. I was there.
I've tried a lot of distros since 1994. Many have come and gone and I usually ended up going back to Windows a few weeks later because the interfaces weren't that great. Caldera had just up and quit on me. That was probably one of my favorite distros back then. Then, in 2018, I decided to jump the Windows ship for good and go Linux all the way. I knew enough about Linux to be comfortable with my decision. My first attempt was with Ubuntu. I had actually installed it and was making my move from Windows. Then I heard about Mint 18.3 and thought I'd give it a try in a VM. About 2 days later it became my daily driver. I installed it and shortly after that, 19.0 came out and I updated to that. I learned a lot from Mint in the 16 months I ran it. Enough to give Arch Linux a try. I've been running Arch now since February of this year. I owe my new computer life to Linux Mint.
Linux Mint 14 was the first distro I ever installed on bare metal, it was the first distro I fully replaced Windows with, and I've been using it ever since. Yes, I've hopped to dozens of distros for periods of time, and yes, I've went through the process of installing Arch, but at the end of it all I always just go back to Mint.
3:00 "in some ways linux mint is based on debian" - directly - linux mint has debian edition :D
And everyone ignores it like it were only Ubuntu, hahaha
@@KyleBroflovski4u I don't think that is the reason, but people really don't know this flavor exists.
@@peterjansen4826 Linux Mint Cinnamon will be always more up-to-date than any Ubuntu flavor with Cinnamon, same for DDE because Cinnamon who created the DE, so updates in their own DE will come first for their distro, then, others. And that Ubuntu Cinnamon is a messy, uglier than Mint, bad logo, bad colors, bad set of applications. I hope it never become a true flavor.
@@peterjansen4826 But, if it changes, Mint Cinnamon will be the first to the actual "change" while others will need to wait a bit. First priority will be always Mint.
Plasma is an excellent option, it's a pity they stopped working on this flavor.
LMDE I just use debian unstable
I'm a very experienced Linux/Unix user/SA for many years. I like Mint better because I like the interface more. I used Ubuntu a few years ago extensively. And have tried a ton of various distros either in VMs or on hardware. I keep going back to Mint. It does what I need.
hi Derek, came across your channel while surfing thru youtube, as I often do. Your channel is excellent! I may be an anomaly as I am a diehard
Windows user since the days of 3.1, which is what I started on. I worked in IT for a long time. Except for my first computer, which was given
to me, I have built my own computers. Windows has always done the job for me and done everything I needed it to do. I am currently running
Windows 10 Pro on an Intel i9 based computer that I built 1 year ago. Because Windows works for me I have no desire to switch to Linux.
I guess it's my geeky side that enjoys your videos. Just wanted to give you a big thumbs up and tell you to continue the excellent work.
Love your passion for Linux distros. :-)
From my experience: I used Ubuntu 6 years and when I tried a Mint - I don't want to back to Ubuntu anymore. Cinammon is so good for me out-of-box.
Why not just try a better, modernt distro like Fedora/Monjaro/Arch? You know if you are using Linux as a main drive you can benefit from newer kernel versions with a newer features and performance improvements?
@Özcan Berk Çiftçi it depends on hardware, i don't see any major problems with stability. Probably few fears ago there was issues, but not now.
@Özcan Berk Çiftçi Arch is actually very easy stable, I hear, despite the difficult install.
Cant even understand how anyone can use ubuntu,id rather do withough computer,,mint rules 100%
@@d1namis There is something to be said when it just works. I know Unix dev ops guys who are in the 40s who use Mint at home. Archlinux reminds them of debian back in their 20s. Been there done that and are beyond configuring Xorg window managers and playing with alternate inet loaders. It has no appeal and they need to get shit done. At the end of the day a stable OS where they don't need to change things after a few days post install is a feature. They use older kernels at work too as we have expensive software which can't crash
I'm sure you know that joke from years ago, 'Ubuntu is the Zulu word for "I can't configure Debian"'. I think Debian has improved massively though. I installed 10.4 on a home server literally last week, it was the easiest thing ever to install and get going, it runs just fine on 12 year old hardware, and since it's Debian it will never F up. Great experience.
This was a great video I work as a Windows System admin and I gravitated towards Ubuntu. My main goal is to eventually move over to Linux as my daily driver. I'm going to revisit Linux Mint on physical hardware however I'm pretty happy with Ubuntu so far.
I switched to linux while teaching myself to code. After a lot of research I decided to start with Arch as my first distro. Thank God I did, is all I can say.
Same
@DistroTube This is exactly what I wanted to see from you. When you said to stop throwing a million new distributions at new users, I knew you were really on to something. But instead of giving them Ubuntu, I thought we should chose Linux Mint because of it's past success in bringing Windows users into Linux.
Distributions only matter to brand new users. After they feel safe in something like Mint and they start adding other programs or replacing the desktop like in your “Noob to Power User” video, I am hoping they have that "Ah ha" moment and see that distributions really don't matter. At that time, I hope they go to Arch or Debian. And if they fail, they can always return to Mint, instead of Windows.
Again, thank you for all that you have done and for sparking this with your brilliant direction you have given all of us in the community!
Debian is incredibly stable for servers and Parrot OS is supreme for networking and hacking tools. But as a standard Jack of all Trades and as a desktop environment I prefer Ubuntu/Mint.
@@dougwin5267 Linux Mint Debian Edition (LMDE4) works great as a server edition of Mint. Its faster and more stable than Mint 20.
Great comment. Agreed, I realized with time that distros matter little the more you understand Linux. But when I started out, it was the difference between sticking to Windows or taking a leap of faith. 12 years later, I'm a happy Arch dwm user.
I love Linux Mint been running it for 6 years or better
Same!
Well done DT. Good comparison. Thanks!
Been there done that. I have tried most distros and always go back to Mint for what my interests are.
Linux Mint was my first distro, and I agree with your opinion on this matter, Derek. If I had been confronted with Gnome as a Linux beginner, I would have been lost and highly peeved (
I completely agree, Mint is much better for beginners. It was my first linux distro back in 2011 and I loved it! I tried Ubuntu a couple of times but... it was just weird, for all the reasons you mentioned in your video. Good job explaining this topic. I will always recommend Mint to anyone who wants to switch from Windows, Mint is one complete experience, install and go.
Outstanding episode. I clicked on this video because you show your face and I remember how comforting your advice was previously. You cleared up questions I didn't have the vocabulary to ask...
Your Channel is awesome, i'm using Linux for about 3 months and now i'm using Ubuntu thinking to chance to Mint as well... I'm brasilian and your way to speak is realy good to understand, not slowly, but clear and objective... Congratulations and tnks for the content.
Just installed it after watching this. Frikken love it already man. This might be my 2nd favourite next to peppermint.
My bipolar feeling about Gnome, my mixed feeling about Canonical and my personal experience with hardware means I always recommend Mint or MX LInux to fellow noobs.
Mint for sure, Debian Stable is too outdated.
Why not just Kubuntu?
@@dougwin5267 You do realize that MX Linux has several options for installing newer software than Debian stable where you want/need it?
Really, though, for most new users the software in Debian stable is up to date enough, unless you want to use it for gaming. There are other reasons I wouldn't recommend Debian itself for new users, though, especially for gaming.
The concept of Gnome is great, but the execution is terrible. They didn't need it to consume so much RAM, nor did they need to add all of those dumb features like the "hot-corner" or the panel that is so hard to customize.
This is exactly what I was thinking when you were talking about Ubuntu for new users a few months back.
Agreed, that is what many of us thought.
Thank you, Derek. Especially with Linux Mint 20, LM is better for beginners right from the initial setup.
I installed Mint on an older windows laptop yesterday after failing with elementary, fedora and Ubuntu, because of my inability to update the Nvidia drivers successfully with those distributions. Mint finally got me through the painful process. ♥️
Thanks for the call out man! I don’t normally turn my ad-block off for mint/ubuntu videos, but I guess ya got me here!
I went w/ Mint to start back into Linux after a decade or more not using it. No regrets, but went on to other things. Knew I subscribed for a reason.
This guy's voice sounds like one of Kitboga's characters.
I totally agree that Linux Mint is the better choice for beginners. I have already used many distributions and recently I was heading back to Linux Mint as well. The Cinnamon desktop is already that polished, just intuitive and productive that I am really enyoing using it as my daily driver. It needs only some optical tweaking to look not that old fashioned anymore. :) Anyway, I think the distribution is very stable and the perfect daily driver for every Linux desktop user if you like Cinnamon, Mate or xfce.
Hi DT, I found your explanation of Linux Mint to be both insightful and Informative. Although I haven't followed you in the past it does seem that when it comes to Linux and Linux distos you do know what you are talking about. I came to Linux mint as a win 7 user back around the Mint 17.2 version and have stayed with it ever since. For Me at least it has everything I needed and runs other programs very well. I use Discord and also use Firestorm viewer for VR grids and all works well, I've been on Steam and it works well although I'm not a big gamer. Kudos on this vid. look to see more about Linux Mint in the future. Cheers!
A couple days ago I read about the main reason to use Mint over Ubuntu. Linux Mint banned snap after Ubuntu forced chromium uses to install snap. I left Ubuntu because of snap.
Very good listening while I was installing Mint. Haven't been on a linux OS since I stopped being an engineer 6 years ago and keen to see the latest and greatest.
I tried installing Fedora and Debian 2 years ago on my Nvidia machine, and well we know the story of Linux and Nvidia, so tired of black screen I quit and went back to windows. 2020 arrives, Ubuntu 20.04 releases, I decide to try it. Within 2 hours, I got my entire machine learning suite up and running like a breeze (containing cuda and stuff). This was the moment I fell in love with Ubuntu. Guess will have to try out mint. Nice video!
I'm late to the party here clearly (it's February 2021) but you hit this perfectly, sir. Dead on.
EDIT- Just saw your point about breaking extensions in GNOME. .. That was a huge problem back in the early days of Linux which I define as 1999 to say 2005 or so (I started with kernel 2.0 and RH w/X11 & WindowMaker and also OpenStep X evironments - GNOME was just beginning).
Broken packages at first, were a huge problem and fixing them was a nightmare and sometimes led to complete rebuilds. Eventually it became, broken features after an update or - gasps - an upgrade. One always had to have a full backup of what mattered and one also had to be fully prepared to start over and pull in their backups to the new release. This led a large majority of us to be skeptical of updates; "Is this gonna break my ish or what?" A lot of older IT guys have held on to this same skepticism despite the fact it's gotten lightyears better over time.
These issues are largely gone now thankfully, but you're right, there are still things that will break a GNOME environment beyond comprehension.
Mint is not just a Beginner's Linux. Experienced Linux user's also do prefer and use Mint as well. It's a no frills-just works out-of-the-box distro. This video was pretty light on its content, probably because DT cringed making a video on bloated DEs because he needed a video.
There are so many other things to consider with Mint over Gnome 3 in Ubuntu. Such as:
1.Theming is easier on Mint - no need to install another tool just to theme
2. Warpinator - making it easier to transfer files between another Linux PC
3. Includes Timeshift and a Backup Tool - For backing up your files and ability to restore right where you left off
4. USB Image Writer - so you can easily create bootable Linux distros onto flash drives from an .ISO
5. Software Mirror - so you can find the closest and fastest mirror to you
6. Driver Manager
7. Kernel updater
And more I've missed
I recently installed Mint MATE 20 and during the installation you can tick if you want to install drivers/proprietary drivers or not.
I agree Mint over Ubuntu, I really dislike Gnome3. The last 10 days I've been test driving Kbuntu. I like the plasma desktop and it would be a good distro for a new to Linux user.
I'd recommend Feren OS and then removing snap and it's packages after install if you want the premium Ububtu/KDE experience. Or install Plasma on top of Mint.
plasma is garbage.
@@pierreperegrindemaricourt8379 most customizable and least resources cry about it
I switched from Windows 10 to LinuxMint not because it looks like Windows but because it is Linux and it suite my needs.
Instant like just from reading the title!
Tbf if they were a Windows user then even 2gb of ram usage on a cold boot will seem mindblowing
nope 2gb from a cold boot is what i have with windows so really if any linux distro does that its just no good ... with fedora im at somewhere around 700megs with xfce running...
@@urugulu1656 I suppose 2gb might be normal. I haven't used Windows in long enough to know; I vaguely remember getting nearly 4gb on cold boot in windows a few years ago.
Now I get 100mb on cold boot in Arch (200mb when I start xorg and dwm) so 2gb would be insane
@@benjaminbrady2385mustve been in the vista days in the w10 days its more like 2gb. and yes with only a command line or a commandline and a window manager you are running quite low. for my netbook with only 1gb of ram i run at roughly 220-250megs with xubuntu 32bit and i3
@@urugulu1656 250mb on a DE!? That's so low! It's amazing, with only 1gb windows would be unusable; with Linux it's tons depending on how minimalist you're willing to go and you can get near the windows experience with a DE and presumably a browser, image editor, compiler, etc. running too with less than 1gb anyway
Mint has the best menu setup of *all* the distros I've tried... and I've tried one helluvalot of them.
Pop OS is a very good compromise between the two. Stable, professionally backed, good-looking and snappy :D
that's true
Pop OS never worked good on my PC for some reason. Always went into complete self shitting mode after 1-2 days.
I am glad that I install linux mint, even terminal is nice and saves life of nice old computers.
I agree as form me I prefer lighter distro for my ageing computer
A helpful and comprehensive overview. Thank you.
I'm moving to Linux because every time they force an update on me the computer gets slower and slower and always something stops working and it takes me forever to figure out the problem, Sick of Microsoft.
The best thing about linux mint is that they disabled snapd
Agreed. Advanced users can turn it on and fix their system when Snapd breaks it. Most people can just download Google Chrome without installing Snapd.
I left Ubuntu over a month ago because of snap. A couple days ago I read that Mint banned snap. If I would have read that last month I would have installed Mint. I fell in love with Arch though.
@@PestisNonSapien_GMO_exHuman Based name.
Oh? You _like_ Mint now?!?! Cool !
I'll subscribe again :-)
When I switched to Linux, I chose Mint because the Cinnamon desktop "out of the box" resembles Win 7 more so than other Linux desktops.
Just to share my experience, I was curious about Linux and I thought that if I can handle arch linux, I can learn more about Linux (thanks to DT) and I just tried it out. After 4 months, I am using arch linux with qtile now. It is not easy for a new user but it is definitely edifying if you want to learn Linux.
Did you lose your hair?
@@STONE69_ Just a little bit, maybe a quarter of them
Manjaro?
AUR unlimited power
@@peterjansen4826 Not for me and I'm using it for years. Something that has gives headaches was Ubuntu, the distro everyone recommends and that it's "stable". Not for me, actually the opposite.
@@janosch1097 Arch > EndeavourOS/Manjaro
EndeavourOS/Manjaro is just good for beginners.
Arch supremacists !
@@peterjansen4826 I have been using both pamac and pacman Manjaro for over a year with more than 20 AUR packages installed and my system didn't break.
Beautiful analysis. Thanks!
Thanks! Well presented. Believe I am going to move over to Mint *REAL* soon now *:)*
Very informative. Thanks for sharing
I love your work - clear and compelling. Do you have any videos on how the Mint community functions? I'm wondering about how it relates to Ubuntu and how much double up there is working on both Ubuntu and Debian directly - and if they're working on Debian directly - why not just skip the Ubuntu version and go straight to that?
I started out with Ubuntu. I moved to Mint to try it. I used Manjaro for a while, and tried to use a couple of other distros for a while. I always came back to manjaro, though. What I ended up sticking with in the end though, was Ubuntu Budgie. I love the budgie desktop, but I kind of don't like certain things about Solus.
That's what works for me, though I do often miss the AUR from when I was using manjaro.
I’ve been going back and forth trying to decide which distro to use. I thought for sure I was going to go with mint. But then I saw manjaro, and feren OS looks really good. So now I’m thinking about KDE.
I'm currently test driving linux mint on a spare ssd as a daily driver os to (mostly) replace windows. it's actually much more usable and pleasant than I expected, and I'm seriously considering keeping it as my primary os
In my own experience, i never found any real difference between Ubuntu Linux and Linux Mint, but as far as i know, Linux mint is considered easier for Windows users, compared to Ubuntu.
I don't know what it is, but DistroTube looks really good on this video, he is not pale. Hi, I am a Mint user, I've been reading stuff from the Linux community and the majority of the time there will be a person who says that Ubuntu(Canonical) is bought by Microsoft or Ubuntu is the Microsoft version of Linux. Is this true? Why are people saying that?
I’m going to get an icy dock 6 bay. I have been running Mint virtually for many moons. I’ll start with Mint and try a rolling release at the same time or full time.
Facts. I started with Ubuntu and it just felt weird, so I then switched to Mint and now about to go back to Ubuntu now that I have developed a strong foundation of linux skills/knowledge.
When I switched from Windoze to Linux I opted for Ubuntu and got on fairly well with it. Lots of community support. In those days, Unity was the new desktop, although that could be switched to Gnome fairly easily (by the way, the G in Gnome is silent). I used it for a couple of years, having tweaked it to feel more like Win XP, then discovered Xubuntu which is lighter, faster, and uses the XFCE desktop. There's a desktop switcher which has an option called Redmond. Select that, and it instantly feels pretty much like XP. I've been using Xubuntu for several years now very happily. I will try Mint soon, in a VM. I tried it years ago and couldn't get it to run well enough to be of any practical use, but I'm sure it has improved over the years.
In my experience, it varied alot by my hardware. For my laptop, Pop_os was the best as far as gaming on my laptop due to integrated, Nvidia GPU. However gnome gave me a few annoying bugs, and dual booting took some time to figure out. On my desktop (all AMD), Manjaro worked the best out of the box. And once I figured out yay and AUR, it got even better.
thanks for sharing this information. I Use Ubuntu Studio in my desktop and Linux Mint 20 on my laptop.
Lm is very good and one of the best. I've tried all of them. 👌🏻
Man as a noobie now for about 2 months the package managers are a nightmare. My mom has manjaro and I have to have her show me how to install things that would take 2 commands in mint.
I'm 71 and using Mint for some 15 years Mint never goes wrong
Sweet introduction man, I like those reasons...so I'll just list them down:
1. Safer system
2. Old equipment,
3. Become power users
4. Curiosity
In terms of install package, what's your take on Garuda vs. Mint for someone that is about to make that cross-over from the Mac environment?
right on... well said
I think it's time to make another comparison! This one is a year old ;-)
Both Ubuntu and Linux Mint has done lots of things, and, as someone who loves your channel and started in the 90:s (with Debian and it was, and is, fun!). I'm not as brilliant as you at doing videos on here, but you are :-D
AfterStep was a fun one, I liked that. And then there were other fun ones to get lost in. That's the power of Linux, or maybe the lure...
Anyway, I hope you make another one like this one. I still prefer Debian, it's like home for me. So both MX Linux and Sparkylinux are great for when people ask me where to start, and so is Linux Mint, and... Lots of Distros actually. I'm an agnostic when it comes to KDE/Gnome/Cinnamon/Xmonad/Mate on top of Linux. They all work (I hope gnome gets their sh*t together and listen to the users, and get it to use less RAM though...)
Well, thank you for a great channel, keep up the good work!
When you was talking about RAM, you said a few word about editing. I thought that editing on linux was dead end, maybe a video on the subject ?
Good video. It would be cool to see one with Pop OS in the mix.
I'll take Linux Mint over Ubuntu any day of the week, Ubuntu is fine for people who like using the Terminal and working out computing puzzles, but I don't want to program the computer, I just want to use it!
I am a hardcore Linux Mint Cinnamon fanboy. It was the first Linux I had tested out of a USB. Later I saw many other videos of other distros & even tinkered with many of them on VMs. One of the key lines in the summary of this video is "I will compare the flagship editions of both Ubuntu and Linux Mint". This to a huge extent becomes GNOME vs Cinnamon & we know Cinnamon feels & looks very similar to what is available in Windows & its just more user friendly even for the experienced Linux user.
A better comparison would have been Ubuntu MATE vs Linux Mint MATE? Or Xubuntu vs Linux Mint XFCE? Or even Ubuntu Cinnamon vs Linux Mint Cinnamon? Then you would have a common ground for a fair comparison. Some of the points mentioned here will still hold though. And you can argue that the video is meant for new Linux users so they really won't know much about official vs community editions, different DEs etc etc. But I just don't feel its a fair comparison if you put up Ubuntu GNOME against Linux Mint Cinnamon. I repeat, I am a Linux Mint Cinnamon fanboy.
I remember when Ubuntu first came out. I was living in NYC, and got to be a distributor of it. I never cared for Unity, and it ran really slow on the hardware I had when it first came out. But it's great now. I still like Mint better though.
The gnome side bar is so awkward i never got used to it even with extensive use
Absolutely agree!
I have to say my man. You are looking fresh.
Mint or Manjaro, those are distros that I recommend to new linux users
Back in the day Ubuntu had the wubi installer, so it was really easy to install and use alongside Windows
Hey, many Mac users are considering switching to Linux too. We also exist! Question: If you want to start out by installing Linux on an older and pretty slow Mac, what's Mint like compared to minimalist versions of Ubuntu, like Xubuntu and Lubuntu?
I would go for elementary OS
As a Mint user I agree with all your reasons. But I think your reasons apply to all users, not just new users. Your video makes a good case for any user to pick Mint over Ubuntu (and you didn’t even mentions snap).
good thing you added "for new linux users" :D
Please keep these videos coming :)
I started with ZorinOS from MacOS because I wanted a unix-based OS but I sold my macbook, and had some fun with it. Eventually I went to windows because I got into PC gaming. However, I really preferred Unix based OS' for work because thats what I'm used to. So I switched to EndeavourOS as a way to learn about my system through trial by fire. After about a month and a half, I got tired of constantly configuring shit, so I switched to Pop OS. I've settled on Pop so far, I love it. It's been 2 weeks and I've had absolutely zero issues, I got my fingerprint sensor to work, I got some games to work like Rocket League and Minecraft, and I'm super happy with everything except one thing: I kind of miss the AUR. The Pop shop is cool but the AUR was so vast and easy to use. I'll find the debian equivalent eventually I suppose.
I started my "Linux-journey" almost exactly a year ago with installing Mint on my Laptop and it was probably one of the best choices I ever made lol. Mint ran way better than Windows on my lower-end laptop and it was way more fun to use it and play around with it to see what it can do. Now, that Laptop runs Manjaro and I am currently typing this comment on my Desktop running Fedora, and while I'm by no means an experienced user, all the things I learned over the last year are, in a way, thanks to Mint. 10/10 would do it again.
As my exprience linux mint is great for laptop users.
The Mate desktop is good. Everything is organized pretty well in the main menu. The control center is also similar to the Windows control panel. I never use or recommend Gnome 3.
excellent video! New linux user here hooked on mint after trying lubuntu which was not good with the lxqt too complicated and not as fast as the xfce on ulnaya i think but what do i know haha thank you will subscribe!
Which version of Mint should I go with?
At 5:48 instant switch between the 2 desktops. I like the Ubuntu Yaru theme but switching to Mint Cinnamon everything just looks clean, coherent.
I am still unable to install Debian 😕
You may have to come to a SNAP decision on this one :)
Snap off here snap fan!!!
jk
Thanos snaps away the pa😓ckages.💥
Thanks for the video! I'm sick of Windows 10 and looking to try out Linux. Mint seems like a good starting point.