Tuesday, June 29, 2010

Re: [LINUX_Newbies] Re: Ready to install Linux

I thought that was the case at one time, but read recently that it is based
in the USA. I was aware that the developer lives in Ireland. Maybe it is so
good that many countries want to claim it as their own. :) Ubuntu is listed
as Isle of Man, but it is based in the UK and the originator is from South
Africa. It is sometimes tough to figure these things out. I will look into
it more. Thanks for the heads up.

I am testing out Mint 9 now. My biggest concerns do far: no licenses to
agree to for restricted software, the panel is at the bottom and not top, I
dislike the slab menu and unlike Kubuntu there is no right-click change to
classic style available, no KDE version at same time as GNOME version
(second class status?) and it comes with Mono. I am sure that I will find
more to dislike.

For the most part, it is the same as Ubuntu. On mine it is even has Ubuntu
Software Centre, but it could be called that because I have my old GNOME
settings from a previous Ubuntu installation. I did not notice before I
installed. On the positive side, it came with the GIMP and there was no
Evolution which I don't use so why install it. It comes with a couple of
frills such as Ndiswrapper, but I don't use wireless on this machine so it
is wasted on me. Likewise with Mint Nanny. My youngest child is 21 so
putting it on by default seems silly. The Backup Tool is too basic for my
use. AptonCD is a good tool, but seems out of place on a default
installation and a waste of bandwidth. Gufw is a good idea. Ubuntu comes
with Ufw, but having a GUI is good for most users. It did not come with a
partition manager or the ability to make a usb key distribution which I use
a lot. It does come with get-deb repositories listed. You just need to
enable them by checking a box. That is positive.

My concerns about Mint playing loosey goosey with the law on the issue of
licenses still bothers me as an open source advocate. There is a difference
between open source and proprietary and that line should be defined. However
annoying EULAs are to some people they serve a purpose. Score a big one for
Ubuntu with me on that one.

Also a bit distrurbing is the panel on the bottom. This pays homage to
Windows since GNOME's traditional place is at the top. The fact that it can
only be moved by creating a new one and deleting the bottom one suggests
that most users are stuck with it at the bottom since adding to the new
panel must be done manually. This is a real nuisance for a hardcore GNOME
user who is used to it at the top and something that newbies are likely to
have trouble changing. If you want to run Avant Window Navigator then having
the panel at the bottom is crazy. As for slab menus, I hate them, even in
KDE.

So, I find Mint lacking in many ways and an interesting but not
revolutionary departure from Ubuntu. For someone like me, there is no reason
to run Mint over Ubuntu and many reasons to stick with Kubuntu as my main
OS.

Roy


On 29 June 2010 02:05, zed <zed@zed.net.nz> wrote:

>
>
> Roy <linuxcanuck@gmail.com <linuxcanuck%40gmail.com>> wrote:
>
> [snip]
>
> >
> > I find it entirely hypocritical that the US under the guise of ACTA is
> > pushing the rest of the world most of which do NOT accept the idea of
> > software patents and DRM to adopt harsh penalties and Mint which is a US
> > distribution and many Mint users are as well seem to ignore the issue of
> > software licenses. I am concerned about limits to my freedom and see this
> > license issue as a threat.
>
> Minit is definitely not a US distribution. It is developed by Clement
> Lefebvre, who is French, and lives in Ireland.
>
> [snip]
>
> Zed
> --
> zed
>
> Looking Good!
>
>


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

------------------------------------

To unsubscribe from this list, please email LINUX_Newbies-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com & you will be removed.Yahoo! Groups Links

<*> To visit your group on the web, go to:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/LINUX_Newbies/

<*> Your email settings:
Individual Email | Traditional

<*> To change settings online go to:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/LINUX_Newbies/join
(Yahoo! ID required)

<*> To change settings via email:
LINUX_Newbies-digest@yahoogroups.com
LINUX_Newbies-fullfeatured@yahoogroups.com

<*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
LINUX_Newbies-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com

<*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to:
http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/

No comments:

Post a Comment