am no fan of dumbing down which Mint and Ubuntu are both in the habit of. I
want it all and Mint and Ubuntu keep things from the user. Simplicity is
good for some people, but it is not for everybody. Unfortunately, Mint users
like to depict Mint as a panacea and it is not. It never has been.
My big bug about Mint is that Mint users, some here, who advise the
installation of Mint to fix any problem as if re-installation is really easy
for a newbie and easier than sorting out the problem. Most problems such as
installing missing codecs are far easier to fix than re-installation. It is
nice that they are enthusiastic about their distro of choice, but the time
to advise changing distros is before someone installs, not after. What
happens if someone takes their advice and it does not fix the problem? It is
a black eye for Mint and it has caused the user more work in the bargain.
That is why I do not like the idea that there is any panacea and that one
distro is the best. There are many fine distros, including Mint, but there
is no one best distro because hardware works differently with different
distros and there are many kinds of users. Ubuntu is fine in its own right
and Mint is no better even though Mint users have made this their mantra.
Underneath it is the same from the kernel up. The difference is in branding
and philosophy. Mint's philosophy differs from Ubuntu in that Ubuntu tries
to walk the line between usability and supporting open source and free
software. Codecs are not installed by default because in some countries they
are illegal. Open source drivers are preferred in Ubuntu because Ubuntu is
taking a stand for software freedom. In the long run it is against your best
interest not to be able to have control over hardware drivers. Mint does not
care about freedom, only about usability which is fine, but I am glad that
some distros do support free and open drivers or we would have none and
would be at the mercy of ATI and Nvidia. Choice is good.
I do not think the inconvenience of post installing drivers is a problem if
it gives users more control and choice in the end. Free and open drivers
are getting better with each release and some are as good as the proprietary
ones. Codecs are no longer an issue as of 10.10. At some point Mint is going
to have to stand on its own and not live off Ubuntu just as Ubuntu has
surpassed Debian in both popularity and usability. Mint is at a crossroads
and I for one am interested where they are going to go. Mint 11 is worth
installing but will Mint 12 stick with the past (GNOME 2.x) and which
direction will it go when it needs to change? It is really a horse race
between GNOME 3 and Unity to see which can produce a mature desktop first
and Mint will likely back the winner, IMO. No risk. I see Mint as an
essentially dumbed down regressive distro that has found a home by those who
do not like change, but change is unavoidable in the long run.
That may sound cruel, but it seems to be the case to an unbiased observer
(user of neither Mint nor Ubuntu) and open source advocate (you have to take
a stand for free software to be one). Ubuntu and Mint users would say
otherwise, but they are hardly unbiased.
Roy
Using Kubuntu 11.04, 64-bit
Location: Canada
On 15 June 2011 08:56, grantrocket2 <mars_rover@rocketmail.com> wrote:
>
>
> I use Mint 10 (currently but I downloaded 11 last night)
> I do like the slab menu, it just works for my brain. Ubuntu is nice and
> all, I don't mind the extra bit of configuring it takes me (move window
> buttons to right, install codexes, install flash, install theme)
> Mint just seems to have a bit nicer ideology type thing. Ubuntu is all hey
> we are so powerfull, look at the {school/server/government branch} running
> our O/S you should become a power user like us. Mint is like, um hey, i
> don't give a crap what you use it for. But I'll give you all the tools to
> make it whatever you want it to be.
> Just my .02 cents
>
>
>
[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