Ubuntu or Linux Mint – Which is Better?

When Windows or Mac users have to switch to Linux for their workplace, Linux Mint is the first operating system they gravitate towards. Since its launch in 2006, Linux Mint has developed into a highly user-friendly operating system. Therefore, we will go into great depth regarding Linux Mint in this article. Transform your career easily by enrolling in our Linux Training Institute in Chennai.

What is Linux Mint?

Based on Ubuntu, Linux Mint is a community-driven Linux distribution. It aims to be a cutting-edge, opulent, and cozy operating system that is both strong and simple to use. For usage on desktop computers, Linux Mint is a free and open-source operating system. Millions of people use one of the most widely used desktop Linux distributions today.

Features of Linux Mint

• The main distinction of Linux Mint is its user interface and simplicity of interaction.
• Similar to other Linux distributions, Linux Mint comes with a pre-installed application suite that is incorporated into the operating system. It also lets users search for, download, and install more apps using the application package management tool.
• In addition to being incredibly user-friendly and comfy, Linux Mint’s design is also robust and customizable.
• Every effort is made to improve the user experience. User feedback is crucial and is used to continuously enhance Linux Mint’s quality.
• Long-Term Support (LTS) versions are available from Linux Mint, and they are typically supported for 5 years.

Tips to Choose the Right Linux Edition

Linux Mint is available in 3 major editions with different features suitable for desktop environments.

• The Cinnamon edition of Linux Mint is the most widely used version. The main focus of Cinnamon’s development is Linux Mint. It has a lot of fresh features and is sleek and gorgeous.
• Along with GNOME 2, which served as Linux Mint’s default desktop from 2006 to 2011, MATE, a traditional desktop environment, is being developed by Linux Mint. MATE runs quicker, consumes fewer resources, and is more reliable than Cinnamon despite lacking a few features and having a slower rate of development.
• A portable desktop environment is Xfce. Although it doesn’t offer as many features as MATE or Cinnamon, it is exceptionally resource-efficient and extremely reliable.

When in doubt, start with the Cinnamon version of a desktop. When you have the time, finally try them all. Within the Linux Mint community, the three of them have a sizable following.

32-bit or 64-bit?

64-bit is recommended. The 32-bit ISO images are offered to make older PCs compatible. Nowadays, 32-bit processors are increasingly uncommon, and the majority of computers can operate 64-bit. Your computer most likely has a 64-bit CPU if it was produced after 2007.

Read X86 Chronology if you have an ancient computer and are unclear if it can operate in 64-bit. On your machine, you can attempt to boot Linux Mint 64-bit. You won’t really see an error notice if it isn’t compatible.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Linux Mint

Let’s explore some advantages of utilizing Linux Mint.

• It is quite simple to use and fully supports multimedia right out of the box.
• It is open source and cost-free.
• Community involvement is key. Users are urged to provide comments on the project here. This is done so we may use their suggestions to enhance Linux Mint.
• It is based on Debian and Ubuntu and offers one of the best software managers along with over 30,000 packages.
• Because of a cautious approach to software updates, a special Update Manager, and a sturdy design, Linux Mint is secure and dependable and needs very little maintenance (no regressions, no antivirus, no anti-spyware, etc.).

Let’s now talk about a few drawbacks.

• A lack of Device Manager
• Mint takes a cautious stance toward cutting-edge technology. Therefore, a distro like Fedora could be a better choice for you if you prefer to stay on top of cutting-edge technology or fancy desktops.
• Mint is too big and needs a system that can handle it to function well. Therefore, if your computer is very outdated and you are unable to replace it, you might be better off using anything else.
• Although Mint is based on Ubuntu, it differs from its sister in many respects, therefore not all software available for Ubuntu will function with Mint. Additionally, the most recent version of Mint will never be based on the most recent release of Ubuntu because it is always one or two versions older.
• No PPA (Personal Package Archive). Installing software from a PPA after adding it to your sources is a terrific way to mess up your installation. Though it’s probable that initially not all PPA software will experience it, it will eventually.

Comparison Between Linux Mint and Ubuntu

Installation of Linux Mint

While some laptops come pre-installed with Linux Mint, it’s much more probable that you’ll be installing it on a device that already has an operating system. You may either install it over your current OS, thus erasing it, or you can install it alongside the current OS.

Another dual booting option is available. Dual-booting allows you to have two operating systems installed on the same machine, but only allows you to use one at a time. This strategy reduces flexibility because it requires you to shut down the other OS in order to use the programs of one OS. Here, though, we’ll concentrate on the first two choices.

Direct Installation

Direct installation of Linux Mint on a Mac or PC involves the following steps:

Step 1: Get an installer ready. Although you may also burn it on an optical disc if you prefer the traditional method, this is often a USB drive. However, keep in mind that the majority of modern Linux installers are bigger than a CD-ROM (700 MB), so you’ll need a DVD-R/RW or a USB drive with a suitable storage capacity. The installation for Linux Mint is almost 2 GB.

Step 2: Start your computer by booting from the USB device or optical disc you just made. You might need to change the UEFI and boot order settings on your computer (more on these later).

Step 3: Finally, after the USB drive has started, launch the installer to access a live Mint desktop.

Using Virtual Box

The standard system prerequisites for Linux Mint 19 are:

• 2 GB of RAM (1 GB is minimum)
• a 20 GB disk space

Ensure that you assign at least the required space, and if at all possible, try to allocate a little bit extra. Particularly disk space is simple to provide because even a 100GB virtual disk only requires 10GB of physical spaceor the minimum amount of space required by the operating system and all of the data stored inside the VM. Only if you choose dynamic disk allocation, which is the default.

Step 1 : Select New from the VirtualBox Manager window, then begin by allocating RAM and naming your virtual machine. Ubuntu is the version and Linux is the type in this case.

Step 2 : The following step is to establish a virtual hard disk. The actual hard disk’s default file type and storage are acceptable. Set aside more disk space than 20 GB.

Step 3 : The Virtual Machine will now be constructed after clicking Create. If you’d like, you may make more adjustments by visiting the settings (right-click on the VM and select settings). If your hardware supports it, you may install a few more computing cores under their Settings System Processor menu.

Step 4 : The machine will now boot, but VirtualBox will need a starting disk from you because there isn’t one. Here, we must launch the VM using the Linux Mint ISO.

Step 5 : The Install Linux Mint tool, which would assist us in carrying out its namesake task, is seen here inside the live install disc. Click twice to launch the tool. Choose the language of preference.

Step 6 : Choose the keyboard layout next.

Step 7 : It is safe to install third-party applications that would enhance the overall experience even if it is not technically essential, especially inside a VM.

Step 8 : It is also secure to erase the drive and install Linux Mint on top of it because we just generated a new virtual hard disk. This choice is not for you if you want to dual-boot on a physical disk or just switch your Linux distribution without losing your data. In case, you decide to install Linux Mint on a physical drive, please have a backup of your data.

Step 9 : Install Now is now selected. Review the partitions that the installer wants to create, and then click Continue if you’re satisfied. For instance, selecting Erase disk will result in the creation of these partitions.

Step 10 : While the installation is happening, we may configure our location and create a user account and password. Due to the need to update packages and copy data, the installation process could take some time. But once we’ve done so, the freshly installed OS will welcome us when we reboot the VM.

Conclusion

Linux Mint might be a suitable choice if using Linux as your primary OS is your only alternative in such circumstances. Regardless of how much or little you are familiar with the system, this is true. A community-driven Linux distribution based on Ubuntu, Linux Mint comes pre-installed with a number of free and open-source programs.

When using proprietary software, such as multimedia codecs, it can offer full out-of-the-box support for multimedia. Get industry-worth Linux Certification Training in Chennai at Softlogic System and become a master in Linux Administration.