Discussion Finally a possible real replacement for Windows - Linux Mint Cinnamon desktop

[Indus]

I've been fooling around with Linux Mint Cinnamon a bit this past March and after a month or so I'm impressed.

20 years ago when I first tried linux.. I found the concept interesting, nice in idea but lacking software especially in gaming.

Currently to my surprise that has been fixed..

Steam wrote a program called Protondb which basically makes 95.9% of windows games work on linux.. and its much better than WINE ever was. Just enable steamplay in Steam.

The downside is the game must be on Steam. Cannot be EPIC game store or the others. That said I always had most of my games on Steam and I can honestly say.. I will never upgrade to Windows 11 which is buggy as hell and a hot mess even 6 months after launch.

Nvidia already puts out drivers for linux.

I can already browse, shop, watch videos and movies and bank in linux mint.

Android is basically linux and I've been happy with android phones forever.

Also figured out how to use virtual on screen keyboard in second language that switches easily to english in Cinnamon. (had problems with MATE)

Doesn't hurt that I don't have to pay for MS Office with Libre Office/ Open Office and can use GIMP instead of Photoshop.

I really like that there's a good community to get help from https://forums.linuxmint.com/viewforum.php?f=143

And now I can game on it!!

So when the day comes and windows 10 is done getting support from games (approx 4 years from now).. I'll be switching to Linux Mint full time.

P.S. I tried different desktop environments.. MATE, XFCE, KDE, GNOME but Cinnamon was the least buggy for me so I'm happy. You may prefer a different desktop but that's the beauty of it.. you can change it.

 

[damian101]

Yes, Cinnamon is good. For people who want to try/use Windows-like KDE Plasma on Ubuntu, I can recommend Feren OS.
I myself prefer Arch (and I guess Manjaro too) over Ubuntu by a lot, because of its flexibility, RebornOS/Garuda/EndeavourOS are probably good Arch distros to start with.

Btw, "Android is basically Linux" isn't really true in the sense you mean it. Your normal Linux distributions are all very similar, they not only use the Linux kernel but also share lots of libraries and software from the GNU project, which is why those operating systems are commonly called GNU/Linux. The GNU operating system is actually older than the Linux kernel and adopted the Linux kernel after development of their own kernel took too long. Android is very different from all those GNU/Linux distributions, it barely uses any GNU software and is not binary-compatible with common GNU/Linux distributions.

 

[wcbutler]

Cinnamon and KDE are great Windows-like replacements. I've been running Gnome because it seems happiest with Ubuntu.

 

[Indus]

Cinnamon and KDE are great Windows-like replacements. I've been running Gnome because it seems happiest with Ubuntu.

Used to like KDE a lot back in the day but it just seems cluttered with too many menus.

I've had trouble installing onscreen keyboard and getting it to work with xfce, kde and mate. Cinnamon just works!

 

[DasFox]

I run Slackware, with only Openbox installed, I always do a manual/expert install, stripped down, just the basics.

Last year Cinnamon was crashing on me in Mint. Ever since Cinnamon has been released, there’s always something you’ll run into sooner or later.

I also seriously gave up on all the bigger distros, I’ve tried all the major distros and then some, because they are also more problematic, that’s why I run Slackware, faster performance and better stability, less problems, than any Distro out there. The only problem, you have to be willing to get under the hood and learn a little, and I’m glad I did, there is no other Distro out there that has better stability and can out perform Slack.

You spend time learning Slack, and how to use Linux, you’ll come to learn this about Slackware too.

Actually Slackware is the simplest of all Distros, it’s very cut down and basic, the learning curve isn’t Slackware, it’s just learning about Linux in general is all. Linux is Linux, what one can do, they all can. Slack just happens to be the simplest of them all, which is why it’s so much better performing and better stability, it’s not bloated in features and code, which also makes it more secure.

What most people don’t understand is all the Distros out there have their own way of doing things, and when it comes to Slackware, there is very little that is Slackware, and the vast majority is simply how you do things in Linux.

In Linux you don’t need to run the desktops (DE), to this day most are still bloated, and will never out perform and have the same stability as a smaller Window Manager (WM), many that can run as a Stand Alone DE.
Running small stand alone window managers isn’t complicated, it just takes a willingness to play around and learn a little, but once you do, you’ll never go back, once you experience the speed/performance stability.

You can do the same things in smaller window managers as bigger desktops.

Gnome, KDE, Cinnamon are like VW Jettas, Openbox and i3 are like Ferraris, and I’m not kidding... LOL

If you are willing to try out Linux, then take the time to play with different Distros, we call this Distro Hopping, and try out different DE and WM, otherwise, you’re missing out, and selling yourself short, this isn’t Windows, and there are a lot of choices out there.

DistroWatch.com: Put the fun back into computing. Use Linux, BSD.

News and feature lists of Linux and BSD distributions.

distrowatch.com

P.S. I’ve been running Slackware since 7x version, and Openbox when it was released, and after many many years of playing and Distro Hopping, I’ve never looked back on Slack!

 

[Net]

I made the switch recently. I was planning on making the switch when Windows 10 is end of life because the TPM requirement would force me to buy new hardware. The more I thought about it the more I thought why not just make the switch now? So I did in April and I am super pleased with the decision. I'm super surprised at how far the Linux desktop and ecosystem has come. When I need to use MS Office I use the free version of Office 365 at https://onedrive.live.com I haven't ran into anything yet that would make me use Windows again. I use KolourPaint as a replacement for MS Paint.

All my steam games install on Linux and I can play them. I do notice that the fps is better in windows. I do get good fps on Linux but I get better fps on Windows. I think that's because DirectX driver gives better fps whereas OpenGL is more *accurate* but as a result slows down the fps. I rarely play games though so it's not an issue for me. I do still have my dual boot with Windows so I can play games there till Windows 10 is end of life. And by then maybe the fps will catch up. If not, then that's okay I'd still stick with Linux because I get more daily benefit from it as a developer.

I installed Linux Mint XFCE edition. I installed plank, ulancher, Mac fonts and Icons, and Mac theme because I like the mac look and feel. My memory usage on idle is 1.1GB.

Distros I've used in the past Slackware (1999-2001), Ubuntu (various years), Linux Mint XFCE (April 2022 - present).

 

[Red Squirrel]

Been using it for quite a while now. I'd say it's probably one of the more polished distros I've tried. I switched to Linux around the time windows 8 came out as I really did not like the direction it was going. I distro hop some times but always find myself going back to Mint.

 

[Muadib]

I tried Mint Cinnamon back when Windows 7 was going EOL. I was pretty happy with it, but then the screen on the laptop I was running it on died. I'm thinking I will give it another try with my current pc. Don't get me wrong I love Windows 11, and the direction it is going, but I have another Laptop that needs some love.

That didn't take long at all. Running it off a USB stick, and the only hiccup so far is installing the latest NVIDIA driver. For some reason it's taking forever to install.... Email will be next..