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OpenSuse to Mint

Skitzer

Skitzer

Diamond Member
I have been an OpenSuse user for years but have been disappointed in the last 2 releases. I won't go into detail but I'm tired of all the little problems that have seemed to crop up lately.
I just downloaded the RC of LTS Mint 13 Cinnamon and am about to give it a shot. I have a spare hard drive that I will install it to for testing over the next week or two. I've heard nothing but good things about Mint. I tested it out years ago but can't remember why I didn't keep it. My goal is to keep this next OS for at least a year or 2.
Anyway I'm interested in hearing your opinions on Mint and what I can look forward to. By the way, I know it's based on Ubuntu but I am not familiar with Ubuntu whatsoever other than I know it's very popular.
I'm also interested in Peppermint 3 which should be out soon ... but that is for another day.
Thanks for any info provided.
 
OpenSUSE was the first distro a friend tried to introduce me getting into Linux, it ended up just being too frustrating coming from using Windows a lot. SUSEStudio is a great idea for prebuilding a custom distro but poorly implemented when I last tried.

Ubuntu was the first OS that appealed to me but I hated when it switched to Unity. I moved to Mint since v11 and have been happy with it since. Command line has been the de facto way of dealing with the kernel since it started, but I like having the GUI functions available. Mint seems to strike the best balance. The software center is very usable for installing a lot of software and it's quite stable. I'm excited about Mint 13 though I wait for official releases to update. GNOME 3 in Mint 12 isn't the best but I've heard great things about Cinnamon.
 
I've never used Mint, and didn't see much point in it in the early days, but they've been slowly carving out a unique niche. They've turned into a sane Ubuntu, and it seems like a good choice for a PnP Debian. I'm downloading it now to try it in a vm. For some other choices you might want to consider...

Debian
Bodhi
Xubuntu
 
I like Debian and for Mint try LMDE, Linux Mint Debian Edition. It is based on Debian vs. Unbuntu.

XUnbuntu is good also.
 
MedicBob said:
I like Debian and for Mint try LMDE, Linux Mint Debian Edition. It is based on Debian vs. Unbuntu.

XUnbuntu is good also.
Click to expand...

Can you explain what the difference is between LMDE and "normal" Linux Mint in noob terms? I am guessing that Linux Mint points to Ubuntu repositories and LMDE points to Debian, but there must be a deeper difference to warrant two different distros. I have been running Linux Mint 11 as my primary OS for the past three weeks, but before I commit to a particular distro full time it is always good to see what the differences are.
 
DaveStall said:
Can you explain what the difference is between LMDE and "normal" Linux Mint in noob terms? I am guessing that Linux Mint points to Ubuntu repositories and LMDE points to Debian, but there must be a deeper difference to warrant two different distros. I have been running Linux Mint 11 as my primary OS for the past three weeks, but before I commit to a particular distro full time it is always good to see what the differences are.
Click to expand...

LMDE is a rolling release as it tracks Debian testing. You install it once, and it stays up to date. Regular Mint has to have a full upgrade periodically.
 
lxskllr said:
LMDE is a rolling release as it tracks Debian testing. You install it once, and it stays up to date. Regular Mint has to have a full upgrade periodically.
Click to expand...

Thanks, that explains it well. Does that mean normal Linux Mint is updated with Ubuntu updates?

Not that it matters, but I mentioned I was running Mint 11 but it is actually Mint 13.
 
DaveStall said:
Thanks, that explains it well. Does that mean normal Linux Mint is updated with Ubuntu updates?
Click to expand...

Pretty much. I don't really follow Mint, but I believe their releases lag behind Ubuntu's for a short while. Once they're in sync, you get the Ubuntu updates, as well as the Mint particulars until the next release.
 
Mint is updated about a month after Ubuntu. The release candidate is what's up now, the official will likely be available this week. Most Mint packages deal with the UI, wifi and the default software; but otherwise they share the same repositories as Ubuntu.
 
Skitzer said:
I have been an OpenSuse user for years but have been disappointed in the last 2 releases. I won't go into detail but I'm tired of all the little problems that have seemed to crop up lately.[...]

I'm also interested in Peppermint 3 which should be out soon ... but that is for another day.

Thanks for any info provided.
Click to expand...
Heh! We must be twins, separated at birth. 😀

I cut my teeth on Debian, well into the last century. I *knew* it was the best distro, but I didn't speak German, and community support (and the mans) were a nightmare. So, I went with something a little closer to home: Caldera OpenLinux.

When the modern-day "installers" became available, I switched to Suse, e.g. OpenSuse.

Later, I went the Mint route... Still have Mint installed on a couple of old portables.

Currently (since 9.04) I've been running Ubuntu dev releases on the desktop. Love the community, and the "action"!

And, I'm smitten with Peppermint OS Two on my mission-critical portables / usb thumb drive. I'm anxiously awaiting Peppermint Three, too.

My recommendation is: Forget Mint, hold your nose, and dive into Ubuntu. And, yes, use Peppermint on your portables. 😉
 
Well I have said goodbye to OpenSuse for good. Made the transition to Mint 13 Cinnamon last night. Installed on my main drive with all my files music and videos. Can't believe how nice this OS runs and I haven't found a single issue yet ... which is surprising to me.
I was going to wait but to hell with that, it ran perfectly on a separate drive and after putting it through the paces and finding no issues I just decided to go for it.
I only hope I don't have to reinstall. I've got the RC and hope there will only be a few updates to it. What a huge difference coming from OpenSuse ... this distro actually works without the numerous glitches I am used to having to work around.
I will keep my eye out for Peppermint 3 and will probably download and install it on a separate drive but I don't really see myself giving up this OS.
I highly recommend this distro, am very happy with it.
 
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