Linux Mint 7 (XFCE)
Requirements & Installation
I’m not sure what the exact requirements are for this release. When I looked on the Linux Mint 7 (XFCE) blog it had the same requirements listed there as for the KDE version and I’m sure that’s not quite right:
A minimum of 3GB of free space and 256MB RAM are needed. For a comfortable experience we recommended to have at least 512MB RAM and 10GB of free space.
Since this version uses XFCE the requirements should be significantly less for a comfortable experience. If anybody knows exactly what they are please post them in the comments section below. Thanks.
I had no problems with my install. It took about ten minutes or so and it’s as easy as installing the KDE or Gnome versions. At this point doing a Linux Mint install is pretty…ho hum. It’s gotten that easy for the most part. Unless you run into some weird hardware snafu you really shouldn’t have a problem installing it.
Desktop & Apps
Note that the gorgeous wallpaper and the colors of the Gnome version are now in the XFCE version of Linux Mint 7. For such a minimalist desktop environment, it looks quite pretty.
Here’s a list of some of the apps you get with Linux Mint 7 (XFCE):
Graphics
GIMP
Scanner Utility
OpenOffice.org Drawing
Image Viewer
Internet/Network
Chestnut Dialer
Firefox
Giver
Mozilla Thunderbird Mail/News
Pidgin Internet Messenger
Neighborhood
Remote Deskto Viewer
Transmission BitTorrent Client
Wicd Network Manager
Sun Java 6 Web Start
XChat IRC
Multimedia
Aumix
Brasero Disc Burner
Exaile Music Player
Gnome MPlayer
Gnormalize
Mixer
MPlayer Movie Player
Sound Recorder
Office
Dictionary
OpenOffice.org (Database, Presentation, Spreadsheet and Word Processor)
Orage
(17 votes, average: 3.65 out of 5)
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Desktop Linux Reviews Forum
Jim, of all of the Mint releases, this is the one I would be most likely to test next (until Mint gets KDE 4.3 or 4.4, then I may check that out too). Concerning memory requirements, KDE 4.3 on sidux actually works with 256 MB memory, but it is not very responsive with that amount. 512 MB of memory, or perhaps 384 MB, would be more realistic values. Based on that, I would suggest that 256 MB on an XFCE based system would be quite adequate, given that I am running sidux XFCE right now, and htop reveals ONLY 211 MB of memory in use, in spite of Seamonkey browser and Email, plus Google Chrome (being used now) are actively in use.
Sounds like this release may not be quite ready, but it does seem to be promising, and it may be worth a look some time soon.
I am looking forward to Linux Mint 7 XFCE. I am currently using Linux Mint 7 (Gnome) and it very good experience.
I believe my laptop and my friends computer which has only 256 MB of RAM will be able to run Linux Mint 7 XFCE.
No XFCE has hard disk mounting facility, you review show some solution about the same.
Thanks for the good insight.
This is something I might think of trying. I already run Ubuntu on the desktop and also have another decommissioned computer with less memory which I intend trying it on. If it works on that, then I will have to wait till the final version is out before rolling it on the much faster computer.
Will leave a comment here later to let you know how it goes.
Nice review BTW :)
In your reviews you keep using a nebulous term “older hardware.” For some, like me, “older” means Pentium Pro or a PII. For others, last year’s Phantom may be considered “older hardware.” I do realize that you do not have the facilities or the time to test a distro on more than one PC to narrow down the usability threshold. So, please try to avoid using vague terms in your reviews.
I know you like virtualization. It’s a brand new, shiny toy for you to play with. It makes it much easier to check out various distros. However, it adds another layer of software that may possibly introduce errors into your tests. While I do not write reviews, I do check out a lot of distros looking for that “perfect” one. I use a removable HD rack with a drive dedicated specifically to testing Linux distros.
BTW – I have used Mint 6, sidux, Mepis, Sabayon 4.0 on “older hardware” such as P3 500mhz with 256meg RAM. While not head-snapping fast, I had no complaints about their speed in daily use.
@ Brian Masinick:
Brian, you like KDE over Gnome? I like Gnome better. KDE is too windows-ish.
KDE is too windows-ish? Gnome is the DE that uses a registry.
I can’t believe the reviewer, Jim Lynch, complains about there being no games in the distribution. What a stupid thing to say. Download the games you want. They are all available for every single linux distrubutions. Just click on the button in Synaptic (or the equivalent)! All the games, all the programmes are available for every single Linux distribution, so what the hell is the point of commenting on the presence or absence of any programme in particular?! A review should be focussed on the actual stability and overall functionality of the distrubution.