Whenever a new version of Ubuntu is released, you can be sure a new version of Linux Mint will soon follow. This time around it’s Linux Mint 10. Linux Mint, as you may already know, is one of the most popular Ubuntu remasters. It’s known for its excellent tools, great selection of software and bundled multimedia codecs.
Linux Mint 10 is based on Ubuntu 10.10. If you aren’t already familiar with the changes to Ubuntu 10.10, please read the original Ubuntu 10.10 review then hop back over here to continue reading about Linux Mint. I don’t want to regurgitate all of the stuff about Ubuntu 10.10 in this review.
Linux Mint 10 uses the GNOME desktop environment. It is available in CD or DVD versions (32 or 64 bit). For this review I downloaded the 32-bit DVD release. The file weighed in at about 872 MB.
What’s New In This Release
Here’s a sample of the new features in this release:
Ubuntu 10.10
Linux 2.6.35
GNOME 2.32
Xorg 7.5
Welcome screen
Install codecs and upgrade to the DVD edition from the welcome screen
Menu
Highlights newly installed applications
Finds and installs software from the repositories
Search engines
GTK bookmarks support
GTK themes support
Software manager
Application icons
Better categorization
Update manager
Ignore updates
Download size
Upload manager
UI, speed, ETA
Connection test
Cancel / Run in background
New look and feel
System improvements
Welcome Menu Improvements
I downloaded the DVD version, so there was no need to upgrade to it via the new Welcome menu. However, I must say that I was very glad that the LM developers added this in Linux Mint 10. I think there are quite a few folks who will appreciate being able to snag the DVD version and the multimedia codecs with just a couple of clicks. It’s little things like this that make Linux Mint such a great distribution. The developers are always fine-tuning what they offer and continually trying to make a better experience for the user.
Mint Menu Improvements
The Mint Menu is usually either one of the things people love or hate, there’s not usually much middle ground. I lean toward the love perspective so I was very happy to see some of the new improvements. It’s great having newly installed applications automatically highlighted, especially when you already have a zillion applications installed.
It’s also nice to be able to search for applications via the Mint Menu. Sometimes it just sucks having to bother opening the Software Manager to find or install an application.
I also enjoyed being able to search the web from the Mint Menu. I’m not sure how often I’ll use that feature though, since I’m usually already browsing in a browser window when the need to search for something occurs to me. However, it’s helpful to have the option to use Mint Menu if I’m not already in a browser window.
The Mint Menu also now supports GTK Bookmarks and GTK Themes. Both features will no doubt add some real value to for some users, but I probably won’t bother much with either of them. You can also configure icon sizes for the Mint Menu.
Software Manager & Update Manager Improvements
I’ll cover these in the software part of the review.
Upload Manager Improvements
I don’t use the upload manager, so it’s not a big priority for me. Those who do will no doubt appreciate the ability to test a connection, cancel/run an upload in the background, see a new UI, and see the speed of an upload.
Look and Feel
I’ll cover this in the desktop section of the review.
Other Improvements
There are a few other additions to this release and these include:
Adobe Flash Square Included (32 and 64 bit)
Oracle VirtualBox (Metapackage points to non-free version of VirtualBox that includes USB support)
Signed Repositories (no warning for usage of signed repositories)
Highlight (highlight command is faster and more reliable)
Meta Packages (codecs now tracked by “mint-meta-codecs”)
Adjustment System (now LSB compliant
Hardware Requirements & Installation
Hardware Requirements
Here’s what you’ll need to run this distro:
- x86 processor (Linux Mint 64-bit requires a 64-bit processor. Linux Mint 32-bit works on both 32-bit and 64-bit processors).
- 512 MB of system memory (RAM)
- 4 GB of disk space for installation
- Graphics card capable of 800×600 resolution
- CD-ROM drive or USB port
Installation
As always, the Linux Mint install routine is about as easy as it gets. You can view a slide show while it finishes. If you’re new to Linux Mint, you’ll probably find the slide show very helpful.
The screenshots below walk you through the install, from beginning to end.
Booting & Login
Here’s what the boot and login screens look like:
The Desktop
As noted at the beginning of the review, there have been some changes to the look and feel of Linux Mint. There are some new backgrounds that have been included by various artists, including a new default background that you can see in the screenshot below. The welcome screen and desktop menu have a brushed metal look to them now and Mint-X is the new theme. There are also new Mint-X icons to help emphasize the new look and feel of Linux Mint 10.
Overall, I think the aesthetic changes to Linux Mint 10 are mostly attractive. It does have a darker feel to it though, I noticed it when booting into the desktop. I had expected a bright green wallpaper but the new one is far more subdued. I know that some folks may not like this, but I think it mostly works. The icons are attractive and it all seems to gel very well into one cohesive whole in terms of looks.
Themes
If you decide that you dislike the default theme, just right-click the desktop and opt to change your background. There are 10 other themes available, and you can get more online.
Wallpaper
The same goes for the wallpaper. If you hate the default, there are about 34 other wallpapers you can choose from in the Appearance Preferences menu. So you definitely are not stuck with the new wallpaper.
Bundled Software
Here’s a sample of the software included in this release.
Games
Games Available in the Software Manager
Graphics
F-Spot
GIMP
OpenOffice.org Drawing
Simple Scan
Internet
Firefox
Giver
Gwibber
Mozilla Thunderbird Mail/News
Pidgin IM
Sun Java 6
Transmission
XChat IRC
Multimedia
Brasero
GNOME MPlayer
Movie Player
PulseAudio Device Chooser
PulseAudio Volume Control
Rhythmbox
Sound Recorder
VLC Media Player
Office
Dictionary
OpenOffice.org
Overall, I don’t have anything to complain about in terms of software selection. Linux Mint 10 covers pretty much all of the bases while not overloading the user with too much software. If you find you need something more, just load up the Software Manager and you should be able to find it.
Software Management
Linux Mint has had one of the better software managers for a long time. This release makes it even better by including a better categorization of software and application icons. Given that it also displays ratings and reviews, the Linux Mint developers have just made a great software manager even better. I’d like to see more distros including the same sorts of features in their software managers.
Adding & Removing Software
It’s very easy to add or remove software. Just find the application you want and click the green Install or Remove button. The software manager will add it or remove it from your system, as shown in the screenshots below of Chromium. You can also read reviews and see ratings before you decide to actually install the application.
Update Manager Changes
Update Manager has also been tweaked in this release. You can now right click a package and tell Update Manager to ignore it. You will no longer receive updates for it. This is a nice little tweak that puts more control in the hands of the user.
You can also now see the size of your selected updates, so you’ll know how much you need to download to update a package.
Sound and Multimedia
YouTube & Flash
Flash is installed by default, I had no problems running YouTube videos. As always Linux Mint comes with a bunch of multimedia codecs installed by default, so you should have no problem running DVDs, etc. If you look in the Software Manager you can find the mint-meta-codecs package if - for some strange reason - you want to remove them from your system.
Multimedia Applications
You get the always-excellent VLC media player, Rhythmbox, Brasero, GNOME MPlayer and a few other multimedia applications bundled with Linux Mint 10. If you need more be sure to hit the Software Manager. There are a total of 75 packages available there, probably far more than anybody will ever really need on their system. But if you want to install them all, have at it.
Problems & Headaches
I’m very happy to report that I didn’t run into any noticeable problems with Linux Mint 10. It ran very well for me. I didn’t see slowdowns, application crashes or any noticeable bugs. However, there were a few known problems listed on the Linux Mint site that you might want to be aware of:
Splash screen resolution
If the boot sequence only shows dots and no logo, you can make it look better by following these instructions.
Moonlight
Moonlight was removed from Linux Mint because of a bug that made Firefox crash. The bug was fixed upstream and you can install the Moonlight plugin from the project’s website.
Upstream issues
Linux Mint 10 is based on Maverick Merkaat. Make sure to read the known issues related to this release.
Where To Get Help
Please take a moment to register for the DLR forum (registration takes less than a minute and you can login with your Facebook account if you want); everybody is welcome. You are welcome to post a message in the Linux Help section and we’ll do our best to point you in the right direction. The forum contains discussions about Linux, but also many other topics. Please stop by and say hello when you have a chance.
Drop by the forum to get help, talk about Linux or just hang out.
You might also want to check out the Linux Mint Forums and Community Site.
Final Thoughts & Who Should Use It
Once again, the Linux Mint developers take an already great distro and added a few more things that make it even better. One of the things I always hate when writing about Linux Mint is that I hardly ever find things to complain about, and so it is again with this release.
Linux Mint 10 renews Linux Mint’s place at the very top of the desktop distro heap. To put it bluntly, it doesn’t get much better than this if you want to run Linux as your desktop OS.
If you haven’t tried Linux Mint before, then you’re in for a real treat. If you’re a current Linux Mint user, I recommend that you consider upgrading to Linux Mint 10. You can find upgrade instructions here.
Linux Mint 10 is well suited for beginners, intermediate and advanced Linux users.
Click to the next page to view the full gallery of Linux Mint 10 screenshots.
What’s your take on this distro? Tell me in the comments below. Visit the DLR forum for more discussions. Visit JimLynch.com for opinion columns.
Summary Table:
| Product: | Linux Mint 10 |
| Web Site: | http://www.linuxmint.com |
| Price: | Free |
| Pros: | Update to DVD version and install codecs from the Welcome menu; menu improvements let you search for applications, search the web, highlight new applications; software manager includes application icons and better categorization. Desktop look and feel has been improved. |
| Cons: | Not much to complain about, frankly. It’s still based on Ubuntu though, so if you don’t like Ubuntu then consider Linux Mint Debian Edition instead. |
| Suitable For: | Beginner, intermediate and advanced Linux users. |
| Summary: | Linux Mint 10 adds some helpful tweaks and improvements to an already great distro. |
| Rating: | 5/5 |
@davemc
"LM is not a rethemed Ubuntu in the actual sense, although it kind of seems that way."
I agree. That's why I stopped using it. It will not accept passwords that start with [SPACE BAR]. UBUNTU & WIN7 do.
The best re-shell of Ubuntu is my choice. It includes necessary apps (copyright regardless) but not overloaded with duplicates (like Pnguy, Ultimate, etc). So I use Super OS - 32 bit.
Nice and sleek Linux distro, but has heavily bugged NTFS and FAT support.
I tried to install MINT on my keyboard but I had a lot of problems with the ENTER key. In the final phase, I was not sucessful to do this because the nVidia backspace driver was not compatible with the MP3 drivers in the hard disk drive.
My friend tried to install Mint onto his old style ATA keyboard connector and it sucessed! How is that?
Well - I for one love Linux Mint. I converted to Linux over 2 years ago after getting so pissed off with Windows crap, I researched and took the plunge.
I tried out Ubuntu first, and experimented with others, but then came across Mint and have been with Mint ever since. I love the latest release, and for a novice like me it's been a brilliant ride. So quick, easy and does all that I want and more. :w00t:
I don't think I have seen any Linux Distro better than Linux Mint. People like me, who have always found it difficult to move out of Windows have been driven away by unfriendliness of Linux Distros. As a end user I just care about the functionality and ease of use.
LM keep up the good work. Without you, Linux world would have been incomplete.
@ Stein:
Who cares what his political views are, a good distro is a good disto. If Hitler made the most delicious brownies ever known to man, would you not want the recipe?
All said, the people that complain about "rehash" and the codecs issue, they where answered abobe, so, there are plenty of choises.
But when it comes about those 2 things i have to say something.
I hated ubuntu for not having codecs out of the box, every freaking video was askinf for codecs, and i have to be permanently in the net to have them……..and i have to whait to see a movie, also my PC had sound problems with ubuntu.
When i found about Mint, the fist thing that got my atention, was pressisely the codecs, so y didn't hetitate to instal that distro……….and now i am with Mint 10 (User since mint 8).
I hate ubuntu….well, is more like getting away from any ubuntu bassed distro, but mint really got my heart, all out of the box, a well used software manager, and a well build comunuty, the best of ubuntu, without the worst of ubuntu, indeed.
I use NOTHING but Linux Mint 10 on my netbook:
Averatec "Buddy"
N270 Intel Atom processor 1.6GHz
2GB RAM
Realtek NIC/Wireless
Everything just works! BisonCam webcam works without issues, WiFi works with Linux kernel driver, but I still loaded the WinXP driver via ndiswrapper to ensure that I don't loose connection (that happened previously with the generic kernel driver for me). My lil' netbook is running better than my friend's Asus Windows 7 laptop (with an Intel Core 2 Duo 2.0GHz processor & 4GB RAM), and I think its because Mint is so much lighter on resources than 7. GNOME is still a bit of a hog as far as Linux DE's go, but it flies on my little book for productivity work, Internet, email, videos, pictures, downloads, uploading music and photos from my MP3 & camera, etc.
If you plan on using Mint 10 on your netbook, I would HIGHLY recommend installing the Avant Window Manager to organize your most used applications at the bottom of the screen, and autohide the main panel at the top of the screen. This will allow you to take full advantage of the little bit of screen "real estate" there is on a netbook screen. Plus, it looks really cool! ;)
I'm still rocking Linux Mint 9 RC1 iirc on a live cd… man am I behind the times haha.
@ Kishre:
if i understood you well your computer is not booting into LM livedvd.you have to select a bootable media first, by hitting a key {mine is f8] at bios startup. again before the computer loads windows system or another running system. so that you can select your dvd drive where the LM livedvd is loaded. hit enter key after selecting your dvd drive to boot from the dvd.
is this enough?
I am kishore, trying to boot linux mint 10.0 live DVD but desktop was not coming. this is the problem, please tell me the solution via my mail: kishorehcubio@gmail.com
my laptop configuration:
intel core i5 520M processer 2.93GHz
4GBram, 500GB HDD, nVIDIA, gforce
The only disappointment I encountered with Mint was its inability, right out of the box, to recognize my USB wifi card. This came as a surprise because Ubuntu 10.04 zero problems doing it.
Oh well. I guess that further goes to prove Mint isn't just a "re-themed Ubuntu" as some have called it. ;-)
Folks, please keep the developer politics out of this review thread. You can post about that stuff here:
http://jimlynch.com/index.php/2009/05/11/the-grea…
It's a column I did on JimLynch.com a while back about that topic. Thanks for understanding and for keeping the review thread focused on the review itself.
> "the Linux Mint developers take an already great distro"
Rather an already crap distro… :whistle:
> "It’s still based on Ubuntu though, so if you don’t like Ubuntu then consider Linux Mint Debian Edition instead."
I don't like Ubuntu but LMDE is a rolling release so, no thanks. Rolling release is for me a broken design by default.
But yes, Mint is a relatively good distro, although if one could talk about their security policy…
Well nice wrote cant wait to upgrade to Mint 10 currently using Mint 9.
A fine distro. The only things that I could find wrong is the security and the forced use of their package manager. I can say that this is a great distro for new ones but not so much for anybody who had been using Linux for several years. The codecs being preloaded is a non issue. Thanks for the review.
Yes, let's stay focused on the distro not the politics of a particular developer. If the review thread continues to go off track, I will make a point of pruning out all of those remarks.
I do not like editing or removing messages here on DLR, I consider it a last resort. So please email each other or take your grumbling about the developer's politics into the Politics section of the DLR forum:
http://desktoplinuxreviews.com/board/f14/
Thanks for understanding and keeping the thread on track.
Guys please stop with the Israel-Palestine thing. Clem apologised for it and acknowledged it was just a sour reaction to the war. He later changed his opinion on the matter to neutral and said he did not have enough info to give a genuine opinion. Please get over it.
interesting, will probably give Mint a run once they release the LXDE version to compare it to Lubuntu 10.10 that i am running at the moment, be interesting to see how different the footprint of them is as Lubuntu is currently using less than 80mb RAM when idle so is very snappy on my old Dell latitude X300
Why should I upgrade? Linux Mint 9 works flawlessly and is a LTS release, meaning I'll get 3 years of support. Therefore I stopped upgrading every 6 months because it's such a hassle.
Keep rocking Linux Mint.
Nice review of a great distro!
@ mike:
Criminals know everything about their own crimes, and nevertheless always have a favorable opinion about them and about themselves. Having a favorable opinion about crimes and criminals in not only a matter of knowledge, but mainly of mental sickness.
LM is not a rethemed Ubuntu in the actual sense, although it kind of seems that way. In reality, it is an overlay that sits on top of a Ubuntu base. This overlay can theoretically (with some tweaking) be used on top of any distro, and they have tested this on Debian recently. I am sure others will follow - Fedora, SUSE, Slackware, etc… At least, that's how I understand it. There could be a bit more technical bits and bytes that go into it.
Mint is more than rethemed Ubuntu. When 11.04 comes out,we will see more evidence of that imo.
There are iso files without the codecs.
And Mint project leader is entitled to his opinion. He is just against Israel's palestine policy and welcomes anyone who uses mint.
Man,you guys are really a vindictive bunch,aren't you? I saw another comment like this on another review site.
Is Linux Mint really a remaster of Ubuntu? In which case, is Ubuntu a remaster of Debian?
Stein wrote:
i can't see where his personal opinion of Israel affects this linux operating system. again he is not working alone, surely among mint community there are reasonable number of people who know enough to have a favorable opinion of Israel.
i do wish to say again that mint linux is not ''just rethemed'' ubuntu, since that would make ubuntu a ''rethemed'' debian linux. one sense though, behind these many variants of linux os is giving people broad choices and freedom and right to do whatsoever they wish their os.
finally, there is a mint linux without a/v codec, i hope you will not take offence with my comments, i do not mean to start any useless argument
I will need Nvidia 96 and understand that it is not in the ubuntu 10.10 repository. This review tells how to obtain it for Mint 10:
http://www.linuxcritic.com/linux-mint-10-reviewed…
There are numerous reasons why I would never use Linux Mint. One reason is that it's just a rethemed Ubuntu. Another reason is that LM includes codecs that might be illegal in some countries. But most importantly, the developer of Linux Mint has blogged some very controversial remarks in the past - including a request for all who support the Israeli government to stop donating to Mint. There's enough ignorance in the world, no need to use a distro that spreads it.
@ MacLone:
You'd probably be better off using either Linux Mint Debian Edition, Linux Mint Fluxbox, or one of the other somewhat lighter derivatives since you're chewing up so much memory on that box. Then again, if you are a sys admin type, poke around and see what's chewing up so much memory and decide if you can do without those processes. I did not find it too slow on my Lenovo Y410 laptop with 2 GB of memory and a 1.6 GHz Duo Core processor, but it's not the fastest system I use by a long shot, and in fact, it's not my every day system either.
It is a really good distro but it feels a little slow on my Celeron D. It consumes 496 MB of ram idle… too much in my opinion.
So you DID give it a five out of five - I was expecting you would. What's with the Lauper video - get tired of Superman and Lady Gaga for a while? :-)
I've been using "I'm a Soul Man" as my test Youtube Video lately myself, but maybe I should change - though I do run other tests. I've gotten on to some old TV reruns with Hogan's Heroes, and those make pretty good test vehicles, and so does going to ESPNBoston.com, Patriots.com, CSSNE.com, and a few other Sports network pages, where you can generally test out video content.
Ha! I knew you would review this! What took ya so long! :-)
Looks like an arguably improved release, now to read what you have to say and see what others think too.
I still have that issue with the keyring, but that's the last I will mention it here unless someone wants to talk about it.
Pretty clean installation, reasonably performing system. If you are a Mint fan, most Mint users will really like this release.