Linux Mint | The reliable Windows 11 al­tern­at­ive

Linux Mint is a lean and user-friendly al­tern­at­ive to Ubuntu and Windows. The operating system also runs on many older computers and offers various desktop en­vir­on­ments. The dis­tri­bu­tion supports numerous free and paid programs.

There are many different Linux dis­tri­bu­tions for every possible purpose. One of the most popular is Linux Mint. As a par­tic­u­larly user-friendly desktop system, Linux Mint makes the switch from Windows to Linux easy even for beginners and has now es­tab­lished itself as a reliable al­tern­at­ive to Windows 11. Users have the choice between three desktop variants with Cinnamon, MATE, and the slim Xfce. Linux Mint is a de­riv­at­ive of Ubuntu and was developed in 2006 with the aim of making better use of free and paid software. It is open source and, in addition to the standard edition, is also available as Linux Mint Debian Edition (LMDE).

Linux Mint is available in different versions and a 64-bit as well as a 32-bit variant. For Linux Mint 20.3 from 2022, a RAM of 1,024 MB and 15 GB on the hard disk are required in the 64-bit version. However, 2,028 MB of RAM and 20 GB are re­com­men­ded for smooth operation. The 32-bit version gets by with 512 MB and 9 GB of hard disk space. However, a more generous approach is re­com­men­ded here as well: Linux Mint itself estimates 1,024 MB of RAM and a hard drive of at least 20 GB for this. Pro­cessors without Physical Address Extension (PAE) are also not supported.

For 2020 Linux Mint Debian Edition (LMDE), your computer needs at least 1 GB of RAM and 15 GB of hard disk space, but 2 GB and 20 GB are re­com­men­ded. These re­quire­ments apply equally to 64-bit and 32-bit. Pro­cessors without PAE are also fully supported in LMDE. All re­quire­ments apply to versions with the MATE or Cinnamon desktop en­vir­on­ments.

Even though Linux Mint ori­gin­ally emerged from Ubuntu, it has developed into an almost com­pletely in­de­pend­ent dis­tri­bu­tion over time and can be con­sidered on its own. Cinnamon is included by default in Linux Mint 20.3. On the one hand, Linux Mint uses software that is also available for Ubuntu and Debian, but also relies on its own programs. After the in­stall­a­tion Banshee player and VLC player, Lib­reOf­fice, Firefox, Thun­der­bird as well as Gimp are contained. In addition, there are the own programs Mint­backup, the software man­age­ment Mintin­stall, the upload manager Min­tup­load as well as the troubleshoot­ing tool Mintwifi. Ad­di­tion­al packages with free or pro­pri­et­ary programs can usually be installed without problems.

Linux Mint is a par­tic­u­larly beginner-friendly dis­tri­bu­tion and for this reason it is re­com­men­ded to users who have just decided that Linux is their winner in the Linux vs. Windows com­par­is­on, and now want to make the switch. There are several reasons for this. For one, the ease of switching begins at the point of entry. Linux Mint can be installed very quickly and easily. While more soph­ist­ic­ated dis­tri­bu­tions like Arch Linux only use a command line and forego graphical elements com­pletely, Linux Mint guides you clearly through the in­stall­a­tion. The standard programs are also pre-installed and can be used im­me­di­ately. In daily use, Linux Mint is char­ac­ter­ised by a clear desktop en­vir­on­ment.

If you compare the ad­vant­ages and dis­ad­vant­ages of Linux Mint, this is what you get:

• User friend­li­ness: The above-mentioned user-friend­li­ness is clearly the biggest advantage of the operating system. Es­pe­cially for beginners, Linux Mint is a good choice.
• Software: Important programs are pre-installed and im­me­di­ately usable, and further software can be added easily. Linux Mint thus offers many options for different ap­plic­a­tion wishes.
• Desktop en­vir­on­ment: Users have three different desktop en­vir­on­ments to choose from, namely Cinnamon, MATE, or Xfce. They differ in some aspects, but one thing they have in common is their clarity. Thus, even beginners can quickly find their way around Linux Mint.
• Speed: Even if you use a com­par­at­ively old computer, you will notice that Linux Mint gets the most out of the available pos­sib­il­it­ies. The operating system is very fast and slim, so nothing stands in the way of un­res­trained usage pleasure.
• Security: Most Linux dis­tri­bu­tions are very secure, and Linux Mint is no exception. Regular updates protect the system in the best possible way.
• Costs: Linux Mint is free of charge. Numerous programs that you can use in the dis­tri­bu­tion also cost you nothing. However, the operating system also allows the use of com­mer­cial software.
• Community: Linux Mint has a large community and even provides doc­u­ment­a­tion in different languages. So if problems arise, you can usually find help quickly.

While the ad­vant­ages should clearly outweigh the dis­ad­vant­ages for most users, there are also a few factors that ex­per­i­enced users might consider a dis­ad­vant­age of the system. For example, Linux Mint is not as cus­tom­is­able as other dis­tri­bu­tions. Purists also criticise the pro­pri­et­ary operating system com­pon­ents. However, some of these codecs are no longer delivered by default.

However, if you are looking for a user-friendly operating system, Linux Mint should be on the shortlist. Compared to Ubuntu, Linux Mint is much slimmer and thus also suitable for older computers. The second major dif­fer­ence is the desktop. Cinnamon is equipped with more immediate cus­tom­isa­tion options compared to Gnome, although Ubuntu also offers download options. So in this point, it’s mainly your own taste that decides. However, the training period is a bit longer with Ubuntu. Compared to Windows 11, Linux Mint is clearly suitable for older computers. The Microsoft system has much higher re­quire­ments.