Why does Linux Mint have such a bad rating on Linux.com? It's a great distro.......
linux.com/directory/Distributions/desktop/lin...
linux.comPosted Apr 5, 2016, 12:48 AM UTC
4878
linux.comProbably two things:
- Elitists downvoting because its not Arch or Gentoo
- Recent security breach
People shit all over Ubuntu and Fedora plenty too. People can't just be happy that there are other options out there, "their" distro has to be the best because its the one they like.
22
Probably two things:
Elitists downvoting because its not Arch or Gentoo Recent security breach
I suspect those things, yes. Admittedly, Mint has its problems, but I think it fair to say that the other distributions do too.
5
Hysteria over the hacked web site. Not thirty seconds ago I read yet another hysterical moron who doesn't want Mint used because it doesn't have a dedicated security team. So use Redhat, no need to keep whining about Mint.
21
That and quality shit like this bug in the installer for LMDE2 that's going on a year old now with no fix.
3
Mint seems to listen to its users, and to fix bugs, some of the time and other times . . not so much.
1
Hysteria over the hacked web site.
Nope. The low rating predates the hack. Archive from Sept 2015, still 2.5 stars:
3
well didnt linux mint admins drop the ball by pretending they fixed the problem when rather their download page was actually hacked twice in a row? not sure if that sin has been atoned for yet
2
No, they were up front in letting everyone know about the hack & taking steps to fix it when they realized the forums also got hacked & they promptly took those down until the problem was fixed
1
Some of those people just need to go back to Windows so big brother can protect them
1†
Because caring about security is exactly the same thing as taking away your freedom
19
You obviously haven't been to America
9
Lol
3
Well, people who think the word security can co-exist in the same sentence as PHP...their votes don't count.
-2
Security is a product of the developer, not the language. In some languages it is easier to make security mistakes, like PHP. But it is still the responsibility of the developer.
3
Show me one, read 1, secure PHP website.
-3
<?php echo '<p>Hello World</p>'; ?>
13
Show me 1 secure website, period.
1
What's linux.com?
17
I had to look it up because I was curious too.
It's now owned by the The Linux Foundation.. it used to be owned by SourceForge. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linux_Foundation#Linux.com
Just a community-driven general resource for all things Linux it seems.
3
Snobs. They all like to dish on the distro for "newbs". Mints just for newbs and real linux users wouldn't get caught dead using that distro. lol.
15
#ArchMasterRace
7
#GentooMasterRace
4
Seriously, none of you wrote your own operating system?
How fucking dependent on other people could you possibly be?
34
Bro, operating system? That's a good way to limit your vision. You're probably some pleb that doesn't develop their own architecture.
14
I am a terrible person, I know :'(
2
You guys haven't developed your own organic CPU? Psh
1
LFS OR GTFO
4
#LFSMasterRace
2
SlackMasterRace
1
What made you choose Slackware over other distros?
1
Cinnamon users specifically, I think. It's for kids!
edit: I don't use Cinnamon, it's for kids
3
Exactly!
2
Distrowatch doesn't necessarily mean that Mint is the best. It just simply means it's popular, and even then, Distrowatch only keeps an eye on pageviews, so it doesn't necessarily mean people are downloading and installing the OS in the first place.
I, for one, switched from Linux Mint a while ago to Arch. Not because I'm an "elitist", but because Mint kept having random software breakage (a program that would work flawlessly one day would have some problems the next day). I'm not going to insist that Arch is perfect though either because my touchpad randomly stops working for indefinite intervals at a time. That isn't as bad as software breakage. At least, to me.
This software issue could be one of the reasons why Mint has a bad rating, as well as the recent hack. I think it's a great option for those wanting to get a feel for Linux, but I don't believe it should be a permanent default. Not yet, anyway.
8
I would disagree. I've been running mint daily for two years. I've never suffered a software problem, a lockup, or any funky behavior whatsoever. I've found with mint I can install it, and that's it. It works, it's fast, and it's stable. I work two jobs, and have three little girls. I appreciate the "set it and forget it" feeling Mint offers me.
That said, I haven't yet jumped into arch but it's on the to-do list.
8
It could be on a per capita basis then. Who knows. I've had several fresh Mint installs and a couple of them have seemed to slowly break. No OS is perfect, and Mint certainly is good, but in my experience, it just isn't worth the long-time investment.
Great thing about Linux is I'm never locked in to one particular OS.
If you want Arch and the ease of Mint, I'd try Manjaro. It's pretty fast and they make Xfce look rather pretty. I started with that before migrating to Arch to get a grip on some general commands for the Terminal.
5
Not everyone wants Arch. I've never had any sort of issue with Linux mint. Not once. I installed manjaro once and it was nothing but pure frustration. Why would anyone want that? I have had a Linux computer for 14 years or so and the last this I want is bragging rights due to self induced difficulty. I want my computer to work without hassle. Lmde has been one of the best.
2
Obviously not everyone wants Arch, but there's no harm in trying something new. Manjaro depends on the installer. I found that out the hard way. The new one they use by default is in beta, and it baffles me that it's their go-to. It just doesn't install correctly.
1
Funny you say that. I've tried manjaro for the very same reasons you did! I need to learn the commands for terminal before I jump into arch. Manjaro was a pretty good experience, but mint as a daily driver has just been... for lack of a better term... easier. Pains me to say that because I don't like easier. I like the road less traveled, and to hit speed bumps. I'm just at a point in my life right now, where I need easy... lol.
I agree no OS is perfect. I've district hopped between, mint, ubuntu, debian, manjaro, red hat, open suse, elementary OS, and cent OS...to name a few. Each had a lot of good things, but i've always found things I didn't like.
1
I find pacman to be simpler to use than apt-get, and more efficient.
Plus the "yaourt" command is nice. Don't need to go scouring the internet for what you want.
1
I chose Ubuntu Mint because I still wanted to use MATE and I don't want do download from sourceforge.
1
don't...
1
Why? Seems like it's a good distro to test my knowledge with?
1
/s
1
Might be because it's not entirely Arch.
It's actually becoming more and more of its own thing. It has access to the AUR but it also has its own repository.
1
As LinuxMint 17.3 and LMDE 2 user
I DONT GIVE DAMN what anyone else says.
5
[deleted]
3
Upvote for use of 'ad hominem'. I don't know what 'fud' means, though.
2
I don't know what 'fud' means, though.
"fear, uncertainty, and doubt"
3
Aha. I recall dimply that someone described some sort of strategy as the spreading of said fear, uncertainty and doubt. Hmm . . aha, found this information (which is only Wikipedia, but that might be good enough for current purposes - unless someone has 'fuded' that page . .).
2
I LOVE Mint. So they can kiss my white American ass.
3
I've tried a bunch of distros over the past 10 years. Mint is the one I keep coming back to. It is as close as Linux gets to 'just working'. I don't care what the popularity contest folks say. Or the Arch folks, too, frankly.
3
I totally agree, Linux Mint is the best distro. It just out performs and works better straight out of the box.
3
It doesn't have the shitty bloat like ubuntu. So what's the deal?
The recent download security issue maybe?
2†
It is Ubuntu
12
It's far from just Ubuntu with a different skin
6
It's Ubuntu Lts with
-
cinnamon
-
mate
-
metadata describing classifying updates as safe / unsafe and an optional package manager that uses this metadata
-
an installer and a set of default settings produced by same including theme and other art
-
a set of community resources forum irc etc
Essentially it's 99% Ubuntu and you can install the 1% on Ubuntu.
6
I thought that's exactly what it was. Same package manager, all the Ubuntu tutorials work in Mint, the only difference is Mint is easier to pronounce.
What's different about it?
2
http://beebom.com/2015/05/ubuntu. This list isn't close to exhaustive. One small example for me (but very important) is Ubuntu gives me wireless problems everytime I've tried it & I've seen that brought up quite a bit here on Reddit, Mint has never given me problems anywhere, actually it's the only distro I've used that's been trouble free for me. Mint is definitely more than a reskin but obviously less than unique.
4
How is Ubuntu bloated?
5
Their pre-installed BS. Amazon, ebay, 100 useless applets etc. Not to mention their data collection and online search you have to disable.
On ubuntu touch they can't even be uninstalled. The terminal is heavily restricted.
4
Depends on your definition of bloat really. Mint has tons of extra codecs installed, VLC media player, etc.
6
As a person who uses VLC I don't mind...I don't know what else is on Ubuntu because I've been mint my whole life.. .but I wouldn't like things like eBay and Amazon which don't even work in my Continent.
At least most things I find pre installed on Mint I can use.
2
There's bloat that takes up space, then there's bloat that makes your software look like a F2P android app. Ubuntu has the latter.
2
Nothing comes up when I search for ebay on my Ubuntu install, and I don't know what you mean by the 100 useless applets. I did search and find an Amazon app, but it's just the website opening in a browser. Unnecessary, but not a big concern. I agree that the online search should not be enabled by default, and fortunately for 16.04 (onwards) it won't be.
So all we're left with for me is taking 10 seconds to disable the online search, which won't be necessary in a month with the new version, and maybe another 30 seconds to figure out how to get rid of the Amazon website app. I don't think that qualifies as Ubuntu being bloated in any real way.
3
It's roughly as bloated as Ubuntu, but not nearly as visibly so. Unity is much heavier than Cinnamon as well.
2
This thread has a lot of Mint hate and anti Mint arguments.
2
Probably people overreacting from the recent security issue. People complain more often than they give praise, too.
1
i have been a distro and DE hopper ever since the very first time I installed a linux OS (which was xubuntu). linux mint with mate has been on my system for nearly 6 months, and Ive installed it on all the other systems in my house. Its just hands down the best, most frustration free, experience Ive had with a linux build.
1
We're supposed to go to Linux.com and vote on things?
Still #1 on distrowatch :)
http://distrowatch.com/dwres.php?resource=popularity
for a LONG time