Linux Mint 18.3 Cinnamon edition
This is an interesting time for Linux Mint. The distro experienced a massive surge in popularity when it launched its Cinnamon and MATE desktops in response to the negative reaction to Ubuntu’s Unity desktop. Now that Ubuntu’s ditched Unity and gone back to Gnome, albeit Gnome 3 now, is there still a place for Mint? The answer to that is probably “yes” as Mint’s two desktops, Cinnamon and MATE, are both more in the traditional vein of Gnome 2. Of course, Mint is based on Ubuntu so there’s no reason to switch back if you like the desktop on offer – only if you want to have Gnome 3 as the distro default desktop.
Of the two desktops offered by Linux Mint, Cinnamon is the more modern looking and that’s the one we have on this month’s LinuxFormat DVD, in its full 64-bit guise. MATE is more lightweight and better suited to older hardware when you still want a responsive desktop. We carried all 32-bit distros last month, so it seems fair to concentrate on the 64-bit support for this month’s disc.
There’s an installation guide on the Linux Mint web site, but anyone who’s successfully installed a distro before should have no trouble with the clear, step-by-step installer. Further documentation, including a comprehensive user guide, is also available on the web site. However, the days when installing or using a Linux distro required a lot of reading of the fine manual are long gone, although it never hurts to take a look.
Codenamed “Sylvia”, Linux Mint 18.3 is a longterm support (LTS) release, which means it will be supported with bug fixes and security patches until 2021. Some of the software will be a little long in the tooth by then, but it will be stable and secure. It’s a matter of choice. If you want a stable system with no surprises, stick with 18.3. But if you want the latest software then you can upgrade to version 18.4 or 19 – whatever the next version will be.
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