5 ms·

Unity is pretty terrible, and a huge step backwards. Mint reverts the huge step backwards.

by Peaker 13y ago

sampo 13y ago
Any Desktop Environment (Gnome 3, Cinnamon, Mate, KDE, Xfce, etc.) that you can use in Mint, you can also install (directly from the package manager) on Ubuntu. So the choice of a Desktop Environment should not alone be any strong reason to switch from Ubuntu to Mint.
- GravityWell 13y ago
  The fact you can "install" it is simplistic. Manually adding a desktop environment on top of Unity is not the same as one carefully groomed to work seamlessly, which is what Mint delivers.
  - madsravn 13y ago
    carefully groomed to work seamlessly - I don't really know what you're talking about, but many Window Managers work pretty fine.
  - minor_nitwit 13y ago
    There are many releases of Ubuntu for almost each DE. For example, I'm running Ubuntu gnome edition, but there's Xubuntu, Lubuntu, Kubuntu, and then more specific things like Studio Edition, Mythbuntu, Ubuntu Touch, Ubuntu TV.
    - Peaker 13y ago
      I've tried Xubuntu but XFce doesn't seem to work that well with Hebrew keyboard layouts, at least without more tinkering than I was willing to put into it. Dislike Kubuntu/KDE (I've used Ubuntu/gnome2 for long enough that I can no longer bear the look and feel of KDE). Maybe I should try Lubuntu... I've lost faith in the Ubuntu project though, I don't think they're capable of making the right decisions.
  - rlpb 13y ago
    The alternative Ubuntu flavours also deliver this. Mint isn't anything special here, unless you care that it's not Ubuntu.
  - likeclockwork 13y ago
    Pretty much all of the WMs and DEs I've installed just to check them out over the years (on Fedora, but I would bet on Ubuntu) have just worked out of the box. I mean they put the package in the repo! The whole WM/DE thing is a derail, that stuff is just claptrap, window dressing, extremely easy to replace and we have a huge selection of choices.
- duaneb 13y ago
  Why else would you download Ubuntu if you didn't want to use Unity? Distributions really only differ in degrees of desktop environments and package management systems anyway.
  - rlpb 13y ago
    You can just install (for example) Xubuntu directly, and you'll get Ubuntu with XFCE installed by default. There are also flavours (and corresponding images) for LXDE, KDE and GNOME. Ubuntu isn't a Unity-only shop.
kriro 13y ago
You can still opt for stuff like Xubuntu (which I run on my netbook+desktop). I like that Mint provides an alternative though. The more the merrier.
- barbs 13y ago
  I've used and loved Xubuntu for a while now, but I've recently installed Linux Mint w/ Cinnamon on a new computer, and I think it's a little bit more polished. Both are much better than plain Ubuntu. Linux Mint + Cinnamon is probably the distro I'd recommend to most people, especially if they're coming from Windows. If their computer's a bit older, I'd go with Xubuntu, and if it's really old, probably Lubuntu.
synchronise 13y ago
I quite like Unity, its way of presenting files and applications is better than stock Gnome Shell, plus I never had UI freezing issues with the former as I had with the latter, although I will admit that GS does allow greater customisation. The only better Linux global search function in my opinion would be KRunner, but there's no easy way to bind it only to the super key (Windows button) like Unity and GS.
dchichkov 13y ago
It is only huge step backward for you. Because you are a developer who wants a snappy desktop (and not that half-poisoned koala that tends to go to sleep and do some power saving all the time). But you are a developer. So you can tweak a few things and get a nice, snappy system out of Ubuntu. Here's a start: * install linux-image-xxxxxx-lowlatency; * boot it with idle=mwait intel_idle.max_cstate=3 * #disable ipv6: net.ipv6.conf.all.disable_ipv6 = 1 net.ipv6.conf.default.disable_ipv6 = 1 net.ipv6.conf.lo.disable_ipv6 = 1 * # less swappy than default 60 vm.swappiness = 1 vm.vfs_cache_pressure = 50 * install latest graphics drivers to support that 3d desktop monstrosity; * disable all desktop effects; Do that, plus a few more tweaks, and you will have it out of Ubuntu. On a fast modern box your terminal window will finally stop lagging ;)
- deleted 13y ago
  [deleted]
- duaneb 13y ago
  It's unclear why the desktop effects are on by default in the first place without hardware accelerated drivers. The first boot up of an ubuntu image results in my swearing at an unresponsive terminal. But at least I can see through the window! We all know that's a usability must.
- voltagex_ 13y ago
  I agree with everything except turning off IPv6. I suspect you're "fixing" the issue with things trying an IPv6 lookup before an IPv4 lookup and appearing to hang - this should be reported as a bug.
rlpb 13y ago
If you don't like Unity, then there a number of official Ubuntu flavours that you can use. Xubuntu gives you XFCE. Lubuntu give you LXDE. Kubuntu: KDE. There's Ubuntu GNOME, too. Defining Mint as "Ubuntu without Unity" makes no sense.

Unity is pretty terrible, and a huge step backwards. Mint reverts the huge step backwards.

by Peaker 13y ago

Unity is pretty terrible, and a huge step backwards. Mint reverts the huge step backwards.

sampo 13y ago

Any Desktop Environment (Gnome 3, Cinnamon, Mate, KDE, Xfce, etc.) that you can use in Mint, you can also install (directly from the package manager) on Ubuntu. So the choice of a Desktop Environment should not alone be any strong reason to switch from Ubuntu to Mint.

GravityWell 13y ago
The fact you can "install" it is simplistic. Manually adding a desktop environment on top of Unity is not the same as one carefully groomed to work seamlessly, which is what Mint delivers.
- madsravn 13y ago
  carefully groomed to work seamlessly - I don't really know what you're talking about, but many Window Managers work pretty fine.
- minor_nitwit 13y ago
  There are many releases of Ubuntu for almost each DE. For example, I'm running Ubuntu gnome edition, but there's Xubuntu, Lubuntu, Kubuntu, and then more specific things like Studio Edition, Mythbuntu, Ubuntu Touch, Ubuntu TV.
  - Peaker 13y ago
    I've tried Xubuntu but XFce doesn't seem to work that well with Hebrew keyboard layouts, at least without more tinkering than I was willing to put into it. Dislike Kubuntu/KDE (I've used Ubuntu/gnome2 for long enough that I can no longer bear the look and feel of KDE). Maybe I should try Lubuntu... I've lost faith in the Ubuntu project though, I don't think they're capable of making the right decisions.
- rlpb 13y ago
  The alternative Ubuntu flavours also deliver this. Mint isn't anything special here, unless you care that it's not Ubuntu.
- likeclockwork 13y ago
  Pretty much all of the WMs and DEs I've installed just to check them out over the years (on Fedora, but I would bet on Ubuntu) have just worked out of the box. I mean they put the package in the repo! The whole WM/DE thing is a derail, that stuff is just claptrap, window dressing, extremely easy to replace and we have a huge selection of choices.
duaneb 13y ago
Why else would you download Ubuntu if you didn't want to use Unity? Distributions really only differ in degrees of desktop environments and package management systems anyway.
- rlpb 13y ago
  You can just install (for example) Xubuntu directly, and you'll get Ubuntu with XFCE installed by default. There are also flavours (and corresponding images) for LXDE, KDE and GNOME. Ubuntu isn't a Unity-only shop.

kriro 13y ago

You can still opt for stuff like Xubuntu (which I run on my netbook+desktop). I like that Mint provides an alternative though. The more the merrier.

barbs 13y ago
I've used and loved Xubuntu for a while now, but I've recently installed Linux Mint w/ Cinnamon on a new computer, and I think it's a little bit more polished. Both are much better than plain Ubuntu. Linux Mint + Cinnamon is probably the distro I'd recommend to most people, especially if they're coming from Windows. If their computer's a bit older, I'd go with Xubuntu, and if it's really old, probably Lubuntu.

synchronise 13y ago

I quite like Unity, its way of presenting files and applications is better than stock Gnome Shell, plus I never had UI freezing issues with the former as I had with the latter, although I will admit that GS does allow greater customisation. The only better Linux global search function in my opinion would be KRunner, but there's no easy way to bind it only to the super key (Windows button) like Unity and GS.

dchichkov 13y ago

It is only huge step backward for you. Because you are a developer who wants a snappy desktop (and not that half-poisoned koala that tends to go to sleep and do some power saving all the time). But you are a developer. So you can tweak a few things and get a nice, snappy system out of Ubuntu. Here's a start: * install linux-image-xxxxxx-lowlatency; * boot it with idle=mwait intel_idle.max_cstate=3 * #disable ipv6: net.ipv6.conf.all.disable_ipv6 = 1 net.ipv6.conf.default.disable_ipv6 = 1 net.ipv6.conf.lo.disable_ipv6 = 1 * # less swappy than default 60 vm.swappiness = 1 vm.vfs_cache_pressure = 50 * install latest graphics drivers to support that 3d desktop monstrosity; * disable all desktop effects; Do that, plus a few more tweaks, and you will have it out of Ubuntu. On a fast modern box your terminal window will finally stop lagging ;)

deleted 13y ago
[deleted]
duaneb 13y ago
It's unclear why the desktop effects are on by default in the first place without hardware accelerated drivers. The first boot up of an ubuntu image results in my swearing at an unresponsive terminal. But at least I can see through the window! We all know that's a usability must.
voltagex_ 13y ago
I agree with everything except turning off IPv6. I suspect you're "fixing" the issue with things trying an IPv6 lookup before an IPv4 lookup and appearing to hang - this should be reported as a bug.

rlpb 13y ago

If you don't like Unity, then there a number of official Ubuntu flavours that you can use. Xubuntu gives you XFCE. Lubuntu give you LXDE. Kubuntu: KDE. There's Ubuntu GNOME, too. Defining Mint as "Ubuntu without Unity" makes no sense.