Linux Mint 6

[Red Flower]

Linux Mint 6 (Felicia) is the latest version and it is based on Ubuntu 8.10 (Intrepid Ibex).Linux Mint's slogan is "From freedom came elegance" and that's very appropriate for what this distribution is all about.Linux Mint 7 will be based on Ubuntu 9.04 and is being worked on already by the Linux Mint developers. There are two versions of Linux Mint:


The Main Edition
The Universal Edition

The universal edition does not include any proprietary software, support for restricted formats, or patented technologies. It's geared for people in countries that might otherwise forbid some or all of these things.

New(s) in Linux Mint 6 are:
Linux Kernel 2.6.27-7
Network Manager .7
Xorg 7.4
mintInstall (software manager)
mintUpdate 3 (system update manager)
mintUpload 2 (uploading tool)
mintNanny (bare bones tool to block inappropriate domains for children)
mint4Win (Windows installer for Linux Mint)
Giver (lets you send files from one computer to another on a local network)
Gufw (a firewall configuration tool)
Flegita (Gnome scanner utility)

Installation
Installing Linux Mint is easy. If you've ever installed Ubuntu or even Windows then you shouldn't have a problem installing Linux Mint. When you insert the CD and reboot you'll default to a Live CD that lets you run Linux Mint without having to install it. The Live CD thing is very nice for those on the fence who aren't sure whether they want to jump into doing a full install.

Linux Mint uses Gnome as its desktop environment so you'll feel right at home if you're a Gnome user. KDE fans might not appreciate it as much but will acclimate to it soon enough. After logging onto your Linux Mint desktop you'll note that there is the usual "Start" type button but it's labeled "Menu" and it will take you to the usual menu lists to access your applications, preferences, etc.

Linux Mint's menu system is nicely done as it lets you access all your app categories, system management tools, and important places on your system (home, trash, etc.). You won't have to spend a lot of time clicking around to find where things are even if you're totally new to Linux Mint.

You can customize your desktop a bit by clicking "Menu", then "Preferences", then "mintDesktop" to start the LM desktop configuration tool. Note that there are arrows that let you scroll left or right to see various options that you can change. Frankly I would rather have had a different system for this as newbies might not notice that they can scroll. A set of icons or something closer to how Apple does it in their System Preferences tool would be better.

The Desktop Items menu lets you choose what you want to appear on the desktop from the following list:


Computer
Home
Network
Trash
Mounted Volumes

And it also lets you customize Nautilus by choosing browser mode (open each folder in the same window) or spatial mode (open each folder in its own window). You can also customize a couple of splash screens and opt to use the Gnome Compositing manager.
One of the things that sets Linux Mint apart from Ubuntu and some other distributions is that it is more multimedia-capable "right out of the box." Note that you will find even more software available by choosing to use Synaptic instead of MintInstall to manage your software (simply click the Menu button then click package manager instead of software manager). You can also opt to use Apt at the command line if you prefer that mode of software management.

Be very careful with Apt or Synaptic as you don't want to update your system carelessly with them. There's stuff accessible by both of them that may not have been tested for Linux Mint. It's better to use the mintUpdate tool (click the "Menu" button, then "Administration", then "mintUpdate") and only install updates that have been approved for your Linux Mint system.