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== Comparison with Ubuntu ==
== Comparison with Ubuntu ==
Linux Mint is based on Ubuntu and the two distributions have much in common. Both distributions use the same [[Computer software|software]] repositories. For instance, release 6 (“Felicia”) uses the package pools of Ubuntu “Intrepid Ibex” (8.10). Most packages are the same on both distributions, and as of Linux Mint 6 'Felicia', each Linux Mint release is based on Ubuntu, whereas before they were based on the previous Linux Mint release.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.linuxmint.com/blog/?p=560 |title=The Linux Mint Blog » Blog Archive » Mint 6 Review: Dedoimedo |publisher=Linuxmint.com |date=2009-01-19 |accessdate=2009-07-16}}</ref>
Linux Mint is based on Ubuntu and the two distributions have much in common. Both distributions use the same [[Computer software|software]] repositories.{{Citation needed|date=June 2009}} For instance, release 6 (“Felicia”) uses the package pools of Ubuntu “Intrepid Ibex” (8.10). Most packages are the same on both distributions, and as of Linux Mint 6 'Felicia', each Linux Mint release is based on Ubuntu, whereas before they were based on the previous Linux Mint release.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.linuxmint.com/blog/?p=560 |title=The Linux Mint Blog » Blog Archive » Mint 6 Review: Dedoimedo |publisher=Linuxmint.com |date=2009-01-19 |accessdate=2009-07-16}}</ref>


Most differences are on the desktop. Linux Mint has a stated focus on elegance, and it includes a number of applications that are not available in Ubuntu (see aforementioned [[#Mint tools|Mint tools]]).
Most differences are on the desktop. Linux Mint has a stated focus on elegance, and it includes a number of applications that are not available in Ubuntu (see aforementioned [[#Mint tools|Mint tools]]).

== Position on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and controversy ==

On 2009-05-03, the lead developer of Linux Mint, Clement Lefebvre, said he was touched by what was happening in Palestine and asked supporters of the Israeli government not to use or donate to Linux Mint. This was expressed as his own personal stance, but displayed on the official Linux Mint blog. He later apologized to the development team and to the community for the initial wording of his post and for posting it in the wrong place.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.linuxmint.com/blog/?p=775 |title=The Linux Mint Blog » Blog Archive » Drawing the line |publisher=Linuxmint.com |date=2009-05-03 |accessdate=2009-07-16}}</ref> As requested by the development team and many people within the community, the post was rephrased and moved to his personal blog.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://eclelef.blogspot.com/search/label/Politics |title=Clement Lefebvre's Personal Blog: Politics |publisher=Eclelef.blogspot.com |date= |accessdate=2009-07-16}}</ref> This incident caused some users to quit the project and others to join{{Citation needed|date=September 2009}} it. <ref>{{cite web|author=By Pavs on May 4th, 2009 |url=http://www.linuxhaxor.net/2009/05/04/linux-and-politics-dont-mix-well/ |title=Linux And Politics Don’t Mix Well |publisher=LinuxHaxor.net |date=2007-11-28 |accessdate=2009-07-16}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Lynch |first=Jim |url=http://www.extremetech.com/article2/0,2845,2346637,00.asp |title=The Great Linux Mint Political Train Wreck - OS, Software & Networking by ExtremeTech |publisher=Extremetech.com |date=2009-05-06 |accessdate=2009-07-16}}</ref>

On 2009-05-07, Clement Lefebvre posted in his personal blog to further explain his position. He refuted accusations of racism and anti-Semitism, and underlined that he was primarily opposed to cruelty and terror in the conflict between Israel and Palestine. He explained that he didn't blame citizens for their need of protection or their patriotism, but people, Israeli or not, who thought cruelty and terror should continue and for whom peace wasn't an option. <ref>{{cite web|url=http://eclelef.blogspot.com/2009/05/personal-facts-mistakes-and-apologies.html |title=Clement Lefebvre's Personal Blog: Personal facts, mistakes and apologies |publisher=Eclelef.blogspot.com |date=2009-05-07 |accessdate=2009-07-16}}</ref>

On 2009-05-12, Clement Lefebvre said he hoped for peace in the Middle-East and expressed his support to Palestinians and Israelis who suffered from the conflict. <ref>{{cite web|url=http://eclelef.blogspot.com/2009/05/middle-east-what-matters-most.html |title=Clement Lefebvre's Personal Blog: Middle-East, what matters most |publisher=Eclelef.blogspot.com |date=2009-05-12 |accessdate=2009-07-16}}</ref>


== References ==
== References ==

Revision as of 15:44, 28 October 2009

Linux Mint
Linux Mint 7 ("Gloria")
OS familyUnix-like
Working stateCurrent
Source modelOpen source
Latest releaseLinux Mint 7 ("Gloria") / May 26, 2009; 15 years ago (2009-05-26)
Available inMultilingual
Update methodAPT
Package managerdpkg
PlatformsIA-32, x86-64
Kernel typeMonolithic
Default
user interface		GNOME (KDE & Xfce available in community editions)
LicenseMainly the GPL, and various others
Official websitewww.linuxmint.com

Linux Mint is an operating system for personal computers, based on (and compatible with) Ubuntu, with integrated media codecs[1][2]. Mint also has design differences from Ubuntu, including:

  • A distinct user interface, including the custom Mint menu.[2]
  • The Mint Tools, a collection of system tools designed to make system management and administration easier for end users.
  • As of Linux Mint 6 'Felicia', a Windows installer is included as one of the installation methods. mint4win, a rebranded version of Wubi.[3] It is activated when the CD is inserted into a computer under Windows, providing AutoRun is enabled.

Linux Mint is available for download in the form of ISO images, which can be used to create Live CDs or Live USBs.

Branches

Like many other Linux distributions, Linux Mint has different repositories, or "branches". The branch with the newest features, or "unstable branch" of the repositories, is called "Romeo". New packages are first released in "Romeo", where they are tested by developers and community members who use it. It is not activated by default in Linux Mint releases.

Editions

Linux Mint comes in several editions including GNOME, the main one being a x86-32 edition. There is also a x86-64 version, called 'x64 Edition', which is designed to be as similar as possible to the main edition. There is also the Universal Edition, which doesn't include proprietary software, allowing easier redistribution.[4] Linux Mint is also distributed via Community Editions, with the KDE, Xfce and Fluxbox versions.

Releases

Linux Mint 2.2 GNOME

Originally, Linux Mint did not follow a predictable release cycle. From the release of "Daryna", however, it was decided that Linux Mint will correlate with the 6 month Ubuntu release cycle and Linux Mint releases will now reach end of life when their corresponding Ubuntu releases do.

Starting from "Elyssa", the minor version number has been dropped (e.g. "Linux Mint 5.0" is now "Linux Mint 5"). This was due to a decision to follow Ubuntu's 6 month release cycle; there should no longer be more than one release per Ubuntu base.[5]

Colour Meaning
Red Old release; not supported
Yellow Old release; still supported
Green Current release
Blue Future release
Version Codename Edition Code Base APT Base[clarification needed] Default desktop environment Release date
1.0 Ada Main Kubuntu 6.06 Kubuntu 6.06 KDE 27 August 2006
2.0 Barbara Main Ubuntu 6.10 Ubuntu 6.10 GNOME 13 November 2006
2.1 Bea Main Ubuntu 6.10 Ubuntu 6.10 GNOME 20 December 2006
2.2 Bianca Main Ubuntu 6.10 Ubuntu 6.10 GNOME 20 February 2007
Light Ubuntu 6.10 Ubuntu 6.10 GNOME 29 March 2007
KDE CE Kubuntu 6.10 Kubuntu 6.10 KDE 20 April 2007
3.0 Cassandra Main Bianca 2.2 Ubuntu 7.04 GNOME 30 May 2007
Light Bianca 2.2 Ubuntu 7.04 GNOME 15 June 2007
KDE CE Bianca 2.2 Kubuntu 7.04 KDE 14 August 2007
MiniKDE CE Bianca 2.2 Kubuntu 7.04 KDE 14 August 2007
Xfce CE Cassandra 3.0 Xubuntu 7.04 Xfce 7 August 2007
3.1 Celena Main Bianca 2.2 Ubuntu 7.04 GNOME 24 September 2007
Light Bianca 2.2 Ubuntu 7.04 GNOME 1 October 2007
4.0 Daryna Main Celena 3.1 Ubuntu 7.10 GNOME 15 October 2007
Light Celena 3.1 Ubuntu 7.10 GNOME 15 October 2007
KDE CE Cassandra 3.0 Kubuntu 7.10 KDE 3 March 2008
5 Elyssa Main Daryna 4.0 Ubuntu 8.04 GNOME 8 June 2008
Light Daryna 4.0 Ubuntu 8.04 GNOME 8 June 2008
x64 Ubuntu 8.04 Ubuntu 8.04 GNOME 18 October 2008
KDE CE Daryna 4.0 Kubuntu 8.04 KDE 15 September 2008
Xfce CE Daryna 4.0 Xubuntu 8.04 Xfce 8 September 2008
Fluxbox CE Ubuntu 8.04 Ubuntu 8.04 Fluxbox 21 October 2008
6 Felicia Main Ubuntu 8.10 Ubuntu 8.10 GNOME 15 December 2008
Universal (Light) Ubuntu 8.10 Ubuntu 8.10 GNOME 15 December 2008
x64 Ubuntu 8.10 Ubuntu 8.10 GNOME 6 February 2009
KDE CE Elyssa 5 Kubuntu 8.10 KDE 8 April 2009
Xfce CE Xubuntu 8.10 Xubuntu 8.10 Xfce 24 February 2009
Fluxbox CE Xubuntu 8.10 Ubuntu 8.10 Fluxbox 7 April 2009
7 Gloria Main Ubuntu 9.04 Ubuntu 9.04 GNOME 26 May 2009
Universal (Light) Ubuntu 9.04 Ubuntu 9.04 GNOME 26 May 2009
x64 Ubuntu 9.04 Ubuntu 9.04 GNOME 24 June 2009
KDE CE Kubuntu 9.04 Kubuntu 9.04 KDE 3 August 2009
Xfce CE Xubuntu 9.04 Xubuntu 9.04 Xfce 13 September 2009
8 Helena Main Ubuntu 9.10 Ubuntu 9.10 GNOME November 2009

Team

Linux Mint is maintained by the following people:

  • Clement Lefebvre - Founder, project leader, developer and maintainer of the Main, Universal and x64 editions
  • merlwiz79 - Maintainer of the Xfce edition
  • Jamie Boo Birse - Maintainer of the KDE edition
  • Shane Joe Lazar - Maintainer of the Fluxbox edition

A full listing is available on the distribution's website: http://www.linuxmint.com/about.php

Mint tools

Mintupdate, Linux Mint's update manager.
File:Mintinstall5.png
MintInstall, a tool that allows you to view and download files from the Software Portal directly from your desktop.

Linux Mint comes with its own set of tools aimed at making the experience easier for the user.

  • MintInstall: Lets you run .mint files, which are files containing instructions to install packages. As of Linux Mint 6, this tool has been revamped, and now lets you view all the applications on the Mint Software Portal offline, providing you have an Internet connection to download the information first. Also allows you to install any of the programs listed directly from the desktop, instead of going to the site.[3] The option to use the old MintInstall program is available, where you can go to the Ubuntu Repositories or the Getdeb.net website from a search.
  • MintUpdate: Update-software designed specifically for Linux Mint. MintUpdate assigns updates a safety-level (from 1 to 5), based on the stability and necessity of the update. Updates can be set to notify users (as is normal), be listed but not notify, or be hidden by default. In addition to including updates specifically for the Mint distribution, the development team tests all package-wide updates. This system is designed to prevent inexperienced users from installing updates that are unnecessary or require a certain level of knowledge to configure properly. If mintInstall is used to install a program from the default repositories, that program is able to receive updates via mintUpdate.[6]
  • MintDesktop: A desktop configuration tool for easy configuration of the Gnome desktop. Also acts as a background process to do various tasks upon login. Also network browsing is made easier (through fusesmb). MintDesktop has received a major overhaul in Mint 4.0.[7]
  • MintConfig: (Obsolete from Daryna.) A customizable control center. It gathers all the tools from "Preferences" and "Administration" and organizes them into categories. The purpose of mintConfig was to give users a control center since GNOME didn’t have one. In Daryna only the GNOME Control Center is present.
  • MintAssistant: A customization wizard that appears during first log-in for users, asking a few questions to customize Mint based on the user's level of knowledge and comfort with various Linux components. It currently asks if the user wants to enable or disable fortune-cookies in the terminal, and if the root account should be enabled or disabled. As of Linux Mint 7, this tool has been replaced with MintWelcome.
  • MintUpload: An FTP client that uploads files to a server by right-clicking on the icons and selecting upload. The user will then be given a link he or she can give to other people for quick and easy sharing.
  • MintSpace: The larger sibling of MintUpload. Provides an additional 1 GB of storage space and files stay on the server for seven days (rather than 2 days).[8]
  • MintMenu: A python-coded menu that allows for fully customizable text, icons, and colors. It shares the same hotlinks to software as the Gnome main menu.
  • MintWifi: Drivers for quite a few wlan gadgets and mintWifi.py. Located in /usr/lib/linuxmint/mintWifi
  • MintNanny: A basic domain blocking parental control tool. Lets you manually add domains to be blocked system wide. This tool was introduced with the release of Linux Mint 6.[3]
  • MintMake: A command line tool that allows you to make .mint files for programs.
  • MintWelcome: Introduced in Linux Mint 7, MintWelcome is an application that starts on the first login of any new account. It shows a dialogue window welcoming the user to Linux Mint, and providing links to the Linux Mint website, user guide etc.

Comparison with Ubuntu

Linux Mint is based on Ubuntu and the two distributions have much in common. Both distributions use the same software repositories.[citation needed] For instance, release 6 (“Felicia”) uses the package pools of Ubuntu “Intrepid Ibex” (8.10). Most packages are the same on both distributions, and as of Linux Mint 6 'Felicia', each Linux Mint release is based on Ubuntu, whereas before they were based on the previous Linux Mint release.[9]

Most differences are on the desktop. Linux Mint has a stated focus on elegance, and it includes a number of applications that are not available in Ubuntu (see aforementioned Mint tools).

Position on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and controversy

On 2009-05-03, the lead developer of Linux Mint, Clement Lefebvre, said he was touched by what was happening in Palestine and asked supporters of the Israeli government not to use or donate to Linux Mint. This was expressed as his own personal stance, but displayed on the official Linux Mint blog. He later apologized to the development team and to the community for the initial wording of his post and for posting it in the wrong place.[10] As requested by the development team and many people within the community, the post was rephrased and moved to his personal blog.[11] This incident caused some users to quit the project and others to join[citation needed] it. [12][13]

On 2009-05-07, Clement Lefebvre posted in his personal blog to further explain his position. He refuted accusations of racism and anti-Semitism, and underlined that he was primarily opposed to cruelty and terror in the conflict between Israel and Palestine. He explained that he didn't blame citizens for their need of protection or their patriotism, but people, Israeli or not, who thought cruelty and terror should continue and for whom peace wasn't an option. [14]

On 2009-05-12, Clement Lefebvre said he hoped for peace in the Middle-East and expressed his support to Palestinians and Israelis who suffered from the conflict. [15]

References

  1. ^ "What's new in Linux Mint 7 Gloria?". Linux Mint. Retrieved 2009-08-27.
  2. ^ a b "About". Linux Mint. 2007-09-24. Retrieved 2009-07-16.
  3. ^ a b c "What's new in Linux Mint 6 Felicia". Linux Mint. 2007-09-24. Retrieved 2009-07-16.
  4. ^ "Download". Linux Mint. 2007-09-24. Retrieved 2009-07-16.
  5. ^ "Minor version number dropped". Linuxmint.com. 2007-12-28. Retrieved 2009-07-16.
  6. ^ "Blueprint: "Integration with mintInstall"". Blueprints.launchpad.net. 2007-10-20. Retrieved 2009-07-16.
  7. ^ "mintDesktop in Launchpad". Launchpad.net. 2007-10-16. Retrieved 2009-07-16.
  8. ^ "MintUpload tutorial and integration with mintSpace". Retrieved 2008-04-01.
  9. ^ "The Linux Mint Blog » Blog Archive » Mint 6 Review: Dedoimedo". Linuxmint.com. 2009-01-19. Retrieved 2009-07-16.
  10. ^ "The Linux Mint Blog » Blog Archive » Drawing the line". Linuxmint.com. 2009-05-03. Retrieved 2009-07-16.
  11. ^ "Clement Lefebvre's Personal Blog: Politics". Eclelef.blogspot.com. Retrieved 2009-07-16.
  12. ^ By Pavs on May 4th, 2009 (2007-11-28). "Linux And Politics Don't Mix Well". LinuxHaxor.net. Retrieved 2009-07-16.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  13. ^ Lynch, Jim (2009-05-06). "The Great Linux Mint Political Train Wreck - OS, Software & Networking by ExtremeTech". Extremetech.com. Retrieved 2009-07-16.
  14. ^ "Clement Lefebvre's Personal Blog: Personal facts, mistakes and apologies". Eclelef.blogspot.com. 2009-05-07. Retrieved 2009-07-16.
  15. ^ "Clement Lefebvre's Personal Blog: Middle-East, what matters most". Eclelef.blogspot.com. 2009-05-12. Retrieved 2009-07-16.
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