Review: Linux Mint 4.0 (Page 1 of 1)
Written by
Steve Lake
Posted on: Dec 05, 2007 at 01:13pm
Section:
Reviews
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Mint has struck again! The developers of this elegant Linux distribution are back
with a new version of their elegant Linux distribution for you to enjoy. As you may
remember, in our previous review of
Linux Mint, we introduced you to a Linux desktop that was both elegant and practical
for both the new and experienced Linux user. We explored their motto of "From
freedom came elegance" and found it to be true in many ways. We even looked at
a lot of features that eventaully won Linux Mint a place on our short list of recommended
Linux distributions. But now that a new version has arrived on the scene, we're left
with one nagging question. What makes Linux Mint 4.0 better than the existing 3.0
version we previously reviewed? Well, a number of things apparently. So let's
look at each of these new improvements and see what they have to offer you and if they can
truely make Linux Mint 4.0 better than its predicessor.
Initial Impressions
The latest version of Linux Mint, codenamed "Daryna" (don't ask me how to
pronounce that because I still haven't figured it out myself) is based on both the Celena
version of Linux Mint (version 3.1) and Ubuntu Gutsy Gibbon (version 7.10 of Ubuntu).
For those worried about the interface changing a lot, don't fear, because it really
hasn't. All the familiar features and organization of Mint are still there,
including in the Mint menu. But aside from its familiarity, Mint 4.0 isn't without
it's problems. One of the things I found early on was a fair degree of instability
in the general system. While it wasn't crashing all over the place, it was still a
bit unstable. I even had the background crash and die at least once on me taking the
desktop icons and all desktop features with it, which is almost unheard of in other
distributions, including Ubuntu.
Installing the system was easy as usual, and it completed its work in the expected
amount of time. No real visible improvements or changes there. Just the
realiability found in the original version, minus the bit of instability mentioned above.
Upon hitting the desktop though, my instability issues were quickly resolved with
Mint Update, an interesting new feature that we'll be talking about more in a few
minutes. Once I ran Mint Update, the system settled down quite nicely and really
didn't give me any more issues after that, save for one when one of the media players I
was testing freaked out and took the system down in flames with it. But that was the
exception, not the rule.
There is also a notable speed increase in the newest version as well. That's one
thing I have to give the developers credit for. The system is definately more
responsive. One thing that got worse though is the network. Network transfers
have become horribly slow and moving files is more a chore in patience rather than
anything productive. The icon set and some of the eyecandy features are also nice
and well chosen. The new color scheme is also a lot more pleasing to the eyes
compared to the one used in the previous 3.0 version.
One very nice improvement I found is how the file manager and all of Mint in general
handles network shares, including better login management, and automatic storing of login
information. It certainly makes dealing with network shares a lot easier.
Other than that, everything is exactly as you'd expect it to be in Mint. But
that's not all there is to report, because while there's some good userland improvements
in the general system and other common areas, there's other things that make Mint 4.0
different and better. So what are these changes? Let's have a look, shall we?
What's new in Daryna
There is a total of seven new improvements in Mint 4.0 that add to your experience
overall. They are MintUpdate, MintInstall, MintDesktop, Liberation Fonts, Compiz
Fusion, and more. So lets look at each of these and what they offer you.
MintUpdate
MintUpdate is a new feature in Ubuntu that makes updating your system easier.
Instead of having to remember to dive into Synaptic and do all of your updates
there on a regular basisc (assuming you even remember at all), MintUpdate takes the reigns
and handles all the mess of updating for you. Essentially MintUpdate is just a
wrapper for apt-get just like Synaptic is, but does things slightly differently.
Where Synaptic just tells you which packages should be updated (if you ask it anyways),
MintUpdate automaticlaly goes out, finds the latest updates, and then gives you a list of
what should be updated, and what risk they may or may not be to your system. The
higher the number, the greater the risk. But that's not to say you have to fear
these updates. Anything rated 3 or below is safe to install.
To give you an idea of what these ratings stand for, here's a quick list to explain
each.
- Certified packages. Tested and verified internally by Romeo or maintained by Mint
itself.
- Recommended packages. Tested and approved by Linux Mint.
- Safe packages. Not testing by Mint but believed to be safe.
- Unsafe packages. Could affect the stability of the system.
- Dangerous packages. Known to affect the stability of the system.
By default, you as a user will only see packages rated 3 or below, and in general
practice, it's a good idea to leave it that way, unless of course you're a developer and
you need access to those unstable or unsafe packages for development purposes or for
testing. If security is very important to you, or highly required, then only
allowing packages rated at 1 or 2 may be best. So as you can see, everything about
MintUpdate is very much point and click. Updates are so painless that even the most
extreme novice can do them.
MintInstall
For those who already know about MintInstall and it's existance in the previous version
of Mint, you'll be glad to know that it's undergone some great improvements. One of
the biggest is that you no longer have to hunt for MintInstall to make use of it. It
can now be found directly in the Mint menu. I remember how much work I had to do to
find it the first time myself, which is why this change was made by the developers, so I
know I'm thankful for that. You also don't have to go directly to the software
portal anymore to use MintInstall. You can now even search for applications right
from MintInstall. Obviously it takes you to the software portal after you type your
search term, but that's beside the point. You can also go directly to the mint
install portal anyways if you prefer getting your MintInstall formatted applications that
way. Point and click install is also just as easy as before, so no major changes
there.
Mint Desktop Improvements
There's a long list of improvements to the Mint desktop that really stands out in this
version, including functions for usability, restoring splash screens, and more.
Check out your MintDesktop configuration screen for more details. I think it's just
easier if you see it for yourself rather than have me list them all here.
Fonts and Fusion
There are two brand new additions that add to what makes Mint 4 special. Those
are the addition of Liberation Fonts and Compiz Fusion. For those who know what the
Red Hat Liberation Fonts are, you'll be estatic to hear this. For those of you who
don't, trust me, this is a good thing. ;) The addition of Compiz Fusion is
also good, now providing you with a way to improve your user experience through a wide
range of 3d desktop effects available via Compiz Fusion. I found it difficult to
find the configurations for Compiz Fusion, but I checked Synaptic and it reports that
Compiz Fusion is indeed installed. So to get them working, you may have to do a bit
of digging. Also, be sure you have the latest Nvidia or ATI drivers installed first.
Other Improvements
There are other smaller improvements as well. The last two of the seven I
mentioned before are upstream changes that have come from Ubuntu, Gnome, the Linux kernel
and Mint 3.1 itself, which have filtered down through the development tree and found their
way into Mint 4.0, improving it by association. There's also quite an interesting
and expansive new repository structure change. The biggest of these are as follows
as taken from the Linux Mint website:
- Main: Packages being developed by Linux Mint. (example: mintinstall)
- Community: Packages being developed by the Linux Mint Community. (example: sunbird-mint)
- Upstream: Ubuntu packages patched by Linux Mint. (example: firefox)
- Import: Packages coming from 3rd party sources. (example: envy)
- Backport: To allow optional backports for older releases.
While that list does cover the major improvments brought on by the restructuring, it
doesn't cover them all, as there's a LOT of great new improvements that have have been
added to the system.
Conclusion
Is Linux Mint 4.0 a good system to have or upgrade to? I think so. The
improvements that they've made are very pleasurable, useful, and just downright cool to
have. They also did a great job of sticking with the statement I made about Mint
3.0, and that is that Linux Mint is Ubuntu done right. Even with the improvements
done to Ubuntu in its 7.10 version, it still failed to impress me. Yet the Mint
developers have taken Ubuntu 7.10 and done some absolutely amazing things with it, turning
it into, what is in my opinion, what Ubuntu should have been.
Linux Mint has once again impressed me, despite some early reservations I had due to
its initial instability. But then again, that instability is not surprising.
You'll never catch all the bugs by the time you launch. Sometimes a
distribution needs to be in the real world for a while before some bugs will ever show
themselves. Because of its great performance, despite the few problems it had, Linux
Mint will continue to stay on my recommended distribution list for the forseeable
future! For more information on Linux Mint, check
out their homepage.
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