Conversation
Notices
-
this is the best way to evaluate a !linux distro: get a live DVD/CD, boot it, *tweak* it, and then do some *real work* with it. I'm now having fun, learning a lot of new things - and coming to appreciate Linux Mint (LMDE) with Cinnamon more and more: it's smooth, fast and slick.
-
@mk I generally jump straight to Install it, start using it ;-)
-
@expatpaul well, I *am* using it - while it's not installed yet :)
-
If you liked the old !Gnome 2 UI then check out Linux !Mint Debian Edition with the !Mate desktop.
-
@bobjonkman why MATE? I never really liked Gnome, though I found it more palatable than KDE4; but from what I read, Cinnamon is much nicer than MATE - it has a decent menu for instance (though that can be improved, and there is even an applet already that does that). I just have to get rid of some Ubuntu-isms in LMDE, like "root is forbidden" - but there are solutions for that. :)
-
@bobjonkman Why MATE? I never really liked Gnome, though I found it more palatable than KDE4. But I read some reviews and concluded that Cinnamon is much closer to what I like than MATE. This review for instance: http://www.dedoimedo.com/computers/linux-mint-qiana-mate.html - look at the third screenshot with the menu open: it has "Favorites" which I don't want, Applications are another mouse click away, and it's huuuuge, which I definitely don't want: this is a large-screen shot, but on a laptop it will take up halfthe screen: I DO NOT want a menu that hides what I have open, at least not so much of it! That one screenshot is enough for me to not consider MATE a serious candidate.
-
@bobjonkman you should now also understand why I avoid Ubuntu like the plague :)
-
I don't care much for the "Mint Menu" that's default in !Mate, but it's easily replaced with "Menu Bar" or "Main Menu" which give the usual hierarchical menu structure. I like !Mate because it's the lightest, snappiest desktop that still gives me the old !Gnome panel applets, especially the LCD Brightness control.
-
@bobjonkman there are a ton of applets for Cinnamon :) And I think I saw one for brightness control as well. ;)
-
@bobjonkman so, If I'll get really sick of Cinnamon, maybe I'll try MATE ;-) Or I'll just install LXDE ;-)
-
This is why I like !GNU + !Linux - if we were using !Windows we couldn't even have this conversation
-
@bobjonkman nice try :) in Windows it's actually *easier* to reorganize the menu to match your own work habits :p
-
@mk @bobjonkman and I've been doing exactly that even since I started using Windows (starting with NT). I *always* tweak my desktop environments to suit me.
-
@mk !Windows doesn't have nearly the number of alternate desktop environments or window managers. Sure, there are some 3rd party applications (Norton Desktop springs to mind) but the ease if trying something new is unsurpassed in GNU+Linux. Not to mention the safety of not using untrustworthy download sites
-
@bobjonkman I'm not after "trying something new" but after setting up a system in such a way that it suits my way of working and thinking (and that is different for different machines since they have different purposes). Windows my not have different "desktop environments" but is still highly customizable if you know how it works. I have my taskbar on the left, a totally restructured menu; I've used virtual desktops already around 1995. I have a tool that allows me to roll up windows. And so on. And no expensive Nortan stuff is needed for all that either. And of course I never ever use "untrustworthy download sites" - there's no need for that.
Temporary Marjolein
Paul Pritchard
Former Bob Jonkman -- Please use the new server at https://gs.jonkman.ca
All Chirp! content and data are available under the