Linux Mint 16, also known as “Petra,” is a very solid release that fixes a lot of annoying traits left behind in previous versions. The operating system is based on Ubuntu 13.10, and that solid underpinning is made even better with the upgrade to Cinnamon 2.0 and new functionality in the Nemo file manager. A slimmer footprint, faster bootup and log-in and numerous performance improvements make Linux Mint 16 one of the most well-rounded releases since the distro first adopted Cinnamon as its flagship desktop environment.
Hi,
thanks for the article. There are a couple of points where I would like to comment (pardon my English, it's not my native language)...
"A tiresome process"
I disagree. First, everyone in their senses uses a separate partition for /home...
Secondly, there are two ways to upgrade. Sure, the Mint team recommends fresh upgrade, during which one first makes a backup copy of software list installed, then does a full install and afterwards uses the earlier backup copy to reinstall software needed. This is the prefered method. And well, it's not tiresome, nor too easy either :)
Another way is to do a "package upgrade", during which only the packages already installed are upgraded. This has its caveats, so it's not recommended at least for newbies with Linux.
Instructions for both methods can be found from the Linux Mint Community pages at community.linuxmint.com (see Tutorials).
"Installation glitch"
Hmm, sounds like you didn't check the md5 of the installation images you downloaded, did you?
While I agree that the Mint "clean install" requirement is a lot of trouble, one need not re-install all of their files.
I create a separate /home and /wrk file system on all of my workstations. /home is where all per-user files will live. I use /wrk for various file collections. During a Mint new-edition "upgrade" I do not format these files systems and so all per-user files are preserved. (Separate file systems also makes them easier to manage and keep safe during backup and recovery.)
I create a folder /wrk/prj/{loginname} for each login. That done, I create a sym link from $HOME/prj into /wrk/prj/{loginname}.
"The refinements in LM 16 make it an upgrade to not skip. The benefit in using it will come from the refinements now there. Do not expect any surprises, though.
The Mate and Xfce versions also deserve consideration."
That's exactly what I want: no surprises. I might wait on the KDE version, however.
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Linux Mint 16: No Surprises, but Plenty of Solid Improvements
Posted by: Jack M. Germain January 14, 2014 05:00 AMLinux Mint 16, also known as “Petra,” is a very solid release that fixes a lot of annoying traits left behind in previous versions. The operating system is based on Ubuntu 13.10, and that solid underpinning is made even better with the upgrade to Cinnamon 2.0 and new functionality in the Nemo file manager. A slimmer footprint, faster bootup and log-in and numerous performance improvements make Linux Mint 16 one of the most well-rounded releases since the distro first adopted Cinnamon as its flagship desktop environment.
thanks for the article. There are a couple of points where I would like to comment (pardon my English, it's not my native language)...
"A tiresome process"
I disagree. First, everyone in their senses uses a separate partition for /home...
Secondly, there are two ways to upgrade. Sure, the Mint team recommends fresh upgrade, during which one first makes a backup copy of software list installed, then does a full install and afterwards uses the earlier backup copy to reinstall software needed. This is the prefered method. And well, it's not tiresome, nor too easy either :)
Another way is to do a "package upgrade", during which only the packages already installed are upgraded. This has its caveats, so it's not recommended at least for newbies with Linux.
Instructions for both methods can be found from the Linux Mint Community pages at community.linuxmint.com (see Tutorials).
"Installation glitch"
Hmm, sounds like you didn't check the md5 of the installation images you downloaded, did you?
Kind regards,
penC
I create a separate /home and /wrk file system on all of my workstations. /home is where all per-user files will live. I use /wrk for various file collections. During a Mint new-edition "upgrade" I do not format these files systems and so all per-user files are preserved. (Separate file systems also makes them easier to manage and keep safe during backup and recovery.)
I create a folder /wrk/prj/{loginname} for each login. That done, I create a sym link from $HOME/prj into /wrk/prj/{loginname}.
~~~ 0;-Dan
Austin, TX USA
The Mate and Xfce versions also deserve consideration."
That's exactly what I want: no surprises. I might wait on the KDE version, however.
Thanks for another insightful, complete review.