Linux Mint discussions

[MC Morrado]

Rest here weary Linux users, you've seen too many cringe AI marketing gimmicks by big tech. Stop here and chat with your fellow Mint boys who swear by the penguins.

 

This is just a Q&A for commenters to directly communicate with each other by all things Linux Mint. Linux Cinnamon, MATE, XFCE and LMDE. Although information on installing proprietary hardware drivers in LMDE is severely lacking. All I am is a robotic wolf wearing a tuxedo who wants to learn more about LMDE vs other versions of Mint. I love the idea of LMDE since it's directly based on Debian instead of normal Linux Mint being a fork of a fork, stability and simplicity is what i see in LMDE.

 

Help each other and tell me everything you know about LMDE regarding how it's different from standard Mint Cinnamon.

[MC Morrado]

8 hours ago, LloydLynx said:

LMDE should have a MATE edition.

last time I heard: LMDE only had the Cinnamon desktop environment.

[Guest]

15 hours ago, MC.Morrado said:

Although information on installing proprietary hardware drivers in LMDE is severely lacking.

Because their driver manager leverages Ubuntu's own tooling and meta packages to provide it. It's also not their primary target.

 

15 hours ago, MC.Morrado said:

Help each other and tell me everything you know about LMDE regarding how it's different from standard Mint Cinnamon.

The Linux Mint's primary targets are Ubuntu LTS and Cinnamon, anything outside this is more of a best effort basis. LMDE pretty much only exists as a an additional build and test target so that in the event Ubuntu disappears they have something to fall back on, though I suspect it may also be a fallback if Ubuntu continues on it's course to replace everything with snap. It's more of a proof of concept than anything.

The main tradeoffs with Debian is

• Packages are older
  • Can affect hardware support
• Packages are frozen in time
  • Ubuntu still gets minor releases
• They are more restrictive with what's shipped in their repos
  • Can affect hardware support
  • Can affect software functionality
• You lose all of Ubuntu's meta packages and tooling
  • Pretty much all automation for ease of use gets thrown out
• You lose Ubuntu's Hardware enablement backports.
• You lose access to Ubuntu's oem kernels.
  • Ubuntu works with oems to provide compatibility.
• A lot of software doesn't actually target debian, but most software however targets Ubuntu to some extent.
  • to some extent it does however enable debian support, however anything in their repos may not be whats intended by the developers.

 

When you use a distro I really just recommend using what they primarily focus on as that is where most of their efforts will be and everything else will revolve around the choices made here. For Linux Mint that would be Linux Mint Cinnamon Edition. This is likely why you don't see the other Desktop Environments for LMDE.