If this question was asked before, I apologize in advance for the redundancy.

I recently switched from Windows to Ubuntu on my laptop. Still getting the hang of Ubuntu, but I see a lot of comments on different posts in which a majority of them point to using Mint instead.

Would the best recommendation, be to switch to Mint from Ubuntu?

  • ReallyZen@lemmy.ml
    6·
    11 days ago

    Welcome to… being a normal Linux user

    Switching distro is something every user does, thinks about doing, then does it again.

    It’s normal. You just discovered a new way of using your computer, and opened a ton of possibilities in front of you, from customising your current install to the death thanks to the choice in desktops and display managers to just slap an entirely different distribution on your machine. A ton of possibles.

    Try them out! There’s Live USB for about every one out there, but my favorite way is to dual-boot and see fully how the install process turns out, how the software management works, how updates occurs etc.

    You’ll notice a lot is the same, a lot is different, and most any feature from a distro can be slapped on another!

    To give you a taste, try openSUSE Tumbleweed - not because I think you should switch to Tumbleweed over Ubuntu, but because it’s quite different in a few key points, and I believe it is interesting for you: there’s this Rollback backup feature, a beautiful and quite simple installer, a polished user interface, a different software format, and a powerful admin tool.

    Have fun with your hardware. Now backup your files and go crazy! So many out there!

    (I started with Ubuntu)

    • Doodz@lemmy.mlOPEnglish
      2·
      8 days ago

      Thanks for the reply, you’re the first to actually recommend Tumbleweed. I will give it a look. I appreciate the suggestion and information.

  • bbbhltz@beehaw.org
    5·
    11 days ago

    If you’ve just installed Ubuntu, stick with it for a bit. Get things set up the way you like them. Make a mess if you must. But don’t switch because someone on the internet said one is better than the other. Lots of the Linux sites are just content farms (that 9to5 site) and copy other sites and then people read those and they suggest what they read.

    Mint does have some bespoke tools that users like, but those tools can be installed on other distros.

    Anyway. First, play around, make a mess, clean it up, get used to it. Then figure out how to backup the configs before you reinstall a new distro.

    Other beginner distros are Zorin and Elementary.

    I’m a Debian user myself, but I’ve been around and have tried many different distros, WMs, DEs, etc. over the past 19 years. Keep messing around and you’ll find your comfort zone.

    • Doodz@lemmy.mlOPEnglish
      1·
      8 days ago

      Thanks for the reply. I have been searching around for how to further customize Ubuntu. As of right now, I have it basic. Nothing even on my latop, so I can cause some chaos and figure it out from there. What I’m finding that tutorials online are mixed. Some are great, but majority are terrible on how to actually work around the system. But what you suggested is appreciated and I will take the information.

  • Pasta Dental@sh.itjust.works
    3·
    11 days ago

    Stay with ubuntu unless you have an issue with ubuntu itself, because the grass isn’t greener on the other side despite what some people might say. The only real difference that you’ll find are different default settings/programs and the time it takes for a software update to reach your final linux install.

    Some distros like Ubuntu prefer slightly older versions that have been proven to be stable/bug free while others like Arch mostly go for the newest everything where available, at the cost of stability. If you like something a little bit more balanced, you have Fedora (which is my preference).

    The beauty of Linux is that most software will work no matter the distribution you use. If the reason you want to use Linux Mint instead of regular Ubuntu is the desktop environment, you can at any time install the Cinammon desktop (the one used by Mint), here’s an article that guides you through the process: https://itsfoss.com/install-cinnamon-on-ubuntu/

  • Feydaikin@beehaw.org
    2·
    11 days ago

    I switched from Windows to Mint. Best thing I ever did for myself as It’s extremely user friendly.

    Is it the best choice for you? That depends on what you’re looking for in Linux.

    Personally I was just fed up with Microsoft and all the corporate shenanigans. But I’m too old and dumb to learn how to properly utilize Linux (not gonna kid myself on that front), and Mint has proven a great “Baby’s First Linux” for me.