My Dad's Linux Mint 8 loses update support in November, so I'm trying out 
its replacement -- or at least the newest version of Linux Mint. I may go 
with something else, not sure yet. 

My impressions are very good, except for a few key issues.

It was an easy install -- almost too easy (in other words not enough 
choices). For example, I wanted to install Grub on its own partition and 
chainload from CentOS' Grub, but it never gave me that choice. As it 
turned out, Mint's Grub found CentOS, but it wouldn't load VectorLinux -- 
even though it found it. 

Linux Mint 10 boots in fast, has a very clean default desktop -- brush 
metal, good fonts, good selection of applications -- a Menu that is 
growing on me with some nice features. All codecs come pre-loaded. Flash, 
AVIs, MPEGs all worked or played "out of box." Mounting CDs, hard drive 
partitions, thumb drives, etc., all mount without issue. The Search Bar in 
the Menu now allows you to search for programs and install them from the 
Menu (try that in Windows). I like the fact Mint gets rid of the top panel 
and puts everything down on the bottom one (it's a modification I always 
make with Gnome). There are a lot of good features with this distribution. 
Personally I can't see why anyone would use Ubuntu instead of Linux Mint, 
but that might be because I'm lazy.

Now the issues. It mostly comes down to loading the nVidia legacy video 
driver. Unlike Linux Mint 8, which offered the proprietary driver 
automatically when you installed Mint, Mint 10 uses the Nouveau nVidia 
driver by default and, quite bluntly, it's crap. At least it is on my 
GeForce 2 (MX-400) card. nVidia has a driver for my card. I downloaded it 
and now have it installed and works great. But installing it is a real 
pain simply because it's almost impossible to start Linux Mint without 
loading Xorg and the driver won't install if Xorg is running. But how to 
start Linux Mint in text mode? In CentOS it's just a matter of adding the 
number "3" to the end of the Grub boot line. I finally figured out how to 
get it done -- just boot into "Compatibility Mode" (which is a single user 
mode but it doesn't load Xorg), then install the nVidia driver. You'll get 
errors, but when you boot back in, because of these errors, you're in Text 
Mode and you can re-run the driver install -- and that worked. A lot of 
work to get a decent video driver -- but there probably aren't too many 
people using GeForce 2's anymore. 

The other bigger problem is something I've run into with Ubuntu in the 
past, but that was when I was using the Intel chip. When I boot into Mint 
10 *sometimes* I don't get a panel and the icons -- sometimes one or the 
other will be missing. If I get the icons, I found I can restart the panel 
-- and everything works fine until I reboot. I have no idea why it does 
that -- could have something to do with the video driver, but it's a pain 
and could be the deal killer. 

At any rate, it's a good distribution, probably works fine with newer 
video cards, but these two issues are irritating to me. I expect Linux to 
work -- I don't want to babysit it, like I used to have to do with 
Windows. And I don't understand not being able to boot into text mode. 
That's irritating to me. And the suggestions to get a newer video card or 
use the server edition (if you want to boot into the CLI) don't do much 
for me either. The proprietary driver is available and it works very well. 
It should be easy to install. 

At any rate, I'll continue testing this -- and see if I can fix the 
issues.    

-- 
RonB
Registered Linux User #498581 
CentOS 5.5 or VectorLinux Deluxe 6.0

RonB stated in post ihip38$6b7$2@news.eternal-september.org on 1/23/11 7:44
PM:

> My Dad's Linux Mint 8 loses update support in November, so I'm trying out
> its replacement -- or at least the newest version of Linux Mint. I may go
> with something else, not sure yet.
> 
> My impressions are very good, except for a few key issues.
> 
> It was an easy install -- almost too easy (in other words not enough
> choices). 

And that makes it easier?  Seems like it would be harder - more work to do
later.

> For example, I wanted to install Grub on its own partition and
> chainload from CentOS' Grub, but it never gave me that choice. As it
> turned out, Mint's Grub found CentOS, but it wouldn't load VectorLinux --
> even though it found it.
> 
> Linux Mint 10 boots in fast, has a very clean default desktop -- brush
> metal, good fonts, good selection of applications -- a Menu that is
> growing on me with some nice features. All codecs come pre-loaded. Flash,
> AVIs, MPEGs all worked or played "out of box." Mounting CDs, hard drive
> partitions, thumb drives, etc., all mount without issue. The Search Bar in
> the Menu now allows you to search for programs and install them from the
> Menu (try that in Windows). I like the fact Mint gets rid of the top panel
> and puts everything down on the bottom one (it's a modification I always
> make with Gnome). There are a lot of good features with this distribution.
> Personally I can't see why anyone would use Ubuntu instead of Linux Mint,
> but that might be because I'm lazy.

I have been thinking of trying it again for a while... just might.

> Now the issues. It mostly comes down to loading the nVidia legacy video
> driver. Unlike Linux Mint 8, which offered the proprietary driver
> automatically when you installed Mint, Mint 10 uses the Nouveau nVidia
> driver by default and, quite bluntly, it's crap. At least it is on my
> GeForce 2 (MX-400) card. nVidia has a driver for my card. I downloaded it
> and now have it installed and works great. But installing it is a real
> pain simply because it's almost impossible to start Linux Mint without
> loading Xorg and the driver won't install if Xorg is running. But how to
> start Linux Mint in text mode? In CentOS it's just a matter of adding the
> number "3" to the end of the Grub boot line. I finally figured out how to
> get it done -- just boot into "Compatibility Mode" (which is a single user
> mode but it doesn't load Xorg), then install the nVidia driver. You'll get
> errors, but when you boot back in, because of these errors, you're in Text
> Mode and you can re-run the driver install -- and that worked. A lot of
> work to get a decent video driver -- but there probably aren't too many
> people using GeForce 2's anymore.

Still, what a pain.  Yeah, that is just whacked.

> The other bigger problem is something I've run into with Ubuntu in the
> past, but that was when I was using the Intel chip. When I boot into Mint
> 10 *sometimes* I don't get a panel and the icons -- sometimes one or the
> other will be missing. If I get the icons, I found I can restart the panel
> -- and everything works fine until I reboot. I have no idea why it does
> that -- could have something to do with the video driver, but it's a pain
> and could be the deal killer.

Well, it is desktop Linux.  Such things, frankly, are to be expected.

> At any rate, it's a good distribution, probably works fine with newer
> video cards, but these two issues are irritating to me. I expect Linux to
> work -- I don't want to babysit it, like I used to have to do with
> Windows. And I don't understand not being able to boot into text mode.
> That's irritating to me. And the suggestions to get a newer video card or
> use the server edition (if you want to boot into the CLI) don't do much
> for me either. The proprietary driver is available and it works very well.
> It should be easy to install.
> 
> At any rate, I'll continue testing this -- and see if I can fix the
> issues.    

Thanks for posting.

-- 
[INSERT .SIG HERE]

On 1/23/2011 9:44 PM, RonB wrote:
> My Dad's Linux Mint 8 loses update support in November,

Only 14 months since it was released... now you're "forced" to upgrade 
to get support... how reassuring.



> so I'm trying out
> its replacement -- or at least the newest version of Linux Mint. I may go
> with something else, not sure yet.

shuffling distros... how pedestrian... how tedious... how wasteful of 
your time... how Linux.



> My impressions are very good, except for a few key issues.
>
> It was an easy install -- almost too easy (in other words not enough
> choices). For example, I wanted to install Grub on its own partition and
> chainload from CentOS' Grub, but it never gave me that choice. As it
> turned out, Mint's Grub found CentOS, but it wouldn't load VectorLinux --
> even though it found it.
>
> Linux Mint 10 boots in fast, has a very clean default desktop -- brush
> metal, good fonts, good selection of applications -- a Menu that is
> growing on me with some nice features. All codecs come pre-loaded. Flash,
> AVIs, MPEGs all worked or played "out of box."

On Windows, I have to spend 15 seconds installing Flash.  Linux won/is 
winning/will win.



> Mounting CDs, hard drive
> partitions, thumb drives, etc., all mount without issue.

Why would you expect otherwise?  Oh...


> The Search Bar in
> the Menu now allows you to search for programs and install them from the
> Menu (try that in Windows).

No problem.  I just need to know the name of the executable.


> I like the fact Mint gets rid of the top panel
> and puts everything down on the bottom one (it's a modification I always
> make with Gnome). There are a lot of good features with this distribution.
> Personally I can't see why anyone would use Ubuntu instead of Linux Mint,
> but that might be because I'm lazy.

 From experience, it's basically impossible to be a lazy Linux user. The 
amount of problems and non-working items and crashes and glitches forces 
you to stay active and alert.



> Now the issues. It mostly comes down to loading the nVidia legacy video
> driver. Unlike Linux Mint 8, which offered the proprietary driver
> automatically when you installed Mint, Mint 10 uses the Nouveau nVidia
> driver by default and, quite bluntly, it's crap. At least it is on my
> GeForce 2 (MX-400) card. nVidia has a driver for my card. I downloaded it
> and now have it installed and works great. But installing it is a real
> pain simply because it's almost impossible to start Linux Mint without
> loading Xorg and the driver won't install if Xorg is running. But how to
> start Linux Mint in text mode? In CentOS it's just a matter of adding the
> number "3" to the end of the Grub boot line. I finally figured out how to
> get it done -- just boot into "Compatibility Mode" (which is a single user
> mode but it doesn't load Xorg), then install the nVidia driver. You'll get
> errors, but when you boot back in, because of these errors, you're in Text
> Mode and you can re-run the driver install -- and that worked. A lot of
> work to get a decent video driver -- but there probably aren't too many
> people using GeForce 2's anymore.

How many wasted hours on this one issue?

Linux just works.



> The other bigger problem is something I've run into with Ubuntu in the
> past, but that was when I was using the Intel chip. When I boot into Mint
> 10 *sometimes* I don't get a panel and the icons -- sometimes one or the
> other will be missing. If I get the icons, I found I can restart the panel
> -- and everything works fine until I reboot. I have no idea why it does
> that -- could have something to do with the video driver, but it's a pain
> and could be the deal killer.

Yesterday it worked.
Today it doesn't.
This! Is! Linux!



> At any rate, it's a good distribution, probably works fine with newer
> video cards, but these two issues are irritating to me. I expect Linux to
> work -- I don't want to babysit it, like I used to have to do with
> Windows. And I don't understand not being able to boot into text mode.
> That's irritating to me. And the suggestions to get a newer video card or
> use the server edition (if you want to boot into the CLI) don't do much
> for me either. The proprietary driver is available and it works very well.
> It should be easy to install.
>
> At any rate, I'll continue testing this -- and see if I can fix the
> issues.

So, 15 seconds to launch OpenOffice?


MS is doomed.