Linux Mint 21: The Best Distro. Better.

Linux Mint 21 review, covering what’s new in the latest edition of this popular distro, including how to upgrade from version 20.3 (see last chapter of the video).
Linux Mint 21 can be downloaded from: linuxmint.com
CORRECTION: Note that in the "Muffin" section, where I refer to "Megacity" it should be "Metacity". My appologies.
Below are links to my previous reviews of Linux Mint 19 and 20. Note that the Linux Mint 19 video includes detailed installation instructions (which still apply for Linux Mint 21).
Linux Mint 19 for Windows Users -
• Linux Mint 19 For Wind...
Linux Mint 20: My Top Linux Distro -
• Linux Mint 20: My Top ...
And I have a review of Ubuntu 22.04, on which Linux Mint 21 is based, here:
• Ubuntu 22.04: An Excel...
For more information on transitioning to Linux, you may also find useful my series “The Linux Survival Guide”, for which the first episode is here: • Linux Survival Guide #...
For additional ExplainingComputers videos and other content, you can become a channel member here:
/ @explainingcomputers
More videos on computing and related topics can be found at / explainingcomputers
You may also like my ExplainingTheFuture channel at: / explainingthefuture
Chapters:
00:00 Introduction
00:36 Hello Vanessa (getting Linux Mint 21)
02:37 What’s New?
09:33 Muffin (display manager update)
12:10 Ubuntu Deviations
13:53 MATE & Xfce
15:29 A Solid Upgrade (inc 20.3 upgrade tool)
#LinuxMint #BestLinux #LinuxMintUpgrade #ExplainingComputers

[@ExplainingComputers]

CORRECTION: Note that in the "Muffin" section, where I refer to "Megacity" it should be "Metacity". My apologies.

[@MVVblog]

Megacity is far better 😄

[@amk8411]

@@MVVblog Brings back memories of *Judge Dredd's* adventures!

[@federicomarintuc]

An observation: the a in mate is less accentuated, you probably heard it from a speech synthesizer like Google Translate which pronounce wrong one out of three vocals in Spanish haha

[@koningbolo4700]

a Mega Pint ?

[@SB-qm5wg]

remember compiz

[@stickersamurai2272]

i live in the Philippines (at the third world country parts.) many Students and businesses here use Linux not by choice but because of survival. old broken computers are not thrown away here, they're restored. we're grateful for Linux for resurrecting our computers that other countries just throw out. 🙏

[@Antonio-fl3nr]

I love how the Mint team keeps improving upon the classic desktop metaphor. This distro is so consistent, never changing what is already good.

[@call_me_stan5887]

Really? I think it's going somewhat downhill constistently with every distribution. It starts working in an acceptable manner only after .1 or .2 update. But something ALWAYS does.not work right off the bat.

[@folksurvival]

I think they hit a sweet spot a while ago around 19.3 but have started to go a little bit downhill since. Though I still think it is the overall best "just works" distro out there and the best starting place for most people.

[@johnmahon2314]

Yes!!!! "never changing what is already good" Exactly!

[@Dude_Slick]

They had a great implementation of The K Desktop Environment, and the dropped it. That's when I dropped Mint.

[@whannabi]

@@Dude_Slick so you're here just to see if there's a chance for you to come back?

[@BuceGar]

I've been using Linux Mint for years. It's worked with every piece of hardware I've installed it on. There is absolutely no reason anyone should ever be using windows.

[@a.d.sstudioanimation6438]

There are actually

[@Alucard1797.]

The only reason I'm using windows is because of compatibility, recently those useless 5 gigabyte updates have been getting my pc so slow and so i decided to switch to linux once i get my pc fixed.

[@drTERRRORRR]

Chris,the best damned thing about this channel is you being always excited to discover and share the IT-related thingies with us. You do that for years, yet you still maintain the level of excitement of a guy who recently discovered the entire world of an IT ahead of him. That's pure passion and it's contagious. Love you,man!

[@ExplainingComputers]

Thanks for this, appreciated. We all need to work to maintain a sense of wonder. :)

[@UglyKidJoe71]

That's what makes this channel so unique and engaging! This is my favourite techie channel on KZbin...

[@drTERRRORRR]

@@ExplainingComputers That is correct. Some of "our people" work in pretty mundane branches/positions where it's easy to forget why they are there in the first place. Passion in an inspiration for like-minded,brother. Love from PL.

[@drTERRRORRR]

@@UglyKidJoe71 Plus, it's 100% no bullshit, just features and numbers. Just the way we love it. Aw, and there's also "Mister Scissors", the faithful sidekick. P.S.: Again: I request more screen time for our hero we don't deserve.

[@danhoppy5517]

The thing that is so good about Linux Mint is that it is so dependable. Not as flashy as other distros, but everything just seems to work. It was my first foray into Linux, and one that I recommend any disgruntled Windows user try out first.

[@RyonMugen]

what do you do for applications that are windows only? do you have to use a uhh work around app? like how Apple computers have to use Wine to run windows apps???

[@BWGPEI]

@@RyonMugen Dual boot Windows whatever, then make sure windows has no internet access (fixed IP address outside the range your router hands out will do it). With regret MS Windows is still the best "emulator" for running windows programs.

[@circleofowls]

@@RyonMugen Wine works fantastic for the few Windows apps that I've needed. Installing Steam and using Proton is another great way to do it.

[@Tw3akst3r]

Use Bottles, it's Wine basically, it uses Wine so the best way I can explain it is that it is a simple way to work with Wine and get programs and/or games working. Another option is to run a virtual machine of Windows on your Linux install, might be better than dual booting, which can cause issues for some people.

[@PaulaXism]

@@RyonMugen usually the best thing to do is look for a free alternative or cross platform solution.. you might have to learn a different interface, but generally there is very little you can't do with open source software... if you take the time to discover what is available and then take a few minutes (or weeks) to learn how to get the best from it. I have had to move from cura engine to repetier host for 3d printing.. (and then learn how to repair a broken appimage.. the thing would not install without trying to break my kernel so appimage it had to be.. mint19 at the time.. haven't tried to install the package on 20.!!) it's a learning curve.. you tend to learn strange things from time to time.. not because I switched from windows, but because I upgraded my printer hardware... and even with windows I would have had to change my software... I have spent 30+ years watching mikrosux run an antitrust cartel with hardware makers and retailers.. you can prove this when you ask a retailer for the price of a new system without windows on it.. it costs more..

[@cdl0]

A management strategy I have used successfully for decades is to begin any new installation by putting /home in a separate partition, then keep a personal log over time of packages added or removed, and system configuration changes, noting how I did it. When an upgrade is needed, this can be efficiently, and cleanly achieved by a fresh installation while preserving /home (keeping backups in case of disaster). You may also want to preserve some files in /etc such as passwd, shadow, groups, and system ssh configuration and keys, but be careful with these about ownership and permissions.

[@virtuallifeform]

Excellent suggestions, worthy of more upvotes! I do this as well and it makes life so much easier.

[@cdl0]

@@virtuallifeform Thank you!

[@sixdroid]

the separate home partition is confusing. is better to have a second partition and you do the backup. just make the / partition and you're done.

[@virtuallifeform]

@@sixdroid How is it confusing? It's trivial to make and then is completely transparent to the user.

[@cdl0]

@@sixdroid No, a separate /home is the 'classical' way to do it. The backup should be on a completely separate, independent physical volume, not another partition on the same drive. Also, don't forget about the configuration files in /etc.

[@DigitalProphet]

Mint is my favorite distro and the one I have the most experience with. AND the one that caused me the least amount of headaches when I was trying out various linux versions just to see how it operated. Coming from windows, mint is super easy to just "get" intuitively, for the most part. At least it was for me.

[@ravagingwolverine]

While I've been using Devuan and MX Linux more recently, Mint is still what I would recommend for those making the switch from Windows for the reasons you mentioned. And it really is intuitive. Ever since putting my parents on Mint, the amount of questions I have to answer have gone way down.

[@ArniesTech]

Amen to that. Least amount of headache, that's my experience with Mint as well 🤗

[@VulpisFoxfire]

Agreed. Despite the 'infamous' need for command-line use in Linux, Mint for the most part 'just works' for things in the GUI. About the only 'complaint' I had when I was running Cinnamon Mint (other than Proton and WINE not supporting my games) was the inability to get properly cascading start menus. :-) Otherwise, it pretty much a seamless transition.

[@fabricio4794]

I have Linux MInt XFCE on my Laptop

[@smileynetsmileynet7922]

Wish i couldve started with it. Sadly, i used suse linux first.

[@mikecook317]

I switched to Linux on my "daily driver' because of this channel. I'm relatively a noob, but I like Linux so far. I use Zorin 16, which I saw on this channel. Thanks Chris!

[@LarryCarlin]

Like you, many of us watching Chris have switched permanently to Linux. I'm a software guy so Linux feels "natural". More interesting is the reaction of my wife when I switched her 2 PCs to Linux. She loves it! No way would she go back to that "Old Windows" as she calls it. Other friends have asked about installing Mint, as well. Note, too, we are both in our 70's and are rather gleeful that Linux Mint is available.

[@ravagingwolverine]

Welcome, noob! I was a noob back in 2013 when I switched, and my transition to Linux was more rocky, but the benefits were very clear from the start and I didn't look back to Windows after a few weeks, really. Just general computer use with Linux is more enjoyable to me now. When there are problems to solve, it's usually not hard to find solutions and they tend to make sense. And I'll take those over Windows and it's interface hanges any day. I even put my parents on Mint(though I used Zorin for that back in the day) and it's been great. I no longer have to answer as many questions and their machines run faster.

[@tokukao8987]

After using other distros I just switched to Zorin 16 a few days ago. What an incredible experience, besides the aesthetic I can't believe how fast and fluidly everything works. I think it's the first distro I've ever wanted to donate to the developers.

[@pcfabris]

Running ver. 21 surprisingly well on 2007 Dell laptop xps m1210, 4gb ram, 256 ssd, GeForce 7400. Web browsers and office apps working well. Mate desktop is best but compiz works too.

[@joegee2815]

As a long time Linux Mint user, I do enjoy these upgrades. I've completely stopped using Windows in my personal life and Mint on the desktop and Manjaro on an older Lenovo laptop have been working great for me. If anyone asks my advice for a Windows alternative, I'm usually going to suggest Linux Mint. It's a very easy transition.

[@kartikchauhan2778]

You use it on vm or dual boot ?

[@joegee2815]

@@kartikchauhan2778 I just installed it directly on the hardware since I don't need Windows. For work I use a company provided laptop (Macbook). I much prefer using Linux.

[@esecallum]

85890 versions of linux.... absurd

[@RoboNuggie]

Even though I don't use Linux, Linux Mint does look like a very well polished product, professional and easy to understand.... like your channel!..... I can see why you choose it. An excellent review Chris, thank you!

[@shresthkumarlal285]

Hey how about install cinnamon desktop with linux mint theme on freebsd ;-)

[@call_me_stan5887]

Believe me. Mint is far from being polished. It might be more polished then others but there are plenty of wrinkles.

[@JonathanSteadman2003]

I personally use Linux Mint and I love it. 🥰🥰🥰😍😃😃

[@Dude_Slick]

@@shresthkumarlal285 Cinnamon is atrocious.

[@PixeLeeGames]

It's always a joy when you release a new video Chris. I've been using Linux for about a year now and it's been great. I stumbled across your channel after migrating and the content is just put together really well. Each new video just gets better and you can feel the pure passion and effort put into these videos.

[@ExplainingComputers]

Thanks for your kind feedback, appreciated. :)

[@teflonpan115]

FINALLY!!! Scaling for display!! In 4k screen everything gets small in the past for highest resolution. I had to fiddle around in the settings to get everything up to proper scale, with text and buttons etc. Windows had scaling for years, and now Linux distro has something more official.

[@tackle4826mc]

Good video, Good Quarity Distro review, you deserve to get 1M KZbin subscriber (soon, I believe). Cheer up!

[@jgn2112]

I'm late to the comments section but wanted to say that this channel is my go-to for things like this. My son's computer was running Mint 19 but an update error prevented it from ever updating for years and, eventually, the system wouldn't let the login successfully complete. With the help of this channel, I upgraded to 21.2 with no issues, installed XFCE since his computer is 5 years old and was a lightweight when it was purchased, and it runs so smooth it's like a dream. Thank you!

[@DaGlitchMaster]

Thanks for bring attention to LM. It's been the O.S of my laptop for the last 5 years. As someone who often uses a bluetooth speaker the improvement is night and day. I used to have issues ranging from taking a long time to detect a paired device or having to reconnect my speaker and crackling sound, but now it detects it almost instantly and sounds crystal clear.

[@PeterJasper]

I am pleased Linux Mint 21 (Vanessa) is 'better behaved' and tells you when it is doing things in the background. Improvements and advances in Linux Mint are most welcome! 👏

[@PeterJasper]

Upgraded my laptop (not mission critical) to Vanessa using the upgrade process. Took about 1 hour 20 mins [laptop running on SSD]. Was successful, but might need to 'tweak' settings. First thing I noticed was scroll bars disappeared from Firefox ... 😀

[@sixdroid]

that amount of five is not normal

[@sixdroid]

time

[@TheDrewCrawford]

Thank you for including the upgrade command. That's very helpful.

[@emiliokennkierza260]

After years of playing around with Arch, I finally return back home to Mint again. It just feels so good to be back home..

[@ExplainingComputers]

:)

[@Cobinja]

Just as a hint: If you want to just restart (like you did after scale-change), you can just hit Alt-F2 to get cinnamon's "run" dialog, enter "r" and hit enter.

[@finnmonstar]

@JoozdontliketheTruth xfce is trash, kde is like 200mb heavier. if you want to really go on that lightweight path, just use gentoo and dwm to get like 50mb on idle.

[@sixdroid]

xfce is lighter. you doesn't have baloo, kwin and other compositor. you unchecke the compositor and you're done. it's good and runs snappier in old laptops then kde.

[@finnmonstar]

@@sixdroid kde is the perfect balance between the bloat of gnome and the snappy interface of xfce.

[@seireiart]

I'll give Linux Mint 21 a try soon enough (as I'm still using limited Mobile Data here). Thanks for the video Chris ^w^

[@FoxBlocksHere]

I'm so glad to see that fractional scaling isn't blurry anymore!

[@T_Burd_75]

One feature of Linux Mint that I absolutely love, and I haven't seen it on any other distro, is how easy it is to create a bootable USB in Linux Mint. Just right-click on an iso image and it gives the option "create a bootable USB". So easy and just makes sense to include that tool within the OS!

[@PC4USE1]

Upgraded from Mint 20 to 21 this week-no problems. Concise and informative video ,as per usual Chris.

[@thealien_ali3382]

Can u watch midgets get ragged raw sideways in there battys in 4k using Linux mint?

[@thomasburnett4712]

I love it and I just installed LinuxMint 21 Cinnamon on a 2010 Mac mini to replace MacOS. It works flawlessly keeping the Apple orphaned hardware out of the landfill a little longer!

[@thealien_ali3382]

I like hairy pum pums

[@watsoft70]

Thank you Christopher for my weekly burst of useful tech information. Unlike many other distros, a general user can't go wrong installing any Mint release as their daily driver. I'm not sure what compels people to install less intuitive/more hands on distros, but each to their own. There are other distros like Zorin, Pop OS, Ubuntu, etc. that are of a similar standing, but the team at Linux Mint have pushed out polished/stable releases time after time and if I want a reliable Linux desktop I stick with them.

[@seguramlk]

YESSIR. Go Linux, Go Go 🐧 Thanks again, Chris

[@ExplainingComputers]

Nice penguin emoji! :)

[@seguramlk]

@@ExplainingComputers Indeed 🙂

[@parrotraiser6541]

It's nice how smooth and professional OS-related Linux tools, like upgrades, have become.

[@johncundiff7075]

Mint is just greatness and just WORKS!! I can build PC's for anyone, seniors or people who have never used a PC before and they can deal with MINT!! It's my GO TO OS!!! Great video as always Sir!

[@ExplainingComputers]

You put this very well. It sounds like you are using it to do a great deal of good. :)

[@Kevin-mx1vi]

Lovely video, Chris. Thanks for giving us a rundown of what's in the latest version of Mint - I haven't upgraded yet but now intend to do that asap. 😄

[@Pilot_engineer_19]

Great job as usual! I have been using Linux Mint in its various versions for some time. It works reliably and well. Keep up the good work.

[@emailvinz]

One important thing for me that you forget to mention: Linux Mint allows you to encrypt your personal space (choose it on installation), so your personal datas remain protected event if someone steal your computer. Great review !

[@dogphlap6749]

I've used Linux since I gave up on Windows 95. I started with Mandrake (the name got changed after a court case). Eventually I got to early versions of Ubuntu and then on to Mint. I've stuck with Mint ever since (I've tried a few other distributions but within a week I'm back on Mint). I'm not very technical, just enough to apply a command line fix as provided by the community on the rare occasions I've had a problem. Glad you like Mint, I love it and so does does my girl friend who runs it at her place.

[@Grandwigg]

I'm grateful for this introduction to Mint Vanessa. Sunday's EC uploads are always a great thing to see in my notifications.

[@config2000]

"The best mainsteam linux disto" - I really do agree. I have tried so many distros, and Mint just feels immensely polished and very usable. Other contenders worthy of a mention --> Pop_OS!, MX Linux, Zorin, Feren, and Archcraft

[@TAP7a]

No Fedora, the distro that seems to be the most frequently hailed as the best desktop Linux experience?

[@call_me_stan5887]

@@TAP7a probably not for an average Joe that switched from Windows.

[@sixdroid]

Ubuntu or kubuntu is

[@call_me_stan5887]

@@sixdroid and their derivatives.

[@filippobrandimarte1239]

Although there is the possibility to upgrade from Mint 20.3 to 21 my modest advice is to proceed with a clean installation to avoid bugs. This is true only while upgrading to major releases.

[@englishrupe01]

An excellent review....many thanks, Chris. Mint Mate is my daily OS of choice and will upgrade after a few months from current 20.3.

[@robertfletcher3421]

Thanks for a very interesting coverage. I will try the upgrade shortly.

[@MohamedAli965]

Great video. Thanks for including the part on how to upgrade from 20.3 to 21 via terminal, this is gonna be very helpful for preexisting Mint users like myself

[@tyrane]

Brand new to Linux & Linux Mint and I gotta say this has been such a wonderful, long overdue change in my PC And your videos have been a wonderful introduction to features I wouldn't have noticed for a long time, thank you!

[@ExplainingComputers]

Good luck with Mint! I did a recent Mint tips & tricls video here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/fnymoKqCfc6EbtE

[@Bareego]

Moved from Win10 a few weeks back onto Mint XFCE, everything just works I LOVE it !

[@DallasMike424]

Very nice, Chris. I love how you tackle complicated subjects in 10- 15 minutes when others want to ramble on for 90 minutes or more. Your planning plays off. Brevity is the soul of wit.

[@ExplainingComputers]

Thanks for this. I re-recorded a lot to keep the length down on this video. :)

[@alwayson4012]

Hello dear professor! I'm Brazilian and I live in France, and I love your videos. Always very detailed, with a serious and professional format.

[@virtuallifeform]

He really does an excellent job! 👍🐧

[@user-nk2ux6pw6i]

Such a great news that now I can upgrade to Mint 21 from my 20.3!!!! Have just learnt it from your video! I can't wait for a month or so, just can't:) Thanks for a beautiful video Chris and for popularization of Linux!!!

[@AdityaSawdekar]

The best explanation of Mint 21 I have come across. I like your way of sharing info on distros -- very well paced, without any hype, concise and just as it is. Thanks a lot for sharing

[@AMDRADEONRUBY]

I love so much Linux Mint! Have a nice week and your videos rules. Miguel

[@GretschProf]

Once again, a very solid video. Good explanations, sound reasoning and useful advice.

[@doctorsocrates4413]

Fabulous video.Just installed mint this evening and very impressed.Thank you and happy new year to you sir.

[@ExplainingComputers]

Great to hear. Enjoy your new OS. :)

[@jamesrichey]

You have been very helpful over the years helping me install Linux mint. Thank you.

[@Kneedragon1962]

Running 21 already, the Mate version. i7-6700. Just installed it on a friend's 2 core 4 thread AMD machine from about 7 years ago, worked fine.

[@seguramlk]

Nice. I've been using Ubuntu MATE for the last 6 years and it's come a long way. One of the best DEs out there

[@insanemainstream3633]

Haven't used Mint in years but will give it serious consideration. Great stuff Chris!

[@MrPitki]

I came back to this video today just to tell, I finaly made my home office computer fully rely on open source programs with linux mint 21 as the OS. Much thanks to your introductions to these options. Althoug many resources out there somehow your videos came trough the most and I have made this change. So far I am very happy with it!

[@CARLiCON]

nice review dude, thanks for sharing the knowledge..still running LM Serena 18.x on old HW, don't dare change since it's working so well

[@muddyexport5639]

Thanks for my Sunday morning (Arkansas) coffee "go with". Always look forward to your presentations. I also use Mint on an old, dual core, decade old , HP laptop that I've upgraded with memory, new battery and internal and external SSDs. Keeping it out of the eWasteBin was my reason for going to Linux since Windows was entirely too slow on this hardware. But now it is good enough for me a semi-non-gamer. I do run X-Plane and MS Flight Sim on my relatively newer Win machine - HP desk top (only 7 years old but upgraded to the max also). As you can see I drive them 'till the tires fall off. '~)) I'll let the pioneers get the arrows and upgrade the Mint in September/October. Really glad to see the upgrade tool although I like the CLI. Jolly Good Show!!! (is that still British vernacular ;~o) ?

[@JulioSalim]

I’ll test this distro as soon as I can. Thank you!

[@TheSillyshyguy]

Excellentnt video Chris. Many thanks for your Hard Work to provide quality content

[@IsaacPiera]

-Mint is the best distribution. -Shhh, do you hear that noise? [An army of Gentoo users, with the Awesome Desktop installed and writing code in Emacs slowly approaches...] Jokes aside, nice video :)

[@ExplainingComputers]

:)

[@mdd1963]

Mint has certainly seemed to be consistently one of the very best distros (at least, to me!) since about 2015 or so....(especially for a Winblow$ user!)

[@Miphen0707]

Thanks for an excellent video on Linux Mint.

[@GalenCurrah]

Ubuntu 22.04 Xorg mode opens a dark screen, making it useless. Does Mint 21 do the same? We need very much to be able to record the screen, which Wayland forbids.

[@ExplainingComputers]

I've has no problems with Xorg in Ubuntu 22.04 (better than Wayland for my purposes). All of my screen recording is via HDMI, where I've had no issues in Linux Mint.

[@moebiuseight7977]

One small advantage to XFCE is that you can invoke the onscreen kb at the lock screen which is useful for tablets like the surface 3.

[@DevilsHandyman]

I'm happy to see another Linux Mint release as it is by far my favorite of the distributions.

[@franciscogtome]

Great review! Always nice to have your feedback and opinion 💪🏻

[@waynestewart1919]

Did anyone else catch the sticky note Easter Egg? Once again proving a stellar and somewhat reserved sense of humor. Great update on the world of Linux Mint!

[@Jacksaur_]

I don't use Mint myself, but to this day I have still never seen a single complaint about it. It's certainly a Distro to look up to, and rightly deserved as the most recommended one for beginners.

[@markstevens6406]

True. But as well as being good for beginners, it's also great for seasoned Linuxers that just want to run something that's trouble-free.

[@fargeeks]

its free so you never have to buy it

[@spythere]

@@fargeeks Well, you know what they say about Linux... it's free if you don't value your time xD

[@noyota]

In 2019/2020, there were some crazy login issues on some computèrs. 19.1 - 19.3

[@michaelmonstar4276]

I would definitely recommend it to people who use their old laptop casually and want it to be more responsive and whatnot, but of course not get thrown into a completely strange environment.

[@jamescranefinecarpentry7146]

I’m now about 2 years into Mint as my daily driver and I like it more and more. Every time I have to go back to Mac OS or Windows leaves me feeling like I’m attempting to use outdated tech.

[@Babylonbadders]

Thanks for another useful video! I'll be doing a new install from my Mint 19 later in the year. I'm hoping the upgrade has improved, as I tried it to get from 19 to 20. All seemed fine at first, but over the period of six months I noticed more and more things were slightly off, and I even had the operating system crash once. I finally decided to go back to my 6 month old backup after I found the "share" function in Zoom no longer worked, and reload all my recent data. A clean install is a pain as I need to reload various software and re-set up stuff, but I don't want to risk the trouble a dodgy upgrade did to me. Cheers.

[@althomas6045]

thank you for another direct, hands-on, real-world, enjoyab video that manages to be quite personable and entertaining as well as informative. after my backup to a usb drive, i will use the update commands shown in the video to install the newest mint. thank you, again. cheers from connecticut u.s.a.

[@anurasenarathna1703]

I switched to Linux about 15 years ago. For last 6+ years I use Linux mint as my main system.

[@PaulaXism]

Lucky you. I date from the slackware of the mid 1990's.. so sometimes the lack of mucking about for days to make something basic like sound just work annoys me.. So.. I run Dragonfly BSD on a spare machine to get my "throw it at the wall" fix. Why does mint always default to the damn nvivia hdmi audio output which is NOT set as even switched on..????

[@martinwilkinson2344]

I use Mint on a low-end laptop that I bought a couple of years ago for scanning slides. The laptop is W10 only (W7 doesn't have compatible drivers), but W10 absolutely crushes it to the point of being unusable. Installed Mint/Cinnamon and couldn't believe how easy and slick it was compared with my last Linux play about 10 years ago. The slide scanner application was available for Linux but was functionally very poor. So I created a virtual machine for W7, ran the Windows version of the slide scanner app. in there, and everything just works. And it's still significantly faster and less annoying than W10. I don't like W10. I probably won't upgrade to Mint 21 as I have a working system (if it ain't broke...) but this certainly looks like a solid upgrade. Thanks Chris.

[@ExplainingComputers]

A very nice example of combining Linux Mint and Windows 7 on older hardware. :)

[@call_me_stan5887]

Now try XFCE - it flies even better

[@srtcsb]

Doing the upgrade now. It seems there are more safeguards in this upgrade routine, which is reassuring. Going smoothly as I write this, glad to see each step is monitored instead of just dumping a whole new system on. Sometimes the 'dumping' goes very well, but sometimes not. Thanks for another great video. 👍

[@peppe540]

Christopher, thanks a lot for (another) excellent review! This review, in it's 17+ minutes, gave me more valuable and worthwhile information than I have seen up until now in any review. As a former Mint user it still has a sweet spot for me, and your review added great info for newbies and more experienced Linux users alike. Thanks so much.

[@markconger8049]

Very nice review! As I mentioned in the community post the other day Linux Mint 21 works very well on my Braswell based Acer Chromebook with upgraded firmware from mrchromebox. Prior releases did not really support the sound card, touchpad, and keyboard without significant tweaking but Mint 21 “just works” out of the box due in large part to the more modern Linux kernel, but also other improvements.

[@joeg3950]

At one point, Linux Mint was my daily driver. I’m going back LM. It really is a solid, well performing distro. Thank you for the content.

[@wardmccomiskey2401]

Great video as always- simple and direct!!!

[@islamkaram463]

I really would like to thank you about the great work that you have done, and I'm really now thinking deep to migrate into Linux. Thank you again, and I hope to see you again very soon.😊😍

[@legojenn]

Thanks for this and for your enthusiasm for Linux Mint. There seems to be a large number of good reasons to upgrade, but 20.3 is doing its job well on my main system. I need to plan my procrastination, so I'll make the upgrade an autumn project. There will be many things to delay dealing with then.

[@MarkTheMorose]

Procrastinating is good. Planning to procrastinate is even better. Telling us about your plan to procrastinate? Genius.

[@legojenn]

@@MarkTheMorose I'm working on an MA part-time. I have a bad habit of doing everything but writing in the time that I set aside for writing. I might as well have something useful to do when I'm not focussing.

[@MarkTheMorose]

@@legojenn I shall award your Muttley a medal for procrastination, then; Dick Dastardly style.

[@PC4D1986]

I used the upgrade tool that Chris mentioned at the end of his video, with no problems. I think it took about 30 minutes to upgrade.

[@PS_Tube]

IPP is a nice addition in Linux Mint 21. However, I hope getting rid of 32 bit version doesn't become norm in distros. 32 - bit distro still have its use. Regardless, great video once again. Comprehensive and concise !

[@hanro50]

I think the reason the 32 bit version got axed was mostly just because Ubuntu got rid of it. LMDE still has a 32 bit version

[@ObsidianMercian]

Thank you Chris for another brilliant insightful video. One idea for a future video - Windows Subsystem for Linux (I don't think you have covered this). I have found it to be a great introduction to Linux and lets you check the SHA256 sum when downloading a Linux Distribution (possibly a good use case to cover in such a video).

[@Praxibetel-Ix]

The new version of Linux Mint looks pretty cool! Also, when you talked about the Muffin display manager, all I could think of for a moment was food. Such is the joy of watching a new EC video right after getting out of bed!

[@ExplainingComputers]

Thanks for your support, most appreciated. :)

[@Praxibetel-Ix]

@@ExplainingComputers You're welcome! I hope you're doing okay. :) By the way, what's your favorite part of Linux Mint?

[@ExplainingComputers]

@@Praxibetel-Ix Most certainly the fact that I can set the side of individual font elements, and the scrollbar width. :)

[@Praxibetel-Ix]

@@ExplainingComputers Hell yeah! I will admit, I'm not too thrilled with the thin scroll bars we tend to see these days, so to hear about an OS that lets you go nuts with the scroll bar width is nice.

[@flstudiocodemastersejayrag6544]

@@ExplainingComputers👍🏿.

[@coldsalt6678]

Nice video, im gonna install it tomorrow

[@ExplainingComputers]

Good luck!

[@ivancho5854]

Thank you for the excellent review Christopher. I'm so glad to hear that they haven't done too much fiddling, so I'll be upgrading to Mint 21 XFCE on my ancient anaemic laptop. Look after yourself. All the best.

[@MrTrilbe]

Linux distros need to fiddle with things, just because you're used to it doesn't make it good (It's also ironic that Linux users say that windows users should just learn how to use Linux, yet complain when their distro changes things, just learn the new UI 😆), it makes it what you're used too, UI and UX paradigms have changed, partially to the uptake of UXD but mostly because of mobile phones. UI's and thus the UX, no matter what base they run on will become more phone like, because as us old farts die off, the people who take over the design will base things on what they find intuitive (it will be mobile phones UI's ) and the user base will expect it because they use mobile phones daily and it's become intuitive to them, there's a bloody good reason apple (no matter how evil that company maybe, spying on whole households and recording EVERYTHING!) have a unified UX between their desktop and mobile platforms and it's one of the few things the company has done that benefits its user base.

[@Colin_Ames]

Thanks for another great video. I will have to try this in my virtual machine.

[@BryanBenoit]

Linux Mint ❤️

[@kajurn791]

This video convinced me to finally try Linux out on my old laptop, right now i'm backing up the important data from it to another drive to install it. From what i've seen the biggest obstacle to Linux adoption nowadays is the excessive amount of distros to choose from, if Mint is now the stable go to distro then i'm looking forward to testing it out.

[@ExplainingComputers]

Good luck!

[@call_me_stan5887]

You are in for a very bumpy ride :) Not at first, but once you really want to make something special and not standard like browsing the web or writing some documents in libre office (libre office can make one go crazy too, actually) - boy is it a pain sometimes.

[@kajurn791]

@@call_me_stan5887 Indeed, even just trying to install the Dolphin emulator already involved jumping through a few hoops. Since it's not my daily system it's alright, all i needed it to do was browse the internet and run minecraft at times.

[@Dude_Slick]

@@call_me_stan5887 I don't know, Stan. Years ago it was a lot of work to transition, but today it's pretty idiot proof.

[@call_me_stan5887]

@@kajurn791 depends on what you do - but sooner or later there are some wrinkles that you need to straighten up on your own.

[@johng.4959]

Great and simple, concise explanation of the latest Mint version! I appreciate the upgrade (Terminal) info!!! Done! Easy-Peasey! I have always come back to Mint! WORKS!!!

[@peter_youtube8222]

Thank you Chris for this informative video. Keep up the good work. Cheers, Peter

[@ananon5771]

linux mint just always a great pick for distro, unless you feel like you really need that sort of "latest and greatest" for alot of stuff,you really can't go wrong with it.

[@Kevin-mx1vi]

I totally agree. For the average computer user I think it's superior to Windows because it just works, doing everyday stuff without fuss. Updates are particularly praiseworthy because Linux updates *all* installed software (unless you tell it otherwise) and not just the OS, and does it without the "browbeating" of Windows.

[@call_me_stan5887]

@@Kevin-mx1vi it did not "just work" with my gtx1660s and Ryzen 7 1700x. There are still some unsolved issues. You work around them.

[@Kevin-mx1vi]

@@call_me_stan5887 well that's funny because it just worked with *my* gtx1660, and AMD's drivers are built right into Linux so I doubt the problem is with the Ryzen either. I'd be looking at the BIOS settings before blaming Linux.

[@call_me_stan5887]

@@Kevin-mx1vi kernel patches were needed to properly define ACPI calls. And "psu idle" tweaks were enabled in UEFI right from the start. I guarantee the gtx1660s is having a bug with top of the screen flickering (like half inch of the screen) veeeeeery randomly when in idle - and very rarely. The only fix for that is to change power settings in nvidia config. The same issue exists with rtx2060 and 2070 with hynix memory. The bug is fixed in Windows.

@@call_me_stan5887 hi. I have rtx2060 and have same problem. Can you elaborate the changes tha you made in nvidia config? Thanks

[@tbone9900]

Thank you for this very timely upload, since I was getting ready to try out Mint 21 Mate. Good to see that the Mint team is staying away from the strange decisions taken by Ubuntu, especially the Snap packages. Wondered how well IPP works, guess I will find out. Looks to be a solid upgrade.

[@skipinkoreaable]

Yes, indeed. The OS prober one from Ubuntu also seemed very unusual. Being able to boot to another OS from GRUB is an extremely useful feature.

[@tbone9900]

@@skipinkoreaable Yes, disabling OS prober makes no sense. Why would you disabled a highly used feature? After over 10 years, I still dual boot for Windows only software. Shuttleworth must think he is Microsoft.

[@skipinkoreaable]

@@tbone9900 I don't know about their reasons and I know that Linux Mint stands on the shoulders of Ubuntu so I'm very grateful for Ubuntu (even though I've never used it), but like you said, the OS prober feature is just so incredibly useful. I would think that it's indispensable for many people. Although I don't dual boot the operating systems off the same sdd anymore there are still plenty of occasions when I use it. I've even used it at times with an external disk to boot up my operating system on the internal drive when I'd miscalculated something and it couldn't boot on its own. One sure wonders why they'd take that out.

[@ravagingwolverine]

@@skipinkoreaable Luckily, they have prepared for a post-Ubuntu existence if that ever comes to pass with their Debian edition. I don't hope that ever becomes necessary, but we do see some major disagreements in how to do things between Mint and Ubuntu in more recent years where you can see that having the back-up plan with Debian as a base is a good idea.

[@skipinkoreaable]

@@ravagingwolverine Absolutely.

[@K1NGKRUED]

Love how your videos look like we are still on VHS or Betamax. Just awesome.

[@brianwood5220]

Thanks Chris, great demo, full of info.

[@tsclly2377]

Runs on an A12 laptop CPU quite well.. but not until the Linux kernel 5.4 was released and installed as an update. Mint 21 was first released with kernel 4.5 and has some USB type problems that affected some of the controls like the trackpad.. requiring the use of an outside USB mouse, and a few other subtle functions such as the hibernation function.

[@tekki2060]

I constantly look at other distros as I have several systems and I keep one just to test new versions. Although I do find some that are really not too bad I always come back to Mint being the best one out there that I've found.

[@YanFei-zi7mm]

Nicely done! Thank you I like the part telling me how Mint is different from the Ubuntu and the part that you have overviewed the Cinnamon, Xfce and Mate. Thank you again

[@MrBC2]

Great job covering the new Mint! I saw the mintupgrade tool appear in my Update Manager a couple of days ago and always wait for that before making any moves on an upgrade. Think I need to increase one of my partitions before doing so first by taking a bit from another partition. Always like your previews of the new versions of operating systems. Keep up the top notch work!

[@LarryCarlin]

I HEARD that I should see the Mint Upgrade tool in the manager but have not seen it yet. Are you using 20.3 Cinnamon?

[@MrBC2]

@@LarryCarlin Nope. I use MATE. But, if you just use "sudo mintupgrade" in a terminal...it'll bring up the gui that you're looking for.

[@S-I-T]

Happy Explaining Computers day everyone.

[@ExplainingComputers]

Greetings Stephen! :)

[@S-I-T]

@@ExplainingComputers Hi Chris, hope you're well.

[@martinsmith5028]

I like the way Mint have refined the latedt Ubuntu version. As for upgrading, especially on a critical system, I'd personally go for a clean install wherever possible. However, I do recognise that there may be other considerations

[@perrymcclusky4695]

Linux Minit never fails to impress, and I should add that this was an impressive review of the distro. Looking forward to your next video.

[@avejst]

Wow, great update Thanks for sharing your experiences with all of us :-)