Linux Mint 22: Excellent Distro for Windows Users

[@ExplainingComputers]

For current Linux Mint users, instructions for how to upgrade were released a few hours ago (so sadly could not be included in this video). They are here: blog.linuxmint.com/?p=4732 Linux Mint 22 does now seem very stable. But waiting a little to upgrade remains wise . . . :)

[@John.0z]

I use Mint Mate on my desktop and laptop. This major upgrade seems to have taken a bit longer than earlier ones, but in every other way was better - and the result has been totally stable and fault-free... so far anyway. 😁

[@armedready1]

@ExplainingComputers does it update from the update manager, or do you have to install it fresh.

[@AwesomeBlackDude]

Two things: What if you already have Ubuntu 24.04 installed alongside Windows? Also, Ubuntu is notorious for lacking of a GUI uninstaller app, so I need to be able to purge three different Python installations. So, should I use the following commands to remove these installations and start fresh? ```bash dpkg --list | grep python sudo apt-get remove python3.x sudo apt-get purge python3.x sudo apt-get autoremove ```

[@_Jamie_]

I've just finished following the guide linked and it took roughly an hour to complete, 98% automated, You just have to confirm a few bits.

[@fbushphone]

Thanks for sharing and waiting a little bit before upgrading is good advice, I think I'll take a last Timeshift too before going onto 22

[@alexhudspeth1213]

"We've installed a piece of software without going near the terminal, here in Linux Mint." I really actually chuckled at that. You throw very dry shade, sir. Excellent video.

[@fwingebritson]

I was impressed.

[@shazam6274]

This finally makes me comfortable to upgrade from Win 10. Next week! Thanks for the great video.

[@RenderingUser]

I hope it doesn't push people away from the terminal completely

[@shazam6274]

@@RenderingUser I hope you're wrong. After all, >20 years later, Windows still has a Command line, even though no one uses it.

[@RenderingUser]

@@shazam6274 the terminal is ridiculously powerful. Trust me. Just a few years ago, I used to be the kind of person where every time I saw a terminal pop up it terrified me. Now that I'm used to it, on Linux , it's so good for some tasks that nothing is replacing it. People don't use it on windows for a few reasons. The terminal on windows sucks compared to the terminal on Linux. And secondly, people just don't know how epic the terminal is. I feel like people unlearning computers will have detrimental effects

[@config2000]

There's one thing I have always liked about Mint. It just does not interrupt you. If there are updates then the icon lets you know. No horrible pop-ups or dialog boxes breaking your flow. It's a system that just gets our of your way. Fully recommended.

[@balsalmalberto8086]

It does so on edge edition

[@klwthe3rd]

Well said. We have been conditioned for so long to be interrupted by Windows OS's that it's so nice to be the one in charge, not Microsoft.

[@FlameSoulis]

I also like I can set it to check for updates on a schedule, which is also nice. It also respects whatever way you want to run updates. If you use the terminal, it'll piggy back from that and not bother you if you finish that way.

[@NotEvenDeathCanSaveU]

So it behaves like yarred windows or custom windows iso optimized for performance like ghost spectre and similar. I would never want any kind of official non-open source OS that doesnt have updates disabled and where anti-spy and bloat removing utilities havent been used. As far as we can do that we can avoid linux and the hassle it introduces for both regular software users and gamers.

[@Belumga77]

@@klwthe3rd you can literally pause updates in windows 11 for 5 weeks , it doesn't interruupt at all .

[@CCoburn3]

Linux Mint is a good place for Windows users to start -- and it's a good place for most Windows users to stay. It works right out of the box. That can't REALLY be said for all Linux distros. And most users just want a computer that works without having to adjust things.

[@volvo09]

Yep, I've installed it on many machines and the only trouble I had was one machine with a no name USB wireless stick I had to find drivers for. Everything else just worked out of the box

[@StarmenRock]

Its still too complicated for the average windows user. Speaking from experience, people hate windows but will nitpick the cheese out of mint and with reason some of the time. The installation process is needlessly complicated in the part of the partitions and stuff compared to windows, where you click the disk you wanna install it on and then just run it.

[@volvo09]

@@StarmenRock mint is pretty much just "keep clicking ok" to install it. You don't have to mess with partitions, I know that would always mess me up when I had to manually create Linux partitions.

[@StarmenRock]

@@volvo09 not really , especially if you want for example, install it on a secondary disk and keep your primary one with windows only. It was a nightmare to setup on most computers ive tried. It asks you a bunch of stuff that's needlessly complicated for the basic user instead of just "dont install in c, install in d but keep files anyway" like it always was with windows"

[@encycl07pedia-]

@@StarmenRock Your first mistake is dual-booting. Windows will search and destroy any Linux filesystems, regardless of physical disks. Do you honestly think most Windows users dual boot? It would be just as complicated, if not moreso. I can't imagine the bootloaders from competing Windows installs not causing a bunch of issues.

[@johnbee1574]

I moved to linux mint from windows mainly thanks to this channel and have just stuck to it, no problems. It just works for everything I need.

[@immortalis1001]

As Windows spyware "Recall" is looming on the horizon, I am now actively looking to switch to Linux 100%. I have always liked Mint over Ubuntu so this video has been a great refresher. Thank you for this great video :)

[@MikeBob2023]

Thank you, Mr. Barnatt! You're a peach! 🍑 I've decided to ditch windows (which I hope to do with your help) at long last! I intend to do this by building my own dedicated Linux machine, and this video came as a huge motivational boost! Thanks again! 🙏🏼 _YEE-HAW!_ 🤠

[@ExplainingComputers]

Thanks for your support, and the best of luck with your Linux machine and plan. Your timing is good, and I have many Linux guides on this channel -- with more to come! :)

[@catto-from-heaven]

Why a peach?

[@MikeBob2023]

@@catto-from-heaven From Quora: *_"A peach is someone or something that is very pleasing. This term is used when referring to people with good qualities. You can also use this term if you think that someone is SMART. It means to be wonderful or sweetly helpful."_*

[@Starchface]

You don't necessarily need to build a new machine. Linux will run well on practically any old hardware. If you are installing on a used drive, be sure to back up personal data, passwords, encryption keys, settings and so forth before you format, obviously. On Linux, those things mostly go in your /home directory, and I *highly* recommend you create a separate partition for that. This partition will have a separate filesystem from the Linux system, but will be automatically mounted during boot in such a way that it's seamless. Linux does not use the archaic concept of drive letters. Why do this? It is so that your personal data is independent from the operating system. You can format and install a different Linux distribution or other OS on the drive, yet your personal data is unaffected. In terms of size, /home should generally be whatever is left over after the operating system's needs are accounted for. My machine has a 1TB SSD, with a 100GB partition for the operating system (root filesystem), but 85% of that is currently unused. That allows more than plenty of space for future applications etc. You should also create a swap partition. This will be at least equal to installed system RAM but not less than 16GB. You may also need an EFI partition (100MB is fine). The rest can be dedicated to home. I have a separate 14TB mechanical drive for media files. They add up! Well this became longer than I intended. Good luck!

[@MikeBob2023]

@@Starchface Thank you. 🙂

[@absinthe4breakfast299]

I've just installed Linux Mint 22 on a 9 year old Gigabyte P15 laptop and it runs very nicely indeed, far better than windows 8.1 ever did.

[@AwesomeBlackDude]

Do you have any issue installing DaVinci Resolve 19 app and what type of GPU are you running.

[@absinthe4breakfast299]

@@AwesomeBlackDude I've not tried installing DaVinci , it's got a GTX 950m GPU. To be honest I don't really use this laptop for much more than web browsing and watching the occasional video.

[@luizsalazar87]

​@@AwesomeBlackDudeDavinci Resolve typically works on modern GPUs, given you have the correct prerequisites installed. Techhut has a good article to get the Davinci Resolve environment installed. The Arch Wiki has good troubleshooting steps. I have DR working in Arch Linux on a 5700 XT using the progl wrapper script to use the amdgpu-pro drivers. Couldn't get DR to work in NixOS on a Steam Deck as it appears the pro drivers are not packaged. Nvidia GPUs have the best support and hardware acceleration on more codecs.

[@Praxibetel-Ix]

@@absinthe4breakfast299 Great to hear!

[@AwesomeBlackDude]

@@absinthe4breakfast299 thank for the update.

[@MrJohnBos]

I switched to Linux Cinnamon Mint about a year ago and I'm never going back to Microsoft or Apple. I installed Mint on my old late 2013 MacBook Pro since Apple no longer offers OS support. Mint works brilliantly, uses little disk space, is lightening fast and looks fantastic on the Apple Retina display. I just upgraded to Linux Mint 22 which was easy and painless. Mint does everything I need my computer to do except run Microsoft Flight Simulator. I still need my old Windows desktop for that which I use occasionally. Linux Mint is now my daily driver.

[@TechnoMinded-qp5in]

Have fun with non Windows games working I would rather dual boot Linux with Windows 10 to keep it after End of Life I will need another SSD with 1TB to keep myself productive on Linux I think people are pushing the panic button on Windows 10 Microsoft CLAIMS everything on Windows 10 will continue to work just "expect" more vulneribility but if you think about security software you SHOULD be fine Steam would be stupid to end Windows 10 support without there being a Windows 12 at least even with Windows 7 Valve gave people plenty of time to make a decision but you don't have to give up Windows 10 and go pro Linux I would rather be a dual booter tbh which I was ORIGINALLY gonna dual boot Windows 7 and Linux after I heard they were making SteamOS and Windows games work on Linux with Proton.

[@petrov8086]

I have dualboot (OCLP and Mint) on MacBook Pro late 2008. Yes, Mint works very well except one thing: touchpad gestures. I wonder were you able to reproduce its functionality similar to Macos?

[@SeeJayPlayGames]

@@TechnoMinded-qp5in whoa. Punctuation, dude. It's a thing. Anyway, I thought I was going to do that myself; dual boot. I mean, I still CAN; I have my Windows installation still taking up a partition but the fact of the matter is... I haven't wanted to. Ever since I switched to Garuda Linux, I've just been using that. I've got all my games working thanks to Steam and Lutris and Heroic; all the apps I was using or adequate alternatives, everything works just fine.

[@anthonylevin9584]

Is MFS not a graphics intensive game?

[@ronb6182]

Who cares give him a break.........................':;!;:''':;;"">}\{.?;:'";!;':;!;:;;!!;!;''';!!;?;::'"":!!?°¥✓®•`°you want pun. You got it. 73

[@Dakkard]

Been thinking about changing over to Linux for a long time now. I consider myself a high-end windows user do I decided to try Arch Linux, but boy was that over my head. So I decided to look up various KZbin videos on the subject and having watched several of your videos now I can attest that you provide the definitive introductory videos to Linux. And your old school editing lends itself to the authenticity of your knowledge. Fantastic format.

[@ExplainingComputers]

Thanks for this. :)

[@johnjoda1]

I had tried Mint years ago. I stopped following the Mint progress when the original developer passed away. I currently use the current Debian. I am downloading Mint now because of your encouraging video. Thank you for your clear information in all of your videos

[@johncundiff7075]

I learned something today, I did not know that you could lock fonts!! I never fail to learn something when I watch your videos!!!

[@dvdvnr]

Yes. Me too. It was worth watching this video just for that snippet of information. I'm currently on LM 21 and am waiting for the upgrade to come along.

[@michaelwright2986]

Yes, though I don't quite understand what "lock fonts" does. I assume it means the fonts on the machine won't be overwritten by other fonts with the same name?

[@Milosz_Ostrow]

One isn't actually "locking fonts"; in Linux one locks packages. For instance, if there is a graphics editor that you use for production and the next version is buggy or would require too much retraining time and effort, you can lock the update manager at the current, older version, just as was done in the video with the fonts package, and not have it overwritten by someone who doesn't know what your needs and preferences are.

[@io3213]

I believe it's called pinning on any debian based distro you can assign a priority value to specific packages in APT by editing files in /etc/apt/preferences.d/

[@hanko5750]

The vibes are in the air for sure. I see others making similar comments about installing Linux Mint to switch from Windoze. I was talking of this just yesterday. I run Linux Mint on one computer already, now I am thinking to switch over with a couple more of my computers.

[@kevinharrigan2727]

I installed Linux Mint as a guy who isn’t tech literate and as a lifetime Windows user thanks to you! It feels amazing to use a decent OS again.

[@ExplainingComputers]

This is great to hear. Good luck with Mint. :)

[@Chris.Brisson]

OMG, Chris, you are clairvoyant. Just yesterday I thought about trying Linux Mint and was going to look for your most recent video on the subject. Thank you!

[@ExplainingComputers]

Your timing is excellent!

[@michaelwright2986]

I find Mint a really boring distribution, and so I recommend it highly to everyone who has stuff in their lives they want to attend to. Less drama than Windows.

[@marcse7en]

​​@@michaelwright2986 I've used Windows for 28 years, since Windows 95, and can honestly say, there's been very little "drama!" It's actually served me very well, and 11 is working very nicely, on a dinky Mini PC, which was ridiculously cheap! However, I have tried Linux briefly previously, and I have a couple of old laptops, so might have another look. TBH, I just want to get my work done, with the minimum of fuss, and Windows has allowed me to do just that! I do have a penchant for FREE things! Although, 11 was damn near free!

[@Chris.Brisson]

@@michaelwright2986 boring can be refreshing, if one has been spending many hours trying to solve computer problems rather than attending to one's life.

[@jpeterman9699]

​@@michaelwright2986 I find your comment very interesting. I have never thought about an operating system as something that can be boring or exciting before but it's true. I'm excited to try Linux mint 😂

[@MarkTheMorose]

Many years ago, I used to subscribe to Linux Format magazine. Their cover CD would usually have a full Linux distro ready to try. I first tried Ubuntu from there, which was the first distro I tried that all just worked. Linux Mint was even better, and I've stayed with it ever since. This latest version is a solid upgrade. For me, the biggest improvement is the jump from a 5.x kernel to 6.x. There is some controversy surround the decision to hide unverified Flapak software in the software manager. I think some are overlooking the fact that you can easily un-hide these, and install them as you wish. Rather the opposite is true in certain other operating systems, where users are routinely denied choices.

[@encycl07pedia-]

I'm half-convinced Nadella is trying to tank Windows at this point. Windows used to look and operate a lot like Linux Mint. Now it's just a bloated OS that sends data and restricts user choice almost as much as Mac OS... almost. To go from Windows 7 to Windows 11 is just tragic. Regardless of what you think of Microsoft, 7 was an excellent OS and they've just made their flagship product worse and worse.

[@leecowell8165]

Mint is still a coupla kernels behind though as they take a VERY conservative approach. The upgrade installs kernel 6.8 BUT the beta is currently at 6.12 so they're 3 stable versions down at this juncture... yeah here's my latest: lee@lewac:~$ uname -r 6.8.0-39-generic lee@lewac:~$

[@GIRGHGH]

My understanding was that the issue wasn't so much that they're now hidden, but that when you unhide them there are no longer reviews and ratings, which you'd think would be essential to have if you're gonna make them easy to unhide.

[@MickHealey]

Absolutely perfect timing Chris, thank you. I have an old HP Pavilion PC that used to belong to my brother. I can’t buy Windows 10 any more, and the machine is too old for Windows 11. So, 2 days ago, I decided to install Linux Mint 22 Cinnamon edition. I have never used Linux ‘anything’ before, but am thoroughly impressed what I have seen so far. So, another computer saved from becoming landfill.

[@ExplainingComputers]

This is good news -- good luck with Linux Mint. You may find useful my "Linux Mint Tips & Tricks" video too: kzbin.info/www/bejne/fnymoKqCfc6EbtE

[@MickHealey]

@@ExplainingComputers thank you. I've just watched it, and it was really helpful.

[@manout-kidin8735]

Already most of LM 22's stuffs , except the kernel 6.8 , have been ported to LMDE . For 2 days till yesterday my LMDE system got 200 MBs worth of system downloads updating LMDE at par with LM 22 cinnamon version . That was great indeed . Thanks Team Linux Mint . And once again a Great OS review Sir .

[@Duurzaamheid]

Thanks for letting us know 👍

[@Reprint001]

I hope they focus more on LMDE instead of the main Ubuntu based release. I just have a bad feeling about Ubuntu nowadays and avoid them where I can and I've moved all my PCs to LMDE.

[@dDoOyYoOuUtTuUbBeE]

An people complain about Windows Updates...

[@ryoukaip]

​@@dDoOyYoOuUtTuUbBeE Me personally got BSOD like 2-3 times when Windows Update finished so I can understand the complains

[@LarixusSnydes]

Considering the way Ubuntu wants to go with an immutable distribution and even more snaps, I might move to LMDE as well, after running Ubuntu since version 4.10... I was puzzled about having to restart after swapping out fonts for the system. A simple log-off/on should be sufficient.

[@RudysRetroIntel]

I'm a Windows user, but I have Mint installed on my 10 year old Alienware laptop and runs great with no issues. Looking to eventually use Mint on all my computers. Still having a hard time learning new video editing software for my YT channel. Thanks for sharing

[@Encolas]

I’d recommend using Kdenlive over other alternatives. But of a learning curve but very feature rich. Oh, and open-source

[@paulo.galvao]

You can start with kdenlive

[@xPLAYnOfficial]

I recommend learning Kdenlive. I use it and love it.

[@HollywoodGaming-fy3vt]

Which software are you using for Linux? Also, is it holding up to your old program of choice?

[@RudysRetroIntel]

@HollywoodGaming-fy3vt trying several of them to figure out what works best for me. Investigation continues

[@nERVEcenter117]

Mint completely solved my distro-hopping. Once I was no longer excited about futzing around with customization and other energy-sucking pursuits, I needed an OS that I could play games on at home and develop on at work. Mint just works. It's an excellent all-around choice with sensible stewardship.

[@misterscorpio6340]

I have been using Linux Mint straight for 3 months. Don't miss Windows at all.

[@CyrilAndrieu]

My Sunday favorite video about computers, talking about Mint 😍 What else 😅 Greetings from 🇫🇷

[@ExplainingComputers]

Greetings!

[@derekr54]

I am upgrading from 21.3 to 22 as I watch your video Chris. I have already received the updates to Mint in the LMDE version and very pleased with that.

[@AlexKidd4Fun]

LMDE is the way for me as well. Very concise and useful!

[@encycl07pedia-]

I honestly don't know why anyone trusts Canonical after they put Amazon spyware and NSFW content in the Ubuntu search... and labeled the NSFW part as "wontfix."

[@dallesamllhals9161]

Im not! AMD E-1800 😛

[@encycl07pedia-]

Why does anyone trust Canonical (Ubuntu) after the Amazon search results fiasco?

[@davegreen3518]

Thanks for your videos. They are really clear and easy to follow. Much appreciated

[@ExplainingComputers]

Thanks for your support. :)

[@t9fiction]

I have switched to Linux Mint around 14 days ago, 10 days before you made this video. And let me assure everyone who is reading the comments or watching thsi video, "LINUX MINT IS AWESOME"

[@ExplainingComputers]

:)

[@jinty83]

Great video Chris. I just installed this on a little lenovo tiny pc for my 9 year old niece. It's her first computer and it will be connected to her tv as a pc/media hub. I also added some educational apps and scratch as her class was learning about programming so she can try some little projects at home. Looking forward to showing her how to use it!

[@ExplainingComputers]

This sounds very cool. :)

[@boirfanman]

Have you had a look at some of the Fedora immutable spins? There is one specifically for learning to program with some cool looking programs on them, specifically for young learners.

[@trevorford8332]

@@ExplainingComputers I just had a thought, for one of your video for kids. Do a educational video for them, might inspire to use Linux Mint. You never know they might be the next programmer. 🙂

[@mnky75]

My Fiance and I took the Win 10 to Linux leap in the beginning of the year. I've been using Linux 4 years prior, but my Fiancée is an average Windows user (Email/Internet/Word Processing). If you want a ringing endorsement about Linux Mint,my Fiancée's reaction was "Really nice. It actually seems faster"! 👌

[@ExplainingComputers]

Cool. :)

[@NezzConstantine]

How is it with gaming? Steam? That has been one of my main things I have been looking out for when looking at linux.

[@free_palestine_8481]

Gaming on linux has become better than before but not as good as windows ​@@NezzConstantine

[@elechain2441]

​@@NezzConstantinemore than fine because of proton! A lot of my steam games i get on bottles and lutris after i switched like a week ago

[@legojenn]

Thanks for creating this video. I'm a big fan of Mint even though I've been using Linux since the last century. I'm travelling at the moment, so I'll upgrade when I get home so I have a backup device if things go pear-shaped. What I like about your review is that it seems like you've actually used the operating system rather than install it in a virtual image and read some points off the Wikipedia page.

[@ExplainingComputers]

Thanks for this. I always review/test distros on real hardware. Not that that's anything wrong with VMs (I use one most days). But I prefer bare metal for a review. I think I installed Linux Mint seven times last week! :)

[@saucerbob]

I am a long time mint user, and far longer user of Linux - and Unix. I never did get embroiled with dos/windows. Yet, I still learnt useful stuff from this video. My most useful utility from cinnamon is the use of Workspaces (I have 16 on my main desktop computer - and I use them!). I hop around them using "hot corners". That's my recommendation - worth a try. Thanks Chris for another great video. 🇨🇦

[@aa-qx7je]

With all the data collection within Windows 11 and the forced 'ai' stuff Linux is becoming more and more appealing. These video's really help with showing the alternatives to Windows. Thank you!

[@brentvalentine]

I started using Mint with version 17. My old laptop with windoze was so slow, even with a SSD. I was watching one of your videos and you mentioned Linux Mint and I haven't looked back. I dual boot windoze 11 and Mint 22 on my desktop now and my laptop is on 19.3. I use windoze for gaming and Mint for most everything else. Thanks for all the great content and for helping me keep e-waste to a minimum.

[@markjones2349]

You said you use Linux and you dual boot with Windows for gaming but you said you haven't looked back. Yeah that's not what that means. Since Windows is on your machine you are looking back every time you play a game. Just clearing that up. If you really weren't looking back you would completely wipe your system and only be using Linux. That's when you know you haven't looked back.

[@therealunclevanya]

Have you checked Linux compatibility for the your games. Quite a few work seamlessly now, no need for Windows.

[@Munenushi]

lol no you still need windows for most games, just go look at the wine compatibility listing or linux compatibility listings....

[@brentvalentine]

@@Munenushi I didn't want to start a flame war but that's the reason I dual boot. At least half of my game collection {disc or steam} is either not worth the effort for the poor performance or they outright won't work. I found one Valve game, Half Life 2, that freezes up after about 6 levels. When I install it manually from my original disc, it runs perfectly. For the most part, Steam works great. It won't play all the windoze games but it does really good with almost all of them.

[@theANIMALtm]

I start using Mint 6 months ago, ditched Windows for good. Mint is awesome I use it on all my computers for coding, gaming and 3d modeling, it just works!

[@herrbonk3635]

Does it work well with Wine? Because I need to be able to execute exe-files as well, pretty simple ones though (no heavy games or networking or such).

[@theANIMALtm]

@@herrbonk3635 Yes it does, but I find that (for me) is easy and faster to have a virtual machine running Windows 10 (VirtualBox) to open exe files.

[@joseph_donovan]

I don't know about anyone else, but I am compelled to watch your technical videos if only to get some respite from all the madness going on in the world these days! Thank you!

[@SuperNoticer]

What madness?

[@Steven-n7x6x]

Hero. Computer been a doorstop for 2 years. Will spread the word about Linux. Subscribed. First time ever, cheers from wigan

[@СергейД-ч4ь]

This morning has upgraded my Mint 21.3 to 22 through mintupgrade. With some issues in the middle but with excellent result in the end fortunately :) The only thing I was disappointed it was that really awful fonts. And thanks to you the problem is solved! Tanks a lot for your work. Good luck Chris!

[@ArcticTraveller-o7s]

Good day, how long did the process take as it's a new release I guess slow downloading times due to site congestion? I'd prefer to upgrade rather than a clean install.

[@СергейД-ч4ь]

@@ArcticTraveller-o7s It did not take a long time to "mintupgrade" to download actually. Maybe 15-20 minutes. But after it something went very wrong. After a few hours of "the system is upgrading" the system rebooted absolutely unworkable and even with the old kernel. I rebooted it in safe mode and started DPKG. And it worked out brilliantly and finished upgrading properly. But anyway that is my case. Usually upgrade goes much more smoothly.

[@ArcticTraveller-o7s]

@@СергейД-ч4ь Cheers for the reply. 👍

[@joeg3950]

LM is a my daily driver. I've distro surfed to see what I like and what works best on my older hardware. LM is the best by far. Thank you for another great video.

[@animatewithdermot]

I've been able to resurrect a very old Dell Inspiron 1720 (from 2008) and it works great! That machine has no right being usable in 2024, but there you go! (Using MATE). Love this video BTW.

[@Eternal_Tech]

@@animatewithdermot How much RAM does your Dell Inspiron 1720 have?

[@leecoholland9040]

In the early days of Linux distros, almost every distro offered the option to install multiple desktops. When you logged in you could then choose whether you wanted to work with gnome, kde or a window manager. Nowadays, each desktop is offered as a separate download option. However, one can still use multiple desktops. Simply install one or more desktops from your package installer. Log out and then select your desired desktop. Tip: Install a worksheet changer, as this greatly simplifies working with many open applications.

[@pd4252]

Easiest install of Linux Mint (Cinnamon) I have ever tried. Runs Great! Also good for FIVE years!

[@henryhargraves4184]

who here is watching this after Microsoft Recall?

[@richardpalmanteer9798]

Hey Chris did some work on my Computer Gigabyte Z790 D DDR4 32 GB RAM, RTX3080 GPU CPU i5 12400. I have two extra slots for SSDs so I installed my WD 2TB SSD so I could install Linux Mint Cinnamon 22. I took out the Main SSD with Windows 10, installed the the other SSD in one of the other SSD slots Available and went and set Linux Mint on it. After making sure everything worked I reinstalled my Windows SSD C: drive and rebooted the computer. I went to the boot menu and selected the second drive with Linux Mint and booted it up. It worked. Have a good one Oh, also "Enjoy The Adventure". 🤠👍

[@ExplainingComputers]

Great to hear that you've got a good dual drive dual boot working OK. :)

[@JasonWestaway]

I really like the look and feel of it as yes I'm still a Windows 11 user. That was a great presentation of Linux Mint. Honestly makes me want to change to to Linux Mint. Thank you

[@agehermanthuv1148]

I use Linux Mint LMDE6 Cinnamon Debian Edition. Works perfectly fine.

[@Rbourk252]

I’ve just upgrade mint 22 on my various machines and it went very smoothly. I’ve tried most distros’ but I always gravitate back to Mint because the Cinnamon desktop is so easy to use. Loved this intro, learned a few new things from it.

[@jjiacobucci]

The Migration from Windows and Mac to the LM Wilma Cinnamon was very easy and painless. Happy to not fighting my computer for privacy as well as not enslaving my digital life to Apple and MS

[@JohnGlen502]

Super helpful I come back time and again each time I load Linux. You will help keep laptops out of the landfill.

[@sng2225]

Long time use of Linux mint. I use it for personal work without pfaffing around distro hopping. I tried a few different desktops but found Linux Mint does all i want or need as a daily driver.

[@artistlovepeace]

Thanks!

[@ExplainingComputers]

Thanks for your support, most appreciated. :)

[@leonidd00]

Thanks for the tweak with fonts. Just made it on my linux mint too. It's a welcoming change for high resolution displays.

[@CHUKDEPHATTE]

going to upgrade an old laptop from 2013 where windows no longer works smoothly. this was an excellent informative video, answered everything i thought of. thank you.

[@johnhoog]

Dear Chris, this is a excellent video about the latest Linux Mint version. Presently I use a Mac mini with an upgraded SSD and PCI NVME drive. I use Linux Mint through Parallels and it's performance is just amazing. Thank you Chris for all your hard work Explaining Computers to the whole world.👏

[@leecowell8165]

Do NOT install linux to an SSD! At least not /root or /home. a /backup partition is fine but NOT the major trees.

[@DejanTesic]

I've been using Ubuntu/Mint for 15 years and I can still learn something from this video! I've also tried the newest Manjaro KDE which looks great, but is not as well supported as Mint (eg. I use ProtonVPN for which Proton provides a Debian-based client, but for Manjaro one has to use OpenVPN to use ProtonVPN... which can get messy when you have to use pamac and yay whereas you're used to apt, etc.)

[@PC4USE1]

A very easy to understand introduction to Linux Mint.It's familiarity is what made me choose it when Win 7 was deprecated.

[@BjørjaBear]

I built an AM4 system two years ago, which my oldest son more or less absconded with :p I cobbled together some bits and bobs, Xeon 3470, RX 580 and 16gb DDR3 ram. Windows 10 ran so and so on that setup. I gave Mint a go, and for the best part of a year, it's been my daily driver. My biggest surprise was how much better gaming is on Linux these days. As I was putting together a new AM5 system, I was somewhat concerned with having to choose another distro, since Linux Mint, at that point used kernel 5.15. However, with the new Mint 22 and kernel 6.8, I hope to be able to stick with Mint with the new computer. It's been a beginner friendly distro for me. I've been using Windows since 3.11, but I'm not keen on Windows 11. Videoes and channels like this are very helpful for new Linux users like myself. Thank you kindly.

[@ahmad-murery]

As a Windows user and since I hate the new user interface used in Windows11, the cinnamon desktop is my favorite now. To me ,Windows XP, 7 and 10 include the most useful/distraction-free desktops. BTW, MATE is a popular drink here in Syria too (if there was a TEA desktop I'll go for it) Thanks Chris!

[@ExplainingComputers]

:)

[@volvo09]

Vista / XP are my favorite windows desktops, with 7 in a close 2nd. I just love the looks of Luna and Aero.

[@istvantorok4819]

@@volvo09 You can try a distro with KDE plasma, or Mint Cinnamon. That mournful theme :-) (I know is very popular and fashionable for a lot of people the dark theme) can be changed, there are some themes ready with gradient colors, opacity, shadows, or even you can adjust some things like animations via add-ons.

[@effbee56]

Windows98SE!

[@davesmith8101]

I posted after watching this video (below) two months ago about Linux mint. I just watched the video again and after re-watching the part about Locking fonts I decided to go for Linux Mint ver 22, that really swung it for me as last time I tried it I got in a right mess and had to use Timeshift to get back to the original fonts, then gave up and went back to ver 21.3. Thanks to your clear instructions I am now making the move to Linux Mint 22 and confident about doing it now. Your videos are always clearly explained and I have subbed since I found your channel ages ago now. Thank you and well done!

[@ExplainingComputers]

Thanks for this, and good luck with Linux Mint 22. :)

[@NullDott]

I did the upgrade just as it was available, I already had mintupgrade, and it was funny, because I forgot I was upgrading when I went to my job. Mint will tell you about stuff you have to do during the upgrade process, usually things about orphan packages (like .deb installed manually) or PPAs and third party repos, so make sure to keep those in mind, in the end it was easy, relatively fast (took 2 hours) and pretty good.

[@jjiacobucci]

A Big Thank You to ExplainingComputers for an excellent tour of useful tips for LM newbies !!!

[@jozsefizsak]

I'm using the Mate version on one computer in part because the Mint folks describe it as more stable than Cinnamon. I also remember the horror of Gnome 3 and the astonishing claim that the change was mandatory since continuing with Gnome 2 was supposedly impossible. It was so satisfying when some kid announced forking it as Mate even though he was ill equipped to do it but help arrived quickly and here we now are. It's hard to abandon an old favourite although Plasma does beckon. 😊

[@michaelwright2986]

Plasma does indeed beckon, and lots of people like it. I must have some peculiarity, because every time I try it I run into some sort of bug or puzzlement really early on (and in some Plasma distros, I can't even get it installed). Do try Cinnamon -- I've not had any problems with crashes or anything. xfce is good, too, On any computer less than about six years old (so, about half of my machines) I don't think the different weight of the DEs makes any detectable difference to the user.

[@markjones2349]

​@@michaelwright2986not sure how long you've been in Linux user yourself but I've been on Linux for 16 years now. If there's one thing I've learned about having a stable Linux experience on a desktop or any application on Linux is that you have to look at the release schedule and the release criteria of the distro that you're using. The LTS releases of Ubuntu are based off of the Debian testing branch and those are the same packages that Linux mint uses since it's based on Ubuntu LTS. Ubuntu might call those packages stable but Debian calls those packages not ready for primetime. So if you would like an actual stable experience with plasma desktop you would need to run something like Debian or something based off of that that uses the same packages. If you've never used Debian it's basically bug free you never get any surprises.

[@CommaV9414]

Honestly your coverage of Mint is what got me to stop distro hopping and stick with Mint, and it was so worth it.

[@marecheau77]

Upgraded to 22 yesterday as opposed to a fresh install. A few hoops to go through, had to set up timeshift, some package downgrades etc. but overall straightforward enough. Just off to install the fonts fix!

[@volvo09]

Yeah the old font is easier to read

[@davesmith8101]

Great video, thank you. I was a windows 10 user and have been using Linux Mint 21.3 for some weeks now. I really like Linux Mint and find it very easy to use as against windows 10, much easier than I thought it would be. I can confirm to would be migrants from windows 10/11 that you do not have to use the terminal much if you don’t want to. If you find that terminal is required for an operation then you just use an internet search which will give you the exact commands to copy and paste into the terminal window to achieve your objective. It really is that easy. I am holding off on going over to Linux Mint 22 just yet and will give it a few months for bug fixes to be ironed out. If you are thinking of trying Mint, go for it, I am glad I did.

[@ExplainingComputers]

Great to hear of your Linux (Mint) success. :)

[@jcfish5947]

I've gotten totally fed up with Windows and am planning to switch to Linux. Not computer savvy by any means but this video gives me confidence that I'll do fine with it :)

[@ExplainingComputers]

Good luck!

[@paoemantega8793]

An excellent presentation, and the sequencing and delivery spot on for my attention span/ technical capacity. Thankyou for posting this

[@Brinslade]

Updated my Linux Mint after watching this video. Very good upgrade. Thanks for the information.

[@ExplainingComputers]

Glad it all went well.

[@ryannewby447]

Says it all that it's your daily driver. About to install on an old work laptop. Used mint years ago and was really impressed. As a Linux beginner it's a brilliant os.

[@metazoan10]

A very useful overview - thankyou. I struggle with the audio settings and would love a video from you covering ALSA, pulse audio and pipe wire

[@ExplainingComputers]

A very good video suggestion -- noted! :)

[@tonykeltsflorida]

I did the upgrade from 21.3 to 22. I figured out that I had to disable all the options in the upgrade tool. The upgrade went well. I have had to do a couple a updates already. It is running good so far.

[@donmarek7001]

LM works great with my ancient T420. It found all the drivers for the T420. Easily finds most printer and scanner drivers. This is what Linux should have been 20 years ago.

[@duckrutt]

Thinkpads are (generally) pretty good with Linux. The only real problems I've had are trackpoint acceleration being wonky with some distro versions.

[@mouselurker7219]

I switched to linux mint a few weeks ago from windows 10 for my home media PC through the help of your videos. Just did the upgrade to 22 and everything has worked well so far. My only downside with the switch to mint is that the Peacock streaming service does not work with linux, which is the streaming service covering the Olympics here in the US.

[@marcse7en]

I wish the Olympics DIDN'T work here in the good ol' United 🇬🇧 Kingdom! 🤣

[@stabokbose]

I have become an unofficial marketing team for Linux Mint for more than a year 😂

[@DrBenChem]

I've been using Linux Mint for a couple years or so professionally - I took a ten year old gaming PC, popped Mint on and it runs my computational chemistry software for me!

[@Aruneh]

Watching this on Mint 21.2. Guess I should be upgrading soon. :) I do like mint, it's a fairly nice distro

[@LOTPOR0402]

Is there any real difference

[@Dreamwoodinternational]

I have just started the journey away from Windows - Win 3.0 seems a long time ago now. The only spare PC I had as a test bed for Linux Mint is a Pentium with 4 GB RAM but hey, it works. The heartache comes from searching for Linux alternatives / workarounds for all the Windows programs I use - but it will be worth the pain, I'm sure. Thank you for another excellent video.

[@DanElgaard9]

Decided to go for Linux Mint when I got my new computer some time ago. For that reason I also ordered my new computer with OS, and installed Linux Mint myself. Yes, it took some time to get used to it, but now I don't think I'll ever return to Windows - no being a gamer (other than Solitaire :-) ) there's nothing I really need in windows - Mint can do it all.

[@mrgndx]

Thank you Mr. Barnatt! I appreciate your thorough and steady-paced explanations and details. I only have a comment that you could add another timestamp at 20:28 where you show different flavors.

[@afriquelesud]

Never mistake it as merely a beginner's distro. It can do everything other Linux distributions can, but it offers greater stability and functionality. Ideal for corporate deployment, as its stability, reliability, dependability, being predictable and stable, is unequalled. Unlike Windows and some Arch-based distros, updates never broke my Mint in more than 20 years. I prefer the LMDE spin with pure Debian.

[@michaelwright2986]

A number of people have mentioned LMDE. I've tried it myself and noticed no difference, which is of course what you expect from Mint and why we love it. From other descriptions of v. 22, it sounds as though a lot of the work has gone into undoing changes in Ubuntu and Gnome -- to the extent that I don't think there'll be much in the update for me. But it does make me wonder if cutting loose from Ubuntu is likely to happen fairly soon.

[@Grandwigg]

This is an excellent overview of the new Linux Mint. I am one of those individuals that dislikes the snap software. I always enjoy this part of my Sunday afternoon.

[@TruthSeekr2662]

This really gives me encouragement to upgrade from Win 11. Thanks !!

[@DerrickBest]

I've been a huge fan of Linux Mint for years. I'm especially biased to LMDE. Can't wait to get my new system and install a new version of Mint

[@klwthe3rd]

Everytime one of these Linux Mint videos come out on this channel, i jump up and down screaming for Zorin OS videos hoping someone in the dark abyss will hear me. 😪. I am thankful that Chris provides these kinds of videos for all people who might want to switch to a Linux operating system. But because i found Zorin OS on this same channel, i can't help but be their biggest "cheerleader"(although i'm a guy, lol) because deep down inside i feel that Zorin OS is a better operating system for those wanting to make the plunge.

[@ExplainingComputers]

As you say, I cover Zorin OS and Linux Mint on this channel -- in 2024 I have looked at the new versions of both! Zorin OS is indeed a very good distro: kzbin.info/www/bejne/lXfVqpt5Zp6qq5o

[@klwthe3rd]

@@ExplainingComputers May I ask why you chose Linux Mint instead of Zorin for your daily driver?

[@ExplainingComputers]

Probably because I ran it first! Both are excellent.

[@gpetheri]

Just installed Xfce today, first ever look at Linux. So far so good.

[@frankywatte5646]

I have been using Linux mint for over 15 years now, coming from window$ 7. The transition to linux is really easy these days. Give it time and energy and you won't want to go back to windows.😎🤓🧐

[@frankywatte5646]

@@TheHolym4n Whot? was it? 😋 What is Window$ ??

[@pneumant]

Hi @ExplainingComputers, your brilliant videos have certainly widened my computing horizons and now I find myself running a dual hard drive system with Mint 22 as primary with Windows 10 as second boot (for Memory Map mapping & GPS software). I really rate Mint 22 and am officially hooked. Your channel is one of the few places on You Tube where I am actually learning something useful! Thank you. PS Thanks to the Mint Software Manager I also find myself playing Freedoom and reliving the glory days when I really ought to be updating my accounts using the equally excellent Homebanking program......😁

[@ExplainingComputers]

All great to hear! :)

[@jimlynch9390]

I've been running some version of Linux since 1992. A while back I settled on Mint, but I found Mate to be my OS of choice. The last Windows box I had ran XP.

[@Robbie-mw5uu]

k

[@daveginboav]

Forgive me Chris using your channel to briefly describe my mintupgrade experience. Over the years I have used the mintupgrade tool every hop without real issues. This time going from 21.3 to 22.0 Wilma has been problematic. In brief I ended up with a frozen system - something to do with Intel built in graphics. Booting from live usb 22.0 caused the same issue. Luckily, Timeshift came to my rescue and I'm back on 21.3. Two things to learn from my experience 1) Always use a live usb stick just to check it will fully work before running the mintupgrade tool. 2) Timeshift is a beautiful tool to be used quite liberally. All this was on a Lenovo Thinkpad T410 which I suspect is getting ready for laptop heaven.

[@sdwone]

Great Stuff! I'll definitely come back to this, once Win10 deprecates! 👍🏼 Microsoft is about to lose LOTS of Windows users in the next couple of years!!!

[@prezlamen7906]

Win garbage losing users, thats an awesome news.

[@nzcyclone]

A great video. Thank you for sharing. I have been using both windows and linux for years. But I have to say with Microsoft being so aggressive with Windows 10 popups and I suspect same will happen in windows 11. I changed the Windows 10 PC to Linux Mint (PC was not able to update to Windows 11 as did not meet requirements) but runs perfectly on Linux and no darn annoying popups to upgrade to windows 11 especially when system was not able to upgrade...... grrr Microsoft. As to those who say well good luck running windows programs on Linux..... Personally I have never had an issue with running windows programs on Linux and frequently use several "Windows" based programs on Linux including office ( that is a work requirement not a personal requirement) and graphical programs. While it is true it used to be a nightmare getting them to work using likes of WINE. That is no longer the case and it is very very easy to get windows programs installed and running on Linux Mint. I think that argument is just being used for a couple of reasons : 1. people do not like and are afraid of change and 2, there will always be pro Microsoft regardless of what they do or not do just like there will be pro Linux.. Which is fine there is good valid points to both and we are all allowed our own opinions. The only thing I will stress is .... Windows based programs sure no issues running on Linux or none that I have found, BUT, DO NOT attempt or expect to run any Windows based drivers for say a graphics card on Linux. That is very likely going to end badly. If linux does need a certain driver for whatever reason then it will ask you to get it or offer to get it for you...But a good rule of thumb is Windows Programs = Yes, Windows Drivers = NO. An interesting point.... Windows 11 and 10 actually already run the Linux kernel or at least have it available with the WSL and WSL 2.0 ( WSL = Windows Subsystem for Linux)

[@muddyexport5639]

Good video. Also, I quit distro hopping and went with LM and Cinnamon --- decided to make it the way I wanted it and not to jump from one to another distro which was a waste of time for me as they all did basically the same thing just in esoterically different ways. So Linux Mint since 2017 (I think :~).

[@althomas6045]

you are brilliant and a gift to all the computer community. cheers good sir from the u.s. of a.

[@SenileOtaku]

I've started switching back to Linux Mint after a few years of using Fedora Linux (no longer at RH, so no longer have my inside connections for Fedora, and don't feel the need to support company projects). My primary desktop and laptop will probably be on Fedora for a while, but next time I decide to do a full rebuild I'll move over.

[@dang48]

I'll definitely be checking into this for when we go to upgrade our laptops. The oldest one is 6 years old and I really don't want to be replacing it. It has served me well.

[@Praxibetel-Ix]

Good luck if/when you do! I have Linux Mint installed on a 14 year old ThinkPad and it works just nice.

[@dang48]

@@Praxibetel-Ix Thank you very much!

[@Praxibetel-Ix]

@@dang48 You're welcome!

[@volvo09]

I think my newest computer is 6 years old! A 6th gen i5. Although I just remembered I have a little mini dell with a 7th gen i5.

[@ivarand]

writing this on a 2014 Lenovo yoga, been using it with mint since 2021 with no issues. But now starting to need a new battery :)

[@wimwiddershins]

Minty convert since 16. My newest PC barely got to boot Win11 (yeck) before I installed Mint 22.😁

[@jsbadger]

Being absolutely new to Linux, i just installed Mint-Cinnamon about an hour before finding this vid. Thank you so much. Am setting it up and going through it now. I'm actually enjoying this.

[@szcpos]

Greetings from Linux Mint 22: 6.2.7 Cinnamon and 6.8.0-39 Kernel. Installed two hours ago :)

[@johnathanasiou9284]

Looking for a Linux distro for some older, but still very capable laptops which are unable to run Win11. I feel time invested in getting better with Linux will help greatly with customers who are eyeing Linux alternatives Great recommendations!

[@Kirill7775]

Hello, Christopher! 👋🙂 Great review, great distro👍

[@Poult100]

Thank you! I've not run Linux for some time (2 decades!). I think I'll install Mint Cinnamon on one of my old machines. (not a two decade old machine!)

[@loginregional]

"Caja" could be said "caw hah", spanish for case, checkout, box, place for keeping. Couldn't say because I've never used it. Good review, thank you!

[@Robbie-mw5uu]

"Kah hah" is how caja is pronounced.

[@loginregional]

@@Robbie-mw5uu Actually, you open the mouth up so that you form a smile with CA, using the A of LAMB. Mouth still open you aspirate the 'h' sound of the spanish J with the same tone as the first syllable. "Guardo mis tarjetas en la caja negra."

[@nickhenley8040]

I am a windows 10 user and after seeing what windows 11 is like I am seriously considering moving to Linux. Mint looks to a good choice to aid in that transition.

[@Praxibetel-Ix]

GOOOOOD MORNING, EXPLAININGCOMPUTERS COMMENTS SECTION!!! I'm a bit hyped for this new version of Mint and can't wait to upgrade to it on my ThinkPad later on in the day. And Chris, may I add that you look more and more lovely every week? ☺️

[@ExplainingComputers]

They released the upgrade instructions a couple of hours ago: blog.linuxmint.com/?p=4732 Good luck!

[@Praxibetel-Ix]

​@@ExplainingComputersThank you very much! :D

[@alanthornton3530]

Good Morning Ford, hope things are OK your side of the pond today?

[@Praxibetel-Ix]

@@alanthornton3530 Hi, Alan! I'm doing somewhat decently, though I am quite happy to be here today. I look forward to upgrading my Mint install to the new version and plan on writing back when I do and have spent some time with it. :)

[@michaelwright2986]

@@ExplainingComputers That is a very Mint page. Linux Mint: take your time, read the instructions, don't panic, here's where you can get help. Other Distros: RTFM noob. (Noob: There is no friendly manual.)