Linux Mint vs Ubuntu - Which is the Better Distro for 2024?

[@miket.220]

I use Mint Cinnamon. For the past year it has been rock solid and without question the easiest distro I’ve ever installed or used. I find it no harder to use than Windows 10 and have only needed to use the terminal for one or two things in the last year. I also like that I’m not forced to use Snap like you would be in Ubuntu.

[@RobKaiser_SQuest]

Interesting thank you

[@P3L12-u1e]

Can i run mint smoothly on ny I3 gen 6?

[@thatoneannoyingtornadosire8755]

@P3L12-u1e it probably could, you can use a live boot media usb stick to test it out without actually installing it

[@costasmatengu]

Ubuntu is the reason i use linux mint, I started with ubuntu, learned abit about linux and moved to linux mint where i am until now. I respect ubuntu.

[@dodoebk4711]

I run ubuntu now for the first time on an old imac i've always used windows for all my life why do you like linux mint more?

[@its_just_me9]

@@dodoebk4711 i think because ubuntu started using snaps and it slows the apps a lot

[@C.Vitalizio]

​@@dodoebk4711 Not OP but i'll give you my reason. It's basically for the same reason there's a photogimp (gimp with the photoshop layout and shortcuts) out there. Mint devs seem to try really hard to give the same experience as Windows where everything just works because software and hardware manufacturers basically make their products with windows in mind. I've tried so many distros to count. The only distro that gave me that " we're doing our best to make your transition comfortable" feeling is mint. Cherry on top it's better than windows when it comes to customising the os to your needs

[@sebastianschroder3353]

What is the reason why you moved to Linux Mint? I currently use Ubuntu.

[@rtx90hd]

@@C.Vitalizio agree

[@rv6amark]

I moved from Win 11 to Linux Mint this year. I didn't know about Ubuntu's screen sharing when I started moving to LM, so maybe I will give Ubuntu a try when I move a different computer. LM does come with a file sharing app instead(Warpinator) which works great. I am really glad I started the learning process of moving to LM. I never thought I would get to the point where I would be comfortable using a terminal window in parallel with the GUI, but I am. I intend to move the remainder of my computers to Linux this year.

Switched to Linux Mint 21.1 back in July 2022... updating since and now running 22. It's a great fit for me, I love it.

[@breebw]

As a windows 10 user with Windows 11 impending, plus all the negative comments I see re Win11, I am thinking of Linux, so this video is very useful and timely.

[@Fals3Agent]

windows 11 is fine. but just give linux a try, you'll be surprised that it basically do like 99% of what you need

[@Raptor-y9f]

I made the decision to migrate over to Linux even though there will always be some apps I will need Windows for. Microsoft is becoming far too tyrannical with it's software. I don't want a Microsoft account, I don't want spyware on my computer and I don't want to ditch my older computers just to run an operating system that is questionably better than Windows 10. Before you know it, MS will make users pay a monthly fee just to use Windows. Enough is enough!

[@D.von.N]

Was there, done that. Went for LMDE, skipping the middle man. Debian is stable. I never was the mainstream person, always looked for my own ways. Ubuntu Mint is mainstream. I don't need to be there. Stability is more important for me.

[@D.von.N]

@@Raptor-y9f you can have the best of both worlds. I run win11, local accounts only, from a usb on my Linux machine. There is a super fast usb 3.2 of Gen2 from Kingston, 1000MBs read speed, you don't notice a difference from having it installed on the main hard drive. It helps to limit the potential issues with dual booting from the same hard drive.

[@Raptor-y9f]

@@D.von.N You may be able to create a local account for now, but MS is trying very hard to make that unavailable.

[@MarciSudlow]

For a "Windows 11 refugee" Linux Mint 21 was the answer. The Mint community is extremely helpful and LM is very intuitive for one who is used to Windows, but with minus the aggravations of Windows. Later I added another laptop which came with Ubuntu already installed, and while any Linux distro is infinitely better than W11, I prefer Mint and find it easier to use.

[@atomic...]

Literally just had Windows 11 kill my pc with a bugged update that eventually caused an infinite boot loop. So mint is looking promising, familiar but new and none of the bs Microsoft forces onto you

[@ProfShibe]

@@atomic... i feel your pain dude lmao. Ive had windows blue screen and completely break the OS itself 3 times in the past few years, results in all my data gone, and having to flash windows on another USB anyways just to reinstall it. And now the AI stuff, it's nuts.

[@atomic...]

Jesus, one time is enough and you've had to put it up with it 3 times. I swear all that AI shit is gonna cause a lot of issues

[@Z1gguratVert1go]

Thank you for helping me to make this choice. I used to run Ubuntu years ago as my daily driver but shifted back to Windows primarily for games. My plan now is to switch back to Linux before Windows 10 goes EOL in October of 2025. I was deliberating between Mint and Ubuntu, bug given Ubuntu's long support life for 24.04 and its tools for remote desktop which I use a lot, you've guided me to stick with my old friend, tried and true Ubuntu.

[@Raptor-y9f]

I tried Ubuntu 24.04 and thought it was very slow to respond to commands. It even locked up a few times in which I had no choice but to reset it. I also tried LMDE 6 and really liked it. Unlike Ubuntu, it responds quickly and it only locked up once on me. Later, I discovered that it was a unstable nVidia driver that was causing it to lock up (at least I assumed it was). I do like to look and feel of Ubuntu 24.04 over the Cinnamon environment but that's not what's important to me.

[@meliodas.1108]

Linux mint. Its just much more catered towards the community. And community uses it. Ubuntu is great as well for a base but mint gives an overall better package as a desktop os.

[@Ironrocker69]

Yes I think so as well.( I happen to prefer Linux Mint). Some say the same for Ubuntu.. Both are great Distributions. I think which ever you like the best for your computing needs

[@CriticalThoughtCorner]

Always mint. Simple, minimalistic. Stable, less resource hungry. Although it is based on Ubuntu itself. I would definitely use linux mint based on Debian.

[@bokocchop]

Ubuntu is the reason we are talking about Linux in mainstream media now. It's a great distro, has been the best for very long time

[@balamah9273]

Ubuntu used to be good

[@imeakdo7]

​@@balamah9273why isn't it anymore besides snaps?

[@christopherjaya342]

@@imeakdo7 > disabling global pip installation > cannot install .deb file by double-click anymore > shoving ubuntu pro to user's ass every time they can It's a mix of Linux and capitalism, that's what it is.

[@iamtharunraj]

​@@imeakdo7It is good. Idk what the other guy is talking about tbh. It's my daily driver for 8+ years

[@nikhilhalbe]

​@@imeakdo7I mean its owned and majntained by canonical they promote google login and use geolocation acces and telemetry And after debian 12 got non free firmware support with flatpak Ubuntu is irrelevant

[@an0nymousH3ro]

Used Ubuntu, moved to Linux Mint for about 2 years and moved back to Ubuntu and never changed since then. Ubuntu looks modern first of all, personally I have never had performance issues at all. I tried Fedora which is also good but not as good as Ubuntu to my opinion. Tried Elementary OS and Pop Os, but these never convinced me. And Ubuntu has a better hardware support. I have it on My laptop, desktop that I use for gaming with steam, and boy, it's simply a joy!

[@maestreiluminati87]

I've used Ubuntu before but the main reason I have stayed away from Linux was due to how some games get "finicky" as opposed to working out the box with Windows, has the issues improved or have you ran into any games you want to play but can't? (other that anticheat games but fuck those).

[@mk6595]

Yeah, but Linux Mint is minty. Who doesn't like mint? It's very refreshing.

[@Sierra-Whisky]

I'm sorry, but mint isn't really my cup of tea 😅

[@xmajedz_3246]

I agree

[@PremAvnish]

Hey I have problem in Linux mint cinnamon with auto session saving can you please assist me😢

[@The_Penguin_City]

@@PremAvnish Auto sesión saving?

[@PremAvnish]

@@The_Penguin_City this mean that you working on your computer and suddenly power cut occurs and your all works and app you open lost in Linux mint but not in windows 10 any way to stop it in Linux please

[@esra_erimez]

I've distro hopped for sometime but kept coming back to Kubuntu, and right now I'm using KDE Neon for Plasma 6 goodness. I love that its just set and forget, the o/s doesn't get in my way and it just works.

[@vasudevmenon2496]

A minor correction Ubuntu cinnamon is not the same as Linux mint. I tried it and the experience was totally in opposite direction than Linux mint. It's buggy after point releases with GNOME and cinnamon desktop apps causing conflicts and acts like a bloody Frankenstein. Linux mint and Debian edition are complete experience with minimal Gnome components and less headaches. Even upgraded from older version to newer version without any issues and really great. Would only recommend Ubuntu for dev environment and for normal usage Linux mint is the way to go. Nobara for gaming. Specific distros optimised for your workflow is the best choice.

[@wiltfield]

He didn't say it was the same, he said it had the same desktop environment for people that wanted their Ubuntu to be more familiar

[@m0bob]

I am a new Linux user, although I did try it a few years ago for a while. I installed Ubuntu on an old laptop this week, but it was so old that I gave up because it was too slow. I then installed Mint Cinnamon edition on a USB stick and tried that on my main PC (booting from the USB stick), but as soon as I removed it and rebooted, the PC wanted me to use the Bit locker recovery key. I am not sure why that happened, but I may eventually learn how to partition the hard drive and install them side by side. I don't want to lose Windows 11 though. Thanks for a good KZbin channel👍

[@davidhoughton2073]

Ubuntu seems to be one of the best distros for support, it's so widely used that whenever there is a problem you can usually find the issue resolved in a forum, and software suppliers usually provide command-line installation instructions specifically for Ubuntu which is not a luxury for every distro. What I like about Mint and Pop OS is that I get that same benefit of Ubuntu (I can usually feed off of the Ubuntu support and instructions), but without Ubuntu's bloatware, so they are less resource hungry, a better choice for rejuvenating an old laptop. Pop OS is nicer to look at but Mint is much more reliable and as a software Dev I had an easier time setting up Mint.

Thanks Gary! I switched from Windows 10 on my MSi GF72VR 7RF laptop in August 2022 to Linux Mint and updated along the way to v22. I love it. It's simple and runs all the programs I use everyday like MuseScore, Audacity, kdenlive, DarkTable, and Ardour. I'm also a convert to LibreOffice, which I like a lot. I'm running the default Cinnamon desktop and enjoy the simplicity. There's really nothing I can't do that I did on Windows 10 and the main thing for me is the OS just leaves me alone, never fails, and I get work done running my programs which are mostly Flatpak or AppImage.

[@GaryExplains]

I'm glad you've had such a positive experience switching to Linux Mint and found it so well-suited to your workflow. Enjoy your Linux journey!

[@ValuedTeamMember]

You are (very) right about the "remote control" abilities... or not, of Mint. Now I know why I struggled a bit (more than a bit) getting that to work on Mint. Actually getting something installed. But then again, that's why I use Linux. I love to struggle!!

[@fenchurchmarie5224]

Hearing a Brit pronounce MATE phonetically seems to work 😀 Great info as always!

[@854Daryl]

Every time he said "mate", I slammed my fist on the table and screamed "mah-teh". Not really. 😊

[@mimimmimmimim]

Allogh meight 😂😂😂

[@ContraVsGigi]

All three laptops in this house came with Windows but they all run Ubuntu with both open spurce and commercial software on them. Love it.

[@ZZFilm]

Thanks! I’ve been running a bunch of VMs on my NAS, trying all sorts of flavors, and so far Mint definitely seems to be a really huge stand out favorite. Arch is a little odd. Cachy seems a bit better. Endeavor the same. Pop isn’t as nice as Mint out the box. Fedora KDE has been nice as well. Mint and Fedora so far are favorites. Still trying to understand the issues between snap and flat pack and AUR etc and this helped explain some things a bit. Thanks.

[@tonyf8167]

IMO the short and concise answer to the question posed in this video: if you're running a server, Ubuntu is better, if you are running a PC, linux mint is better...

[@dianechen1984]

Thanks for saving my time.

[@avi4003]

So as a Non Power user. (Daily Tasks, Little Programming) Linux Mint is best?

[@tonyf8167]

@@avi4003 yes, just as an example: on my mother's computer i originally installed LM18 on it years ago i have kept it up-to-date, its now running LM22 and it has had ZERO issues.

[@katamatarsys3373]

Could you provide any reason, why Mint is better for desktop? As example I had no issues with updates on Ubuntu since 18 version, goes smooth so far. As for daily task, programming, etc it's more like a choice of GUI (gnome/cinammon/unity/etc). Just wonder is there are really any significant differance, except you will have packages up to date earlier on Ubuntu

[@tonyf8167]

@@katamatarsys3373 1st off; nothing is 'wrong' with ubuntu per se; i have found if/when you are dealing with a non open source compliant machine (most of the computers i fix) LM has fewer issues getting it installed. a perfect example is the laptop im typing on right now... when 2404 came out i installed ubuntu to try it out and the bluetooth didnt work at all, LM it works fine w/o me having to do a lot of research to figure out exactly what the issue is.... and i have experienced a lot of similar issues before; i still distro hop on my personal equipment when a new update comes around but when dealing with other peoples PCs LM is the only thing i will recommend.

[@yulz_khepter]

Sir thank you for covering this up. 🤟

[@questionlp]

I used to use Ubuntu as my main Linux distro for desktop and servers, but have since switched over to Debian for servers and Fedora as my daily driver Linux. Snap and some of the questionable decisions Canonical has made is what got me to move away from Ubuntu overall. For Debian-based distros, I would go with Mint or Pop!_OS for people who want to get started with Linux, or Mint LMDE or straight Debian for power users. Since I have a number of servers at home, I would start to run out of the five free machines for Ubuntu Pro. It gets a bit pricey after that.

[@imeakdo7]

No distro will give you over 5 years of support for free

[@questionlp]

@@imeakdo7 AlmaLinux 8.3 released in 2021 and will get security updates through May 2029. AlmaLinux 9.0 released in April 2022 and will get security updates through May 2032. Ubuntu/Canonical has already put some common packages behind Ubuntu Pro subscription.

[@questionlp]

Commercial support is available for longer if needed. You may want to qualify that "No distro".

[@imeakdo7]

@@questionlp read the for free part.

[@questionlp]

@@imeakdo7 Alma and Rocky are free and you only have to pay to go beyond the 7-10 years of security updates.

[@kumarbanavathu7716]

Ubuntu 10.04 and 16.04 were awesom. After 16.04, I shifted to Mint in 2018. In terms of storage I prefer deb. Snap takes lots of space. Snap would be ideal for machines that dedicated to run few apps.

[@andybarnard4575]

10:40 - xrdp server runs fine on Linux Mint 22 and allows connections using rdp protocol so Im not sure what the issue is here. 'apt install xrdp'!

[@nowave7]

Yeah, not sure what was that all about. It works without any hassle. I'm accesing my desktop machine running Mint from macbook using M$ remote desktop. No issues whatsoever.

[@An.Individual]

but RDP sharing is built into Ubuntu so isn't that more integrated?

[@nowave7]

@@An.Individual hmm… even if it is, it’s really as simple as @andybarnard4575 wrote to install it on mint. A far cry from couldn’t get it to work or whatever the statement was.

[@esra_erimez]

I'm using nomachine on a headless server. Does xrdp support virtual desktops?

[@andybarnard4575]

@@esra_erimez ​Not sure exactly what you mean, but I have xrdp on a physical machine with no monitors and I access it remotely from my (Windows) laptop with 2 screens. The virtual desktop (optionally) uses all screens. I did try nomachine on other systems but prefer xrdp for ease of install and use with windows rdp client.

[@VikingSimon2503]

I've recently moved from Windows 11 to Linux Mint 22 Cinnamon and I have no complaints. Linux Mint 22 Cinnamon is just like Windows, but it's not Windows, it's also much faster.

[@williamBryan-k2e]

for Ubuntu - it has all those desktops and most folks think you can only use 1. Not true, with Ubuntu - you can load onto your computer 1 version, then load t an alternative desktop. for example, if you install Ubuntu with Gnome, you can load onto that the KDE desktop and/or XFCE and/or MATA ( etc ). when you login, you tell the login program which desktop to use. So I can login to OS and have GNOME running, then just logout and on the next login - tell t he login panel you want KDE. AFter login, you will be faced with KDE. Logout and login and tell it XFCE - and there you are. Or logout and go back to GNOME. I have been playing with Orange 5. and I have to select the flavor of ubuntu ( usuall gnome or just plain server ). install, load patches, then reboot. After you login - load the destop ( or more ) that you like. For me - mostly kde and cinnamon and MATA. then restart. From then on - just ling and tell it wich DM you want ( for me - listly cinnamon and kde )

[@personofinterest5450]

Sure but what many fail to realize when you have multiple desktops installed is that many of the components from the other desktops get loaded even when you're using a different desktop which sucks up resources in the background. So while you may be using xfce if you have gnome or other desktop also installed some of those components will be loaded and running in the background. It will never be as lean as a straight xfce only desktop environment.

[@williamBryan-k2e]

@@personofinterest5450 I will disagree with that. when you login, it runs the background system for the one desktop that you asked ro run. so if you ask to run kde, it runs kde amd all the std programs for kde ( not for gnomre, cinnamon, mate - etc. . If you ask it to run Gnome - it runs gnome - not the other background stuff for the other things. . Just because something is loaded - does not mean that it runs. If you feel your point is valid and mine is not - please prove it with details. the only problem that I see is that the start menu gets real big - with lots of options and if you want to know what comes with kde vs cinnomon vs mate vs gnome - that gets lots - because the start menu will become the amalgum of any envs that you load - if you load multiple. that is the big downside that I see.

[@danjuroff]

Tried both Ubuntu 24.04 LTS and Mint 22 LTS. I had not used Ubuntu for some time, but had some experience with Snap using Zorin OS 16 and 17. I don't honestly see the problem with Snaps and besides, Ubuntu supports Flatpaks and Deb packages as well. I have a Pro account with Ubuntu and 2 of my computers are added. I have a laptop running Zorin OS 17 and I absolutely love the way it runs...better than it ever did running Windows 11. But, to the point, I am really enjoying Ubuntu; it's stable, supports all my hardware well, and will be supported for the next 10 years. (At my age, that may last longer than I do.) I see nothing about Mint that will likely lure me away. Maybe another distro?

[@ShaunakHub]

Snaps on Ubuntu is good, but it is not such a good idea on other distros, as there are some security issues when using snaps on other distros.

[@danjuroff]

@@ShaunakHub Thanks for that tip. I haven't looked into that. I have only used Snaps on Ubuntu derivatives when they are supported out of the box, as in Zorin or Mint.

[@synen]

Oh Snap !

[@nikhilhalbe]

🤣

[@bertnijhof5413]

Ubuntu the original, obviously, I use it since 2008. Since 2009 I try other distros in VirtualBox and since 2018 I store all my data and VMs in OpenZFS. I keep also an eye on other distros in VMs, currently: Linux Mint 22; Zorin 7; Fedora 40; Manjaro; Debian 12; OpenSuse Leap 15.5 and Peppermint. I always use Xubuntu in a VM for email and social media and I still use Windows XP to play the wma copies of my CDs and LPs with WoW and Truebass effects. The huge advantage of a VM, I installed and activated XP in March 2010 and it survived 2 VBox owners; 3 desktops and 4 CPUs.

[@Craft2guardian]

I switched to Mint a few months ago and there are so many things that windows CANNOT do without third party apps such as creating a new panel and resizing the panels.

[@bsdslacker]

Just started using EndeavourOS, been using Ubuntu for work and my old brick. My mum is currently on Ubuntu and she loves it. Mint has never crossed my mind

[@CrustyAbsconder]

I think one of the reasons to use a Linux distro is the ability to choose which versions of software and system programs that you want. By choosing Linux Mint, you have chosen to use versions of software that may be six months behind the latest version, and system programs that might be a year behind the latest version. In a sense, Linux Mint 22 is so 2023. But for most newbies that is fine. I think some people my find the word Ubuntu as unpleasant. Older people, and non-nerdy people just don't get all the weird names in the computing industry. If all you do is type simple letters with LibreOffice, then any of the distros intended for newbies will likely be similar. But some come with more wallpapers, and other programs in the repository. There are community based distros that have been around for over 10 years, like SparkyLinux. These or Those might have a newer kernel, or a rolling-version.

[@OliverWoodphotography]

I dropped Mint for MX Linux then moved to antiX 23 which is now my current fav distro. I'm obsessed with very low resource demand even on a very powerful system.

[@D.u.d.e.r]

Ubuntu is easy to use for newbies as well, either original Gnome or Kubuntu KDE flavor. Classic Unity is also cool. And yes as u have stated Ubuntu leads and Mint follows which is sometimes more benefitial for Mint😉

[@JamsODonnell100]

This has good information that I found useful. For those about to switch, I salute you! Just do it, I partitioned and tried Mint and never been happier. Now I just use it all the time and will eventually delete windows and forget about it forever (hopefully). Very much enjoying your stance on mate, mate 😂

[@arty2k]

Many people won't switch to Linux because they don't know if their game/application can be easily replaced or virtualized in Linux. How about a video about that?

[@Bonjour-World]

If it doesn't run on Linux then I do not need or want it (full stop).

[@Bitute-h6x]

​@@Bonjour-World Shitnux

[@KneelB4Bacon]

My entire Steam library runs on Linux Mint. That was one of the reasons why I delayed switching to Linux. I can also run nearly all my older, non-Steam games under Wine.

[@Bonjour-World]

​@@Bitute-h6x covfefe

[@laxenta]

​​@@Bitute-h6xa PC is lile a AC and it becomes useless when you open windows 😊 - Laxenta

[@cx3268]

Tried both Ubuntu, Linux Mint & Linux LMDE and now staying with Manjaro. Ubuntu, Linux Mint & LMDE froze up daily within 2 hours after startup. Needed to do a hard boot to get them going again. INTERESTING often after the hard boot an update was waiting. Yes on them did turn off update checking and it made NO difference. Now on Manjaro have turn off update checking and before shutting down for the day, check for updates. For the 2 months with Manjaro, not needed to do a hard boot and only 1 time apps just disappeared one at a time. Did a system restart and things were OK afterwards.

[@daveamies5031]

Small correction: The default Ubuntu desktop is more like the Mac desktop than the default Linux Mint, you said the default Linux Mint was more familiar for Windows and Mac users, true for windows, not so for Mac users. I personally prefer the default Ubuntu desktop, I like the dock placement so much so that after first using Ubuntu in 2005 i have since always moved the dock to the left of the screen on my Mac's, I also prefer the default Ubuntu colour scheme's over the mint colour scheme's, but I'll happily acknowledge both of these are personal preference and not a reason to say one is better or worse, I like Mint and what it offers and have recommended it to people, primarily people coming from windows. I'll also ask why one has to be better, I think it's better that we have a choice, something that neither Windows or MacOS gives us.

[@GaryExplains]

Small correction: macOS doesn't have the task bar on the left.

[@daveamies5031]

@@GaryExplains The Ubuntu task bar is more like the Mac dock than it is the windows task bar, the bar at the top of the screen on Ubuntu is more Mac like as well. Mac can have it's dock on the left (I know it's not default) Also the Super key to access apps not on the dock in Ubuntu is also more like Mac than Mint and windows where you use the "start" button to access an app menu. The show applications button on the Ubuntu dock is more reminiscent of Windows 8 than any other os though, but that's the only similarity I see between Ubuntu's Gnome and any Windows version, and Windows 8 would probably be the least used windows version.

[@GaryExplains]

It is on the left of the screen. How is that like one on the bottom of the screen? 🤦‍♂️

[@freddymercury2259]

You mention canonical being a commercial entity is beneficial in terms of having reliable support, but doesn't the fact that mint is based on Ubuntu also benefit from that?

[@GaryExplains]

Yes that is good for Mint, but if the Mint team disbands or splits then the fact that Ubuntu is stable doesn't help.

[@Winnetou17]

In the Ubuntu vs Mint, from what I've seen my impression is that - Mint focuses on the user having a nice, stable (both in the "does not crash" and "does not change often or suddenly") user experience - Ubuntu focuses on having features and compatibility, while trying to have a good user experience too (but not top priority I'd say). And what it does it tries to have solutions that work for both the server version / landscape and the desktopp casual user experience. There can be many things said about the different pros and cons of each. Gary did a pretty good job of giving examples for both. There are other examples too. I'd say that you can't go wrong with either one. And if something is missing, you can try the other one. I'd say to first try Ubuntu, since there's bigger chances of quickly finding out if you like it or not. And then possibly try Mint. I use Gentoo fyi. And wow that outro music took me by surprise. Not in an unpleasant way.

[@PankajDhande]

But I love Ubuntu's way of having change in user experience, as it let user experience the latest UI trends. Mint however, have become same old boring thing.

[@rantalbott6963]

​@@PankajDhande Some of us *like* the "same old boring thing". I switched to full-time Linux in 2000, starting with Mandrake and KDE. When Mandrake died, I switched to Ubuntu, which I've used on everything from Raspberry Pis to "obsolete" laptops and PCs to my current main desktop. I never liked Gnome (there's something fatally wrong with a UI that doesn't include Cancel buttons in its dialogs), and I didn't like the changes that KDE was making. So now I start new installs with Ubuntu Server, and add Trinity (a fork of KDE3) if the system has a GUI. I've had pretty much the same working environment for almost 25 years, and using it is almost as instinctive as breathing.

[@3-dog-solution]

@@rantalbott6963 I didn't know that "Trinity (a fork of KDE3)" was available as a separate desktop, that you could install on top of another distro: I've tried Q4OS for a while, but found their implication limited. Sigh: I feel another rabbit hole coming on. Anyhow: thanks for the pointer.

[@mikecaster4612]

Hi Gary, I am looking to jump ship on windows and Linux Mint sounds better (watched your video) for a newb like me. Although, I have had some exposure to Unix decades ago. Do you have or could you make a video showing how to convert a laptop from windows to Linux Mint? I would like you to discuss Mail setup and internet (so I can watch KZbin videos). I don't care about the timing - you could base the video on "60 minutes or less" to convert. I have had windows since my Atari ST computer - so I would like to have windows in Linux.

[@pashamehmet]

Thanks for the comparison between Linux Mint and Ubuntu. I noticed you pronounced 'mate' in 'Ubuntu Mate' differently-it's usually pronounced 'mah-tay,' like the drink. Just thought I'd mention it. Appreciate the content!

[@GaryExplains]

You aren't the first to mention the "correct" pronunciation. However, as I have said to others who mentioned it, any project, product, or organization that needs an explainer for how to pronounce its name, is just badly named, simply as that. It is spelled MATE, and that is how I pronounce it.

[@timlocke3159]

@@GaryExplains It's pronounced like the herb. You wouldn't complain if it had been an herb you heard of. It isn't of English origin but Spanish. The MATE project was started by an Argentinian.

[@GaryExplains]

@@timlocke3159 You might have a valid argument if the project was aimed only at Spanish speakers.

[@timlocke3159]

@@GaryExplains You say that as if all products with English names were aimed only at English speakers.

[@GaryExplains]

@@timlocke3159 LOL, just accept that English is the defacto language for tech and the Internet. Linus Torvalds is Finnish, but he communicates with the Linux community in English. Just a fact. I don't make the rules.

[@tonykeltsflorida]

I like the Linux Mint 22 Cinnamon on my I5 11500. It works great.

[@What_do_I_Think]

I always must shake heads, when I hear "it is easier, because the buttons are at the bottom"

[@tytarian2639]

Other than the mispronunciation of "mate" a great video, thanks!

[@JanSesko]

i bet youre a millennial

[@timlocke3159]

@@JanSeskoThey might be Spanish. Mate is an herb. The MATE project was started by an Argentinian.

[@Diggy22]

It all depends on the purpose. Linux Mint is my go-to for my daily driver, while I have Lubuntu installed on my HP Stream for portability.

[@52bbibbs]

Thanks, very informative!

[@openbabel]

Enterprise users are increasingly migrating to distros such as openindiana and linux. Why don't you discuss the release of the Framework laptop developers edition with RISC 5 and how openindiana and Solaris versions will benefit from this Framework development.

[@imeakdo7]

Openindiana? Didn't everyone switch to Linux?

[@philcrase7425]

For a newbie who wants something easy to use, Mint is the way to go. If a person wants to have fun and likes to experiment and play then Ubuntu is the way to really get in to it. Personally I like them all, there are so many distros from which to choose.

[@psyh5743]

Can i install waydroid in mint? Or do i need Ubuntu?

[@GerhardBothaWFF]

As a long time Linux user, I don’t get the whole mint / ubuntu debate. You can install any desktop onto any linux distro fairly easily. And you ate by no means limited to the distro repo for software. In fact, I never rely on distro packages because they are always out of date. Most of my machines run Ubuntu or debian. But I do use other distros from time to time. No real difference as far as I can tell

[@cybernit3]

I have been using the new Ubuntu since April and it has been working alot better than afew years ago. I like the fact there is company behind with support/stability. If you don't like snap, don't use and just install flatpak, no big deal. Linux Mint I heard/read about being a good OS if you are coming from Windows, but what is the point if it is just Ubuntu anyways. Mint's Cinnamon desktop does it support Wayland?

[@michalsvihla1403]

What's the point of Ubuntu if it's just Debian anyways?

[@ContraVsGigi]

​@@michalsvihla1403But it is not. Debian uses, in some cases, way older packages/ libraries.

[@imeakdo7]

​​​@@michalsvihla1403debian doesn't work on new laptops while Ubuntu does, debian doesn't have a corporation backing it despite corporate support being necessary to become widely adopted like windows.

[@kurtmampaey1208]

I prefer Linux Mint, I used Lubuntu and Ubuntu studio for a while but since they switched to using snap it gave nothing but problems, I regularly got messages that the browser was not up to date and had to be upgraded manually after which there was no sound, other software had the same problem. With Linux Mint I use flatpak for some software, for example tux guitar, because it works better and the updates are clearly displayed in the update manager, unlike Ubuntu snap. Linux Mint is so much better in many ways

[@matneu27]

I've been using Mint for years on my PCs and Laptops and was always fine with it, But since i had Ubuntu installed on a Surface Tablet (with patched kernel) i noticed that the desktop is perfect for use on a touchscreen compared to the cinnamon on my PC. I also like the direct access to the settings in the panel where the battery status is shown.

[@manishgothwal922]

I am a fan of ubuntu and used ubuntu because i like Gnome desktop environment & there community is very supportive & you can easily resolve any error occure in ubuntu because there is lots or guide is provided on internet. but in my family computer i installed linux mint because they are familiar with windows also linux mint is easy to use either updating the kernel or installing apps.

[@RustoKomuska]

I'm building a new pc and annoyed that I'm going to have to use windows 11 when i was happy with 10. I've been thinking maybe I'll use linux for a while but now I'm kinda just planning on biting the bullet, clearing my windows boot usb and putting linux on it instead. Wasn't sure about ubuntu or mint, but I think that remote desktop will be the deciding factor for me

[@RidgeRunner5150]

Have used both mint and Ubuntu, currently Mint 21.2. THINKING about going Ubuntu Pro which is how I got here. Still on the fence to switch. I will need to make changes to TQSL certs and so forth AGAIN but like the LTS 12 year thing. Maybe configure for dual boot unless that will prove to be problematic.

[@pandemoniumedge6342]

Ubuntu versions 20 and 22 were a bit buggy on my laptop. 24 seems to have stabilised it but I still have issues - some folders got turned to sym links then the sym links went into a reversible spiral and now Ubuntu can't find those folders and says those links are corrupted. It also slowed down. 20 and 22 also slowed down graphics / KZbin dramatically, forcing me to upgrade to 23. This was on Pentium Silver processor

[@bertblankenstein3738]

I'm glad you touched on Snaps and Canonical. Those are big turn offs for me. I also prefer System packages over flatpacks. It saves a lot of disk space.

[@arleendo]

Very cool video. I use arch btw

[@josecabrera5632]

I started with Ubuntu and Xubuntu... but because of some uncomfortable bugs I moved to Linux Mint and I have a lot of fun with it. The only thing I do not like with Mint is that it is a little bit harder to use with AD. Otherwise, Mint is awesome and as today the latest version of Ubuntu is also awesome!!

[@pelleskanal7660]

To much to choose from, what’s the difference for a user? Are there programs that works on one desktop and not the other? I just want it to work, not nerding on tech details.

[@linsqopiring6816]

I'm new to this too but from reading a bunch of comments it seems ubuntu is less user friendly and could have more issues running programs.

[@PoeLemic]

My 2025 plan ... I'm moving from Win10, bez I don't like the FORCED PRESSURE to move my full installs to Win11. And, I'm not paying per year for security updates. Linux will be my new OS.

[@mumbaiwala007-n8k]

Just got started with Ubuntu desktop. Haven’t tried Mint yet.

[@k.chriscaldwell4141]

I’ve investigated this for several months. Ubuntu straddles the line between the general/home user and workstation/power user spaces. Mint is more within the general/home user space. Both superb. My 2 cents.

[@omarjimenezromero3463]

short answer: Linux mint is better (i use cinnamon). long answer: i started with ubuntu, had problems with snap, had to solve things with apt, had to use flatpak, had to jump to kali, kali did a good work, but firefox freezes too much, gnome died, xfce and light are hard to use even if i used the terminal for linux things, i remembered that i left linux mint in my little brother's computer, he has been destroying things but for some reason his potato pc have been working fine, then i tried linux mint, had to install things with apt and flatpak, firefox did not work well, but also in my 3 months of use only it has freeze like 2 times, vlc did not turn into black mode so i had to change some things and install some things, aside that and that i need a command for nighlight the distro is solid as a rock, and the other complaint i have but i think this is because linux mint is more "lightweight" is that the "terminal" is not as smart or colorful like the one of kali linux, aside that 4 things i have a very pleasant time using linux mint for overall activities wich include navigating in the net, using visual studio code, modifying audio with tenacity, hearing music with vlc, watching videos on the pc, editing videos with kdenlive, using libreoffice for word and excel documents, i am pretty fine right now, i want to go back to kali, but i sure do not want to have to deal with a bugged gnome desktop.

[@dksayt]

About 10 ago I started to build two XP computers. During that process I ended up having enough hardware for three computers. I searched for a free OS. I found Ubuntu. It was not hard to install. I wasn't fond of the desktop but it was okay and the beginning of Linux which I now use everyday. When I started with Ubuntu I found my self needing to use the command dpkg - - configure --a. I went distro hopping. Eventually landing on Mint with Cinnamon desktop. I found it the easiest distro to run. Recently I found that Ubuntu could be downloaded with Cinnamon so I installed in and I like the Cinnamon desktop with it but I find myself almost daily using dpkg --configure -a.

[@coolguypravara]

So far I had bad experience with Linux Mint. Installed Linux Mint 21.3 first time and found Bluetooth broke. Was not able to connect anything. Posted the issue on Linux Mint forum but no one responded till now. Tried different solutions but nothing worked. Three days back installed latest Linux Mint 22 Wilma. This time Bluetooth got fixed. Was able to connect my phone but sadly Software Manager broke. Again posted this on forums and so far two guys responded and the solutions they provided didn't work. I like Linux Mint but issues these kind still keeping me away from using Linux. I have a Windows 11 laptop and I am trying to explore Linux on my old laptop. Looks like I have to give a try with Ubuntu and see how it works for me.

[@JAMMAJ-cq2bl]

Please make a video on how to play bluray discs in Linux, something that actually works. Thanks!!!

[@GaryExplains]

Nice idea but I don't have a bluray player or any bluray discs.

[@Kriyonix]

i'm currently running xubuntu on my old laptop, but i have used mint cinnamon in the past and its been great.

[@Cyco_Nix]

It depends on the user, honestly. Linux Mint is a solid, boring distro with an equally solid and boring main DE in Cinnamon. I do mean boring in a good way. Ubuntu uses Gnome, which has more extensions and corporate support. I think both try to take choice away from the user, Ubuntu with Snaps and Mint with removing Snaps. Although you can change either one easily, although Mint artificially makes it harder by placing a file to block it. So it comes down to what you want in a DE more than anything. Now as far as spins go, Ubuntu hands down wins that. Way more options, including Cinnamon.

[@cfbmoo1]

I started out on Ubuntu but when they went with Gnome 3 I switched to Linux Mint. Haven't looked back since though I do like the XUbuntu version as well as the MATE version.

[@LilaHikes]

Ubunut killed it for me when they switched to that god awful desktop environment. Looks like it belongs on something with a touchscreen. The wasted of desktop space in the app menu is atrocious. I've tried rolling distros and while you get daily updates, there is something unsettling about living on the bleeding edge with your daily driver. That's why I finally settled on Mint. LTS means it is rock solid, with no surprises...at least for me, that's been my experience.

[@uelmills]

I was a huge fan of Ubuntu … until the Unity desktop imposition. Today I’m using raspbian as my daily driver. Thanks, Gary, as always for great content. 😊

[@brettanderson6743]

I switched from "regular" Linux mint to the debian edition. Honestly can't tell the difference except LMDE is slightly faster.

[@genericdude6551]

It's a little annoying that snap and apt places an app in different places (Ubuntu). I prefer Ubuntu since I'm already familiar with it.

[@rjbook51]

I used Linux Mint for a few years with xfce, and was irritated by the search engine locking out google during an update. Then on the next update it crashed, LOL. So I installed Xubuntu, since I like xfce, and found it easy to install flatpaks. From a use point of view I really see no difference at all, but each require some tweaking to meet my needs. Both are good for beginners, and both are good for my daily work needs.

[@sridhartn83]

I have switched lot many distros and settled on kubuntu, but kubuntu threw error if I try connecting my blutooth headphone, on mint it connects without any issues, seems I will stay on mint. Looks flawless.

[@jesusavelar3413]

Great video!, I'm gonna try mint, i recently build a pc and even isn't the most powerful it feels not so responsive, think it's cause windows 11, the only reason I don't leave windows it's that I'm really used to VS 2019 and 2022 versions, and with VS code lost a lot of commodities, wish me well 😅, PD: don't think I'm stupid if wrote something wrong, just trying write in another language 🤭

[@Looneybob1]

Mint cinnamon user. Been using Linux for decades. Bear ops was my first Linux with a gui. I tried BEos. I’ve tried nearly ALL major distros, but mint is very good.

[@TamilarasanVeluswamy]

Mint, Ubuntu and Fedora are my favorites and I lean more towards .deb world of things off late. The biggest gripe about Ubuntu for me is the snap apps, not because of the reasons floating around the community but because of two things: 1. Lack of mouse cursor customization, 2. inconsistent window border behavior in KDE apps. Kdenlive is my go to video editor and the window border management for it and also the mkvtoolnix app, QT apps in general, is an eye sore. They defaults to kde plasma icons (the min, max and the close buttons) no matter how hard I try I can’t get it to gtk style. Sometimes it works sometimes it wont, kind of like a lottery. I love to use the mouse cursor in 24px size and the cursors available in that size are not respected by snap apps and the cursor always defaults to yaru when using snap apps. These two things especially the mouse cursor situation with snap apps is what pushing me in favor of mint. Other than the above two reasons Ubuntu gave a rock solid experience for me.

[@kevin6596]

I started over 10 years ago with Ubuntu and have used several distros since then. I didn't spend much time on Linux Mint because it's such an unattractive interface (I think I hate that shade of green, lol). I eventually settled on ZorinOS as my daily driver and have been pleased for years. Zorin has a beautiful interface, however, I use Ubuntu 24.04 on my desktop computer because it's the only distro that seems to support my hardware out-of-the-box at the moment.

[@ikust007]

After trying Linux for the first time, Mint Cinnamon…my machine logged me off. We tried for 2 hours with another Linux guy. We couldn’t get in. Never had any issues with windows for 20 years … So going to try with Ubuntu .

[@Uhfgood]

I'm new to all this, although I ran mint for a few months a couple of years ago. I've got a new drive, and I'm thinking of dual-booting. Right now I'm looking at Arch - although mint and ubuntu (as well as others) are still on the table.

[@robertleemeyer]

I use both Ubuntu and Mint. All of my drives are split right down the middle so that I can boot either one, and still access all my data from any drive. In fact, I have some drives which are split into four: Windows 10, Ubuntu 20.04, Ubuntu 22.04, and Mint. Because I can!

[@Reprint001]

Don't have to watch the video. Linux Mint. Preferably LMDE. No Ubuntu in sight. Ubuntu was my first distro in 2007 but recently I find it awful, especially the default desktop environment.

[@itsjackson1156]

... Isn't Linux Mint Based off of Ubuntu?!

[@br.3250]

​@@itsjackson1156pretty much

[@tenfourproductionsllc]

@@itsjackson1156 LMDE is based on debian stable, which is fine unless you got brand new spanking computer with ultra modern graphics and such, then you want ubuntu based which is much more likely to have the latest drivers. debian stable lags behind, like way behind.

[@NemoOhd20]

Not a power user buy any means, for browsing and word processing, Mint is great. I started with Ubuntu but gave up when they switched to snaps.

[@8BitRetroRabbit]

i use the "btw" since over 1year as dailydriver, its my first linux kernel based os ever :D

[@christianmontagx8461]

Debian. 😂😂😂 No yadda yadda added by some distro folks. Just plain and functional Linux that can do everything what Mint and Ubuntu can do.

[@juhaeerjayran4246]

yeah but not as suited for beginners who fear the terminal as much as mint

[@RustedCroaker]

@@juhaeerjayran4246 I don't see much of a difference in installation and DMs are all the same. Debian even better for beginners as it more conservative with updates.

[@ppdan]

Been using Debian for server and desktop. Only problem I have with Debian for desktop is that I am used to run testing because stable version often has too old packages and with the recent install of a NVIDIA graphics adapters I get lots of problem when a new kernel is rolled out. I could pin my kernel version to a long support version but that is not a good idea on a semi-rolling release like testing. Tried Ubuntu but just didn't like and get used to their desktop. Have been watching Mint for a few years because I really liked how it looked. After now trying it for about a week I have to admit that I really like it and looks like this going to be my new favorite desktop distro. PS : some ppl dual boot Linux and Windows, I currently dual boot Debian and Mint :D

[@darkchoclate]

If you're gonna use Ubuntu because of upstream, just use debian. Snap sucks. Pre snap Ubuntu is just better. Yes you can disable snap, but at that point why use Ubuntu over debian?

[@A2Fyise]

How is snap worse than flatpak or app image?

[@CommodoreFan64]

@@A2Fyise SNAPS use more resources, load slower, and have been proven by how Canonical handles them to be less secure. In fact Valve says DO NOT use the SNAP version of STEAM, as it has more bugs, is less secure, & is not an official package as they will never make a SNAP version of STEAM, so if something goes wrong, you're on your own, and don't complain to them about it. Also the Solus team is dropping anything to do with SNAPS, and SNAP App Armor because of the security issues. So yeah, those are more than good enough reasons for me to not use Ubuntu that forces them on it's users, or any distro for that matter which has SNAPS as their main, or only package option. SNAPS are crap!!!

[@darkchoclate]

@@A2Fyise any package manager that uses bundled packages is slow. Both snap, flatpack packages is slower than apt. But snap is closed distribution while flatpack maintains an open distribution. So flatpack is better than snap. Still I would recommend apt for smaller package size and faster execution.

[@rantalbott6963]

Ubuntu has the "non-free" repos for stuff like Windoze fonts and closed-source codecs.

[@obviouslytom]

I have tried both, and prefer the interface and use of Ubuntu. That being said, one thing I wish I could do in Linux, and there probably is a way, is a feature of Windows where I can rename one file, and hit the Tab button and go bwtween files to rename if needed.

[@send2gl]

For a few years I used Ubuntu but couple of years back installed Linux MX KDE which is great. Oddly I do use Arch BTW but it was just a practice installation with XFCE that has worked well for a couple of years so I tend to use it quite regularly. On same disk as my MX KDE so all files shareable.

[@matthewdropco]

I think that if the opensource type community, which also tends to be big on eco things, or companies like canonical or others wanted, they could continue support for 32 bit processors. i.e. PPC for Mac and of course various PC processors that are 32 bit. I say that, because in many cases, companies like Apple and Microsoft have all but abandoned their hardware by not keeping up support for their older OS's. Some do have security patches, but for the most part they don't. My point being, with the growing popularity of hobbiest exploring "retro computing", especially in the Mac world, there are some limitations in the linux world. I think, (and please understand I'm just getting back into exploring computing after a great many years, in fact I still have some old Ubuntu install discs that would work on my blue and white G3 and even a DarwinOS installer, and Yellow Dog linux) if we can save computers from ending up as e-waste or in landfills, why not have more teams of devs supporting 32bit machines, especially the PPC ones? My main computer is a 2018 MBP. I just took my first computer, a blue and white G3 with a Gig of ram & 32gb flashed radeon video card, and an Optiplex 990 2nd Gen i7 2600 w/32GB of ram and 1gb radeon out of storage and have them working. Even with an upgraded GT750 video card, and a samsung ssd, it turns out it's not upgradeable to windows 11. However, there's plenty of linux or bsd options for that. Not as many choices for the old mac. Although Action Retro has shown some and i'm trying them out. Anyway, thanks for posting. It was informative and is helping me in my explorations.

[@volkswagen4866]

After I retired I dumped Microsoft installed Mint on all my computers and I'm never looking back.

[@fifthager]

I've used Ubuntu for many years. Recently tried Mint to see what I might be missing and concluded that it isn't for me. No, not worse (or better). Read the other comments and it is evident that most of the commenters are Linux enthusiasts with a mindset akin to that of football supporters: they have chosen their team, and want to see it win. I've given many an old Windows computer a second life by installing Ubuntu, sometimes because a disk, or Windows, was beyond rescue. The owners, usually with no interest in computers other than using them for documents, email, photos and web browsing, have coped with minimal help from me. Ubuntu has become very good at 'just working' and sorting itself out. Snaps have done away with many software library version issues, and who worries about disk space for software nowadays? I submit that PCs and Windows have always appealed to tinkerers and 'tuners', and Linux can be tinkering on steroids. Luckily for those who just want things to work but can't afford Apple products there is a Linux for them now (Ubuntu), and a Linux for everyone else too, especially for those who spend more time under the hood than behind the wheel.

[@PX125E]

I dipped my toe into PopOs but now I’m enjoying Ubuntu. I’d like to try Mint one day though

[@rolyantrauts2304]

I use Ubuntu as it just benefits from having a larger herd, but there isn't really a better distro as there are many distros that focus on specific tasks. Nobara Linux if gaming and content creation is your thing could be deemed better than both Ubuntu & Mint.

[@GaryExplains]

I wonder why there aren't multiple variants of Windows or macOS for each of the different specific tasks?

[@rolyantrauts2304]

​@@GaryExplains You know exactly why and try not to be so childish...

[@GaryExplains]

The point is that you shouldn't need to pick a distro that focusses on specific tasks. I am not being childish but rather pointing out the weakness.

[@rolyantrauts2304]

@@GaryExplains From server to lite weight, rolling distro as opposed to scheduled the only weakness on display is your understanding of choice with Linux opensource from embedded to desktop you have compared 2 distro's one is ubuntu and another is a modded ubuntu which are both debian based. Even with Ubuntu there is core, server, mini and desktop and having streamlined OS is not a weakness just optimised systems and not bloatware.

[@mamba4222]

Can one load both Linux Mint 22 and Ubuntu 24.04 in partition on the same Desktop ? Will they give any issues.