FeedsQuick Linux Mint 6 (Felicia) comments
Today I've installed the recently released Linux Mint 6 (Felicia). Here are some initial thoughts:
Things I like:
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Hardware detection was flawless. Somehow it seems better than Ubuntu's, although i thought they'd use the exact same things. My laptop (Acer 5920) is a bit of a POS for Linux distributions, since it always seems to cause some strange issues. This time however, screen resolution was detected correctly, even without the NVIDIA drivers installed, and my keyboard works normally in firefox (in Ubuntu the cursor keys make a page go to the bottom and jump up and down).
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Mint looks decent. Looks are important. It causes the first impressions, and those determine a large part of the will to use it.
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Gnome-Do enabled by default. On beforehand I didn't think it'd be so handy, but it is!
Things I'd like to see improved:
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At the end of the install the installer asks some seemingly very unimportant questions about enabling fortune cookies in the terminal. IMHO getting rid of those would simplify the installation for new users.
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After install I'd like to see what things I should do after install. I think it would be nice for example if after the desktop loads, it'd suggest to enable the firewall
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After install I'd like to see what makes Linux Mint special. Show me some kind of list of what I can do now, a walk through the system, introducing features like Giver, MintNanny.
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The menu lists both 'Software Manager' and 'Package Manager'. While both seem to install software, I found it confusing having to use two seperate apps for this. Would be nice if they'd be merged into one.
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Perhaps the Mint Menu takes some getting used to, but for now I find it lists too many options. Less is more.
Too early to tell
This is not a review. I've just installed Mint like 10 minutes ago. I need more time to make up my mind about it. At least it didn't cause me a headache within 10 minutes of installing it ;-)
That said, the idea of Mint seems nice. They seem to want to take Ubuntu to new levels, and are trying their best. Unlike the gazillion Ubuntu clones which anyone can create these days using automated tools, the Mint developers seem to put real effort in distinguishing themselves, and they're not afraid to write software themselves to make the desktop more complete.
By the way, if you're looking for a good review, check Penguinway » Linux Mint 6 Felicia Review : It Must Be Christmas
