The Linux Mint project has been releasing versions of its Ubuntu 9.04-based Linux Mint 7 "Gloria" distro over the last few months and has now released a final KDE version. Gloria KDE Community Edition offers various ease of use enhancements, and greatly improved installation features.
Desktop
Linux Mint is known for being a more multimedia-rich, consumer-friendly version of Ubuntu, although at the cost of using some proprietary software mixed in with the open source apps. Mint offers the open source Amarok, Totem, and Mplayer for multimedia display and playback, but also supports MP3, Flash, Windows Media, and encrypted DVD playback support. Bundled applications include OpenOffice, Thunderbird, Firefox, Tomboy Notes, GIMP, and Rhythmbox.
The last time we checked in with Mint was last September, when the group was releasing Linux Mint 5.0. Mint 5 added a number of UI conveniences, including better desktop widgets, as well as a new backup utility, CNR support, and the Compiz 3D desktop. The previous major release was Mint 4.0, released in late 2007, which established it as a player in the consumer Linux distro arena.
Amarok 2.1 on Mint 7
The key improvements in Gloria are upstream improvements in Linux 2.6.28, KDE 4.2.4, Xorg 7.4, and especially the Kubuntu version of Ubuntu 9.04 ("Jaunty Jackalope"). The latter offers improved notifications, faster boot times, enhanced suspend-and-resume, and better switching between WiFi and 3G connections. It also provides Ubuntu's first ARM port, among other features.
New MintInstall GUI
Yet, Mint also introduces a number of new features of its own, including vastly improved wireless support, according to one reviewer who tested the previously released Gnome 2.26 version (see farther below).
The major non-Ubuntu-related enhancements appear to deal with the installation process. MintInstall has been improved with pre-filled information, "seamless" screenshot downloads, and improved GUI layout, says the project. A new "featured applications" screen (below) shows popular applications that are available, but not currently installed on the system.
Featured applications screen
The Mint update process, meanwhile, has been enhanced with changelogs, package sizes, and various usability features, says the project. The changelog tab now supports Linux Mint packages, whereas previous versions only displayed changelogs for packages maintained by Ubuntu. The update feature also displays download size for each upgrade.
Uploading has been enhanced with the removal of advertisements from the default service. Other uploading improvements are said to include a better GUI, a graphical service manager, and SCP/SFTP support, says the Mint project.
Additional touted features include a new welcome screen, an improved command line interface, a version of Firefox with the Moonlight plug-in, signed repositories, and improved packages organization. There is also a new "adjustment system" for restoring key files at boot time, as well as other enhancements and fixes.
Early Mint 7 reviews
A review in the blog, Obsessive Compulsive Linux Disorder this week praised the Gnome 2.26 version of Linux Mint 7 on a number of counts, in particular for fixing version 6 bugs that prohibited the detection of wireless networks, and made it difficult to mount wireless devices. This "dealbreaker" had led the blogger elsewhere in recent months, but with wireless support now working flawlessly in Mint 7, a Mint homecoming is said to be underway.
MintMenu on Linux Mint 7 Gnome 2.26 version
The review praises the new MintMenu display (see above), which lets users filter the list of applications. MintMenu also introduces a new "Suggestions" feature when filtering offers no results.
The reviewer also liked the new installation features. MintInstall, which has improved greatly in the last two releases, is "pretty much its own Package Manager, where the available packages are listed, with the awesome options of clicking on more info and getting a very detailed description about the package and what it does," says the blog.
Other welcome features are said to include an improved MintMenu, and a new feature called "Computer Janitor," which recommends packages the user might want to trash, as well as advises configuration changes that might be useful. "This is a great idea," writes the reviewer.
Shuddering at the thought of using Linux
For those interested in a non-Linuxer point of view, Bruno Dieter Chan offers his thoughts in a July 28 review on TopTechNews, and they are, well, luke-warm. After praising the distro for playing all his multimedia files, for offering a good web-browsing experience, and for providing reasonably fast 30-second boots, the complaints kick in.
The reviewer was disappointed in the lack of QuickTime support, as well as some movie "shudder" effects when he tried to use "restricted drivers for my ATI 4850 graphics card." He also groused over having to download a driver for his Creative X-Fi card, and then noted that it output audio through the motherboard instead of the X-Fi's jack. Also, apparently, Mint 7 didn't support plug-and-play with his Canon A400 or fully support his Sansa player.
"Overall, Mint 7 offers most of the software that an average user needs," concludes Chan. "Though I have issues with the OS, it still can be used as a 'light' desktop OS. But if you're going to do more than just Web browsing, then it would be better to stick with Mac OS or Windows."
Availability
Linux Mint 7 KDE Community Edition is available now for free download. More information on this and other Mint 7 versions, as well as links to download mirrors, may be found below.
