Why Linux Mint is the best Linux distribution

Linux Mint is the best Linux distribution for all those who are looking for a stable, minimalist and efficient operating system to work with... at least, in my opinion.

If you have been reading some of the articles on my blog, you will have seen that I often talk about macOS or the Mac Mini. And this is because this is the preferred machine that I use for the development of multiplatform apps, however, my main operating system, the one I use "by default", the one I use for personal and professional management, the one I use for my tech experiments, is, and has been for the past decade, Linux Mint.

And I say all this because this popular Linux distribution has earned through its own merits the fact that I consider it one of the best operating systems ever created, with all due respect to other Linux distributions.

Linux Mint was created in 2006, so at the time of writing this article is now 17 years old! I think is time to give some credit back and tell you why, from my point of view, Linux Mint is probably one of the best platforms for the vast majority of people, both those looking to switch from Windows or macOS and also those open-source, distro-hopping, passionate tech enthusiasts looking for the definitive distribution. Without further ado, let me tell you why Linux Mint is my ultimate Operating System.

"It just works"

Have you heard this sentence before? It just works 🍏? The first time I experienced this feeling in the Linux world was with Linux Mint, and since then I have not experienced it again with any other distribution.

Like many people, I took my first steps in the world of Linux with Ubuntu, the well-known "user-friendly" distribution with which many people jump from Windows to GNU/Linux. My experience was terrible at that time, display errors, unexpected crashes, terrible performance... a very bad impression if you are new to the Linux universe. We are talking about more than 10 years ago, I am completely unaware of the current state of Ubuntu, but at least at that time and for me it was completely unusable.

Everything changed when I installed Linux Mint on an old laptop that I was about to retire and that I decided to give to my father. I knew perfectly well that if I handed him over the old laptop with Windows installed, it would take a matter of months for it to be filled with spyware and shady stuff, and ultimately the performance of the machine would gradually decline until it was unusable. That's why I searched for an "easy-to-use Linux distribution" and one of the results was Linux Mint. I downloaded it, installed it on the laptop and handed it over to my father. This happened over 7 years ago and to this day my father is still using this same machine with the same Linux Mint installation that I did for him at that time.

After that, at work, I was still using Ubuntu... but I was curious to install myself this same distribution that I had the pleasure of "tinkering" on the old computer that I gave to my father...so I decided to install it and from that moment I was able to see how the Linux universe could be a smooth experience, without errors, where everything worked as expected and where one could work in peace.

In my opinion, Linux Mint is one of the distributions that works best "out of the box", and there are plenty of other people who seem to think the same way since it is currently ranked as the third most popular distro according to DistroWatch.

Minimalist experience

The user experience at the level of the desktop interface and basic programs in Linux Mint is beautiful, friendly and simple. Specifically, I'm talking about the Cinnamon edition, which is the default desktop of Linux Mint. Along with this modern interface, one can also choose the Mate desktop, more robust and traditional; or Xfce, much lighter.

The Cinnamon desktop is effectively reminiscent of the traditional Windows experience, with a taskbar located at the bottom, and a "Start" menu that appears when you press the button located at the bottom left. In the center we have the open windows and on the left a set of controls where the date and time are, access to the quick network panel, Bluetooth, etc.

Of the most widely used and well-known Linux desktops environments that most resemble Cinnamon is KDE, even though Cinnamon is actually a fork of Gnome 3. Cinnamon's goal is to provide a simple and elegant user interface that is easy for newcomers to use, but also powerful enough for advanced users.

In the latest releases, the Linux Mint development team decided to "modernize" the look of this desktop environment and made several changes which, in my opinion, have helped to further improve the smooth and elegant look of this distro. Specifically in version 21.1 they renewed the look and feel of the system by modifying colors and icons, and changing the traditional green that came by default to blue, although of course if you liked green you could configure it without problems.

Recently version 21.2 have gone further in its efforts to make things easy and allows you to choose the appearance and theme of the desktop quickly and easily by choosing between light, dark or mixed mode, a theme and an accent color. Of course, if customization is your thing, you still can choose among the myriad of available themes. Something that is greatly appreciated since it simplifies its use for new users while maintaining its high level of customization for more advanced users.

In conclusion, Linux Mint's default desktop, Cinnamon, is an elegant, simple and easy-to-use desktop environment, with just the right customization options but without being overwhelming; with colors that make a nice contrast and modern look.

Robust, stable, solid

Linux Mint has a traditional philosophy regarding which versions of the software to use. It is positioned securely in terms of the programs it integrates and the packages that make up the system, which means that it will prioritize stable versions that have been highly tested and are known to work; versus newer versions that include more functionality but have been in production for less time.

This feature is certainly not for everyone. However, if what you are looking for is a distribution that tries to be as stable as possible, Linux Mint is for you since stability is one of its main goals.

It achieves this first of all by basing itself on the latest LTS (Long Term Support) version of Ubuntu as a base. From here, two versions are usually released per year, of which some of them are established as LTS versions, which will only receive critical or security updates.

In my opinion, this conservative model of dealing with new software is highly recommended if you want your machine to work and can't afford to have things breaking every now and then, or every time you upgrade. In all these years that I have been using Linux Mint, I have to say that I have hardly had any technical problems, everything has worked as expected except for a few exceptions, and that is saying a lot considering that we are talking about a complete operating system that is free of charge, carried out by a small team of people that is financed based on donations from the community and some sponsorships.

Despite all this, if you have any technical or stability problems with the system, you can always seek help in the official forum where there is a wide community of people who will try to help you and give you support at no cost for any problems you may have.

As I mentioned earlier in this article, the stability of Linux Mint is in my opinion one of its strengths, since when I'm working I can't afford to be distracted by system errors or spend time fixing bugs that shouldn't be there.

The philosophy of Linux Mint

To conclude this article on Linux Mint, I want to emphasize an element I view as fundamental - the philosophy driving the project.

Linux Mint is a free and open-source project made up of a collection of programs and utilities that predominantly utilize the GPL license. This allows both individuals and corporations to utilize Linux Mint for personal and commercial objectives. The vast majority of the software included in the project can be freely used, copied, and altered in accordance with the open licenses it abides by.

Furthermore, Linux Mint is community-driven. The development team maintains consistent communication with the community, incorporating direct feedback to enhance the project.

Beyond all these, Linux Mint also stands as a great operating system with regard to the privacy it affords its users. Linux Mint does not employ tracking technologies to assemble personal profiles for commercial use or for any other purpose.

Given all of the above, I believe it's clear why I regard Linux Mint as an excellent resource for anyone who values freedom and privacy.

Conclusion

I hope I have been able to show all the virtues that this Linux distribution has, and why many people could benefit from using it.

If you use Windows and are fed up with all the bad stuff about it, I highly recommend you take a look at Linux Mint.

If you're a Linux fan and haven't tried it yet, what are you waiting for?

I hope this article helps spread the word about this great operating system, and if, on the contrary, you have been using it for a long time and you are as passionate about it as I am, I would suggest that you consider contributing in some way to the project so that it continues to grow and benefit thousands of people.

I hope this article has been illustrative to you, do you think that what I have exposed here coincides with your experience? What other Linux distributions do you think could rival Linux Mint? Leave me your comments below and I will gladly read them to start a debate.

See you in the next article!