The article was contributed to www.beopensource.com more than 3 years ago but still hold relevance to every word!
Maybe I'm stating the obvious here - if so, forgive me.
Maybe I'm stating the obvious here - if so, forgive me.
As I
see it, the only difficulty to using almost any distribution of Linux is
in the setting-up stage. Once it has been installed and all software is
in place, a user need not even be aware that it is Linux behind the
applications he or she is using. We in this group are here because we
are enthusiasts, to a greater or lesser extent - we enjoy getting to
grips with the technicalities and moulding a system that suits us. And,
of course, that is one of the keystones of the Linux movement (along
with open-source and flexibility) but not everyone feels the same.
A few years ago, fired with zeal for the principles of Linux, and keen
to get away from the suffocating hold that Microsoft has on the
computing world, I started looking around for a distribution that was
right for me. I crashed and burned. First I tried Red Hat, then various
flavours of Ubuntu. Because I was completely new to Linux, I didn't
understand how they worked, and the terminology was unfamiliar. I did
get Ubuntu working, but found it, and the software bundled with it,
crude (compared with the Windows stuff I was familiar with).
Then, last year, I discovered Linux Mint. The beauty of Mint is that it
makes the process of getting started much easier, and the resulting
desktops are intuitive and attractive. The install process, for
instance, which offers an automated installation to default settings,
perfect for new users and technophobes (heck, it even installs all the
most popular applications, and makes it easy to add many others).
However, because it is Linux, it also has all the 'power' features that
make Linux so popular.
So what I am saying here is that, in my
opinion, Mint is changing the way Linux is perceived. It is no longer
too complicated and esoteric for people who just want a computer that
works for them. That is why I am such a fan - Mint is opening up Linux
to the wider world.
How true! I'm a Windows user, and continue to use Windows at home and at work. I've tried Ubuntu several times, but each time was repelled by its rather jarring GUI. Mint is much more intuitive (for a Windows user), the GUI is much more "soothing" for me ("Mint" is very well named!), and as you say, the command line terminal is always available for me to play with (as somebody who cut his teeth on the old DOS commands!)... Great post, Liz!
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