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Linux Mint isn't the answer for Windows refugees anymore (www.xda-developers.com)
submitted 9 months ago by to c/linux@programming.dev
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I've been having a big think over Linux distros. See, I've been looking back at my still-new Linux experience of nine months, and wondering how my own journey can help other people get started with FOSS operating systems. Whenever the topic of a Windows refugee-friendly OS came up, I would recommend Linux Mint because, first, it's the one everyone says, and second, it was the Linux OS that I started with, fresh off Windows.

I always follow that up with a comment about how you don't have to stick with Linux Mint if you don't want to. You can do what I did, which is to dip your toe into the Linux distro water and find something that suits you better. But if I'm setting up Linux Mint as "my first Linux distro," why not just skip the middleman and get right into the distros that have a bit more meat on them?

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[–] 3 points 9 months ago (6 children)

is Mint still using old kernels? That could hurt hardware compatibility especially with newer hardware

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  • [–] 3 points 9 months ago* (3 children)

    Depends on your definition of "old", I guess. 6.8 is considered "current", 6.14 and 6.17 are available on the list. So far, hardware support on 6.8 has covered everything I've thrown at it.

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  • [–] 2 points 9 months ago* (2 children)

    if you wanna put Linux on a brand new Christmas gift laptop, I think 6.14 could definitely be too old

    in some cases even 6.17 might be too old

    If the Mint installer uses 6.8, can you even install it on brand new hardware? missing a laptop's wifi drivers would be a huge pain cause then you can't update it without a usb->ethernet adapter

    that would be enough frustration for most users to turn back to Windows

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  • [–] 2 points 9 months ago (1 child)

    I'm running 6.8 kernel on current Mint for a new PC I built last year. I remember that being a big deal that they were using more recent kernels to improve hardware support. So far it's supported everything I've thrown at it without any effort on my part.

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  • [–] 2 points 9 months ago

    That's awesome! Mint definitely sounds great if it supports your hardware without issue. I think it's less of a concern with custom builds, and more of an issue with OEM prebuilts and laptops especially

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  • [–] 3 points 9 months ago (1 child)

    You can install actually something called Mainline kernels. Which is a simple GUI app. That works also very well under Mint. Allowing you to install even newer kernels.

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