Linux Mint Has Three Flavors. Which Is Right For You?

Are you new to Linux or thinking about switching to Linux? If so, then you probably know that Linux Mint is one of the best distros for new users. But Linux Mint has three main desktop editions: Cinnamon, MATE and Xfce. Not sure which desktop environment to choose? I'll give you my thoughts.

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[VincentVonDudler]

Don't let the "Perfect for Beginners" description fool you.
You can be on this OS forever.
Go with Cinnamon.

[eldete]

I like your attempt to catch the windows users in the transitioning phase between windows 10 and 11 and try to get them to at least try Linux. This is the way good sir!

[denisdelgadokikumotogracia]

I fell in love with Cinnamon when switching from Windows to Linux!
It is everything I wanted a User Interface to be, it is simple and functional!
The performance improvement I got from a 10 years laptop is unbelivable, it works as well as a new laptop!

[sillyness]

„You can’t even buy computers with less than 8GB anymore.“
Clearly, you‘ve never looked at Microsoft Surface products…
Surface Pro 7: i3, 4GB RAM, 128GB SSD, 900$ without a Keyboard…

[BlackEagleUSA]

Linux Mint was the distro that got me using Linux almost ten years ago. I've been using it ever since.

[addgenious]

Cinnamon is the best one for me. All I did is I changed the theme from green to dark blue.

[grimm]

Oh Linux, you have a place in my heart. Prior to graduating, I was stuck at home with a very slow Pentium IV (It was even slower than the Pentium IIIs we used to code in school with). Being the poor dude that I was and having experienced how fast Ubuntu 3 on a live cd was, I looked at Linux for hope. Learned about Puppy Linux, and managed to work on a beat up Pentium III machine that didn't even have a hard drive when the department I worked for didn't even have the budget for a working machine.

I'd say it's not so noob friendly to anyone without an IT background. Not to mention that the UI of Puppy Linux 2.15 didn't give it too many fans (thank goodness for the Puplets), but from then on I've moved on to other Linux versions that are heavier, like Ubuntu and Fedora. But making ancient machines run fast? I still have mad respect for Puppy Linux (and the other small ones out there). Bravo!

[The_Wandering_Nerd]

No matter how much I distrohop I always come back to Linux Mint with Cinnamon. It's basically Ubuntu with some of the rough edges sanded off but it just works for me. It's flawlessly installed on every machine I've run it on. I even use the Debian Edition on a 32-bit Core Solo laptop from 2004 with 4GB of RAM and the Cinnamon desktop is still surprisingly snappy.

[barend]

When I started distro hopping it was like being a kid in a candy store. More than 12 years later I am still on Linux. Great presentation for Noobs DT!

[kotgc]

I love Linux Mint...thought I'd post a list of the comparisons mentioned on the video:
Much lighter than Mac or Windows.

Cinnamon:
CPU: uses the most, a little bit more.
Development:
Addition: main addition of Linux Mint.
History: GTK based desktop.
Team: Linux Mint team probably spends most time on Cinnamon.
Drive: benefits most from an SSD rather than a spinning drive.
Features: cool.
Feel: similar.
Flagship.
Htop data:
CPU usage: ~4-5%.
RAM usage: 736 MB.
Innovative.
Looks: sleek and similar.
Modern.
Polished.
Ram: uses the most, a little bit more.
Speed:
vs Mate: slower.
vs Windows: blazing fast.
vs Xfce: slower.
Suite of programs: a little different.
Alternatives available to all software on Linux.
Browser: Mozilla Firefox.
File Manager: Nemo. Looks very slick.
Software Manager: app store, safe and non malicious software.
System resources: requires a little bit more. Heaviest of the 3.
Usage:
1st choice with a modern machine >4 GB RAM.
Feel right at home if coming from a Windows.
Workflow: similar.

Mate:
Development:
Addition: main addition of Linux Mint.
History: old fork of Gnome version 2. GTK based desktop.
Team: Linux Mint team behind much of the development of Mate.
Feel: similar.
Htop data:
CPU usage: ~1-2%
RAM usage: 559 MB.
Looks: similar and good.
Speed:
vs Cinnamon: faster.
vs Xfce: slower.
vs Windows: blazing fast.
Suite of programs: a little different.
Alternatives available to all software on Linux.
File Manager: Caja.
Software Manager: app store, safe and non malicious software.
Workflow: similar.
Usage:
2nd choice, using an older machine.
CPU and RAM usage is a little easier.
Fast and peppy.
Machines that are older, no chance of running Windows 10 and 11, brought back to life.

Xfce:
Development:
Addition: not a main addition of Linux Mint.
History: Xforms tool kit, now using GTK based desktop. Been around for a while.
Team: Linux Mint team not behind much of the development of Xfce. Still sees updates, people still working on it.
Feel: similar.
Htop data:
CPU usage: ~0%
RAM usage: 516 MB.
Looks: similar, good, older, retro and vintage.
Speed:
vs Cinnamon: faster.
vs Mate: faster.
vs Windows: blazing fast.
Suite of programs: a little different.
Alternatives available to all software on Linux.
File Manager: Thunar.
Software Manager: app store, safe and non malicious software.
Workflow: similar.
Usage:
Fastest and lightest.
Resource usage has the most bang for your buck.
Speed freaks.

[SunnyGabe]

Mint doesn't receives as much credit as it should; it really does wonders! I'm with Cinnamon, but Xfce is the best.
Linux Mint improves laptop battery by at least 3x than Windows; mine could go, only browsing, 10+ h! Windows 10, 3 or maybe 4h... the team did say they've done a new algorithm for this...

[strikemaster]

Tried the 3 of them. First was MATE 10 years ago which I loved and stayed withit for many years. When I buy a new box I thought I would try this XFCE that I knew nothing about, but was impressed so much I stayed with it for a year or so. No bugs, lightening fast, and almost zero on resourses. Then a friend tells me how great Cinnamon is so I try it (20.3) and yes, I liked it but found just too many bugs of which the worst was taking about a minute to initialize my internal storrage drive which was a brand new 2TB SSD. Once initialized it was ok untill I reboot and its the same old thing again. After installing a few more apps I notice its using 63GB of space... wow, I felt I was back on win10 againg with space hogging and fans running due to too much CPU. So a month was all I could stand of this and now I switch back to XFCE. After I install all my apps needed, it still only uses 16gb space and like being in a racing car after getting off a push bike lol. Before I just THOUGHT XFCE was the best... now I KNOW it is?

[knn-norz]

Thanks DistroTube, finally i can recommend this video to watch who wants to come to GNU/Linux. Please keep making these videos. ❤

[anonamos]

It was videos like these that got me to commit to my first Linux distro over a year ago. It was amazing and I haven't looked back since.

[friartux]

Cinnamon for me. I left KDE a few years back when it started having too many issues to get any work done. I found Cinnamon and fell in love with it. It does things exactly the way I like.

[bleutailfly]

Great video, I'm 64 and switched to linuxmint 2 yrs ago, never going back to windows.

[AgnusCavichioliPereira]

- Doesn't have multiple CPU cores
- 4 GB ram
- hard drive

That's not a old PC, that's a brand new laptop you can buy for 500 USD in Brazil, believe it or not.

[deottiveyoutube]

If you are wishing to switch to linux, My only say is " You are going to Enjoy it"

[kevinquinn]

One of the things I like about the Linux Mint is the commonality the project team tries to keep across the various versions. For example, each version has a different file manager (Cinnamon - Nemo, Mate - Caja, XFCE - Thunar) but Linux Mint has added the ability to Bookmark files in each of the file managers to increase the commonality between the versions.

[JonnyInfinite]

Out of the three 'Start' menus, XFCE actually looks the best for me. Simple and small, much like the XP Classic menu aesthetic.