Linux Mint vs Ubuntu

Comparing Linux Mint Cinnamon with Ubuntu Unity.

0:38 Varients
2:12 Release Cycle
3:08 Resource Usage
3:34 Hardware Compatibility
3:46 Stability
4:31 Privacy
5:09 Customisation
6:18 Parental Controls
6:38 HiDPI Displays
6:57 Choice of Applications
7:59 Security
9:27 Conclusion

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[EnderCrypt]

"a look at google searches for the term 'linux mint crash' and 'ubuntu crash' "
well, dude.. you cant just compare the numbers directly.. shouldnt you factor in that MORE people use ubuntu, which may be why theres more search results for it

[TheArakan]

Linux Mint is basically usable Ubuntu :) Especially if you need to run a network of work computers in company/school/etc.. And the conservative updates are awesome for that! You can also quite easily (few commands) set up automatic updates and even for kernel..

[Imissthefuhrer]

People always freak out over the Mint updates, all you have to do is check 3 boxes it's really not that difficult.

[Ricemybeans]

So 8min talking up Mint. Then not recommending it due to a simple updating option. This is just a confusing video. If there is only buttons you recommend to be turned on as part of setup for new Mint users then that would have been a better video.

[stevec]

Nice review. I have to differ on the bottom line, though: Out of the "box" (and by selecting one different radio button during the first update), Linux Mint is stable, secure, more customisable than Ubuntu, and familiar enough to not confuse Windows users. Just my opinion, and opinions are always subjective. Thanks for the review, site!

[daviddupoise]

What a very well reasoned and artfully presented critique. Nice work Quids.

[spammeaccount]

Finally someone that knows how to do a comparison for reviews.

[panama-canada]

Very nice and comprehensive review. Thank you much for shooting this vid for all of us to watch here.

[marvinrube]

mint has been taking a shit all over ubuntu for the past 5 years. i'm interested in seeing Mint breaking off ubuntu's base and going independent.

[rordrom]

Nice video Quids. A lot of good information.

[HickoryDickory]

I got a Windows ad before this video. Just thought I'd share the laugh.

[fcaruso]

I agree with most of what you say but Linux Mint does provide an upgrade to newer kernels. It just doesn't tell you about them. I'm running 4.10 on Mint right now and I got it through the update manager. Overall I think Mint wins over Ubuntu base but Mint wouldn't exist without Ubuntu which wouldn't exist without Debian.

We all stand on the shoulders of giants.

[Kneedragon]

I do understand your reasoning, but I don't entirely agree with it. First, Mint does a far better job of connecting you with the repo, and then the local mirror, than any other distro. Then it notifies you with the little blue shield as soon as any update becomes available. That's from the point of view of a new or non-expert user. Second, it does choose a simple update strategy, very conservative, mildly conservative, or newest and be damned. You can easily do latest kernels, with a GUI, but you have to poke around in the update manager to find them. (Under 'view' you can view available kernels..) This is irrespective of your overall mild, balanced or wild update scheme. All this is relatively easy and non confronting to do, none of it requires a terminal, much less a root login. I have been using Mint ever since Ubuntu went to Gnome3, and I discovered I hated Unity.
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On the subject of the upgrade, Mint have traditionally not wanted people to upgrade, they'd prefer you get a new version ISO and do a fresh install. They have in the last couple of years started to support upgrades, although that's not their preferred option. If there's a restriction where you can upgrade between minor point versions, but not major, then I am not aware of it. I upgraded from 17.1 -> 17.2 -> 17.3 -> 18 -> 18.1 and I've had no problem at all.
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If you want the bleeding edge updates, go install Arch, with Manjaro or Revenge or Antergos or something, (or just the Arch installer itself) and you will have the bleeding edge latest. But that's inclined to break from time to time. Mint more or less never just breaks on its own. That's one reason it's my daily driver and host, and has been for years.

If there is a more polished, more reliable, easier to use OS straight out of the box, then I (and my dozen or so virtualbox test units) haven't found it yet.

[niemandwichtiges]

Hi quids!
HiDPI: in Unity you can really scale, in Cinnamon you can just double the size of things. On some monitors (like mine) this makes cinnamon unusable because you either squint or you relive the feeling of a spacious 640x480 pixel days.
Update policy: I think one can recommend choosing "always update everything" instead of having this one bad default make you disregard all your nicely done comparisons and their tally.
Thanks for your videos!
(I'm on Mint KDE btw.)

[JJbm]

great video but I almost think comparing Ubuntu MATE to mint MATE would have been better only because everyone should have the Ubuntu MATE welcome and simple. However you did a completely fair comparison well done from this colonial Canadian👍

[CrustyAbsconder]

It seems worth mentioning that both distros are in very active development and both have a bright future in 2018. For example, there will probably be an Ubuntu derivative based on kernel 5.0 in 2018 along with Gnome 3.24 with Wayland. And that the LTS versions of both will be getting lots of bug fixes this summer and beyond. It seems worth mentioning that some of the special Ubuntu derivatives are easy to learn once you have used Ubuntu or LM for a month. I think I am referring to the developer at Exton, or maybe Ubuntu Studio, etc.

[pixelPlex]

You don't need to go with Snap in Linux Mint since it has built in support for Flatpak. All Flatpak based applications are managed via Software Manager. Can even access Flathub in Software Manager.

[TheLotw]

Yes, Linux Mint wins that hands down. Their HiDPI mode increases everything (well almost, except for steam text) perfectly fine. In Ubuntu you only change font and icon size, controls, dont scale...

[Paul-lxpc]

Well, from a non-technical and out-of-the-box view, LM wins hands down. I started dabbling with Linux, namely Ubuntu, about 10 years ago, loved it and happily said goodbye to Windoze. That is until the Unity desktop came along and then I was bugged with the "Sorry, Ubuntu has experienced an internal error" message. I recently experimented with Ubuntu Mate (on your recommendation) and experienced the same old problem. After much trial and error, I'm now very happy with LM and the XFCE desktop. It works beautifully and seamlessly.

[Xavom]

Excellent comparison. I was hoping you'd get to security / updates. I always wondered why Mint graded kernel updates the way they do. For the first time user, I assume it makes sense that it helps to prevent system breakage. Your suggestion Q is a good solution.