Linux Mint to Debian users?

[gnappi]

After these several years being a Mint user, the honeymoon is getting old for Mint.

I've been happily using Linux Mint since version 19 (2019) and have recently been running 21.3. The thing about it is many of the most improved applications are going over to flatpack (FP) and the program files have become HUGE which must negate performance and certainly hog a lot of disk space. Add to that the spinning of new major release versions every 6 months or so, Kernel upgrades (I think 3 this year), device driver problems and seemingly weekly other "security" updates it's become a chore keeping up with them. Given my connection bandwidth is limited to some 60 gigs per month I'm spending a lot of time upgrading and cloning to my backup drives. 60 GB is a lot of gigs and I've rarely run out but running out and being throttled down to 2g or 3g hotspot is not good.

The Mint developers seem to be very protective of FP and look to be pushing full adoption of the FP without regard for disk space or performance. Perish forbid someone comments even slightly negatively about these issues and their wagons circle and you're soundly rebuked and told about the benefits of FP.

Anyway, after investigating Debian for possible adoption, I found that they do NOT spin major release versions often, some have gone more than a year without a major version upgrade. To that end (possible adoption) I've loaded one of my spare 500GB drives (less than 11% full) with Debian and a clone suite of applications I used on my Mint installations. Word has it the Debian developers (for now) are not pushing FP and I can keep my OS and keep a few $30 cloned drives as backup.

So far, I've been playing with Debian three days and I have to say it seems to have been worth the effort. The GUI I selected is Cinnamon and I'm nearly 100% familiar with it on Debian as I was with Cinnamon on Mint.

So, I know some folks on here are Linux users and I wondered if any have a take on these issues?

 

[jimbo1096]

I don’t know if it’s good or not but I have no clue what you’re talking about
I guess that means I’m old

 

[Taterman]

I still use Mint and haven't had any problems at all. I'm not familiar with FP though, I'll have to look into it.

 

[arfmel]

I do like mint in my iced tea, and cinnamon rolls.

 

[Kevin]

I’m still not sure how or if Linux is better than Windows.

The days of Windows crashing and locking up a computer are long gone.

Do people use Linux just because they don’t like Microsoft? From what you are saying it’s a lot more work than any updates to Windows. And slower too.

 

[JackBull]

I'm still not sure how or if Linux is better than Windows.

The days of Windows crashing and locking up a computer are long gone.

Do people use Linux just because they don't like Microsoft? From what you are saying it's a lot more work than any updates to Windows. And slower too.

MS is now/will be recording what you do your computer, all for your benefit. Since it is in their servers, aka the cloud, it is subject to hacking.

 

[gnappi]

I'm still not sure how or if Linux is better than Windows.

The days of Windows crashing and locking up a computer are long gone.

Do people use Linux just because they don't like Microsoft? From what you are saying it's a lot more work than any updates to Windows. And slower too.

Better may be the most overused and combative word in English and I can understand someone who uses Windows and doesn't "get" anything else. It's a Ford / Chevy thing and you'll note I said nothing disparaging about MS or folks who use their stuff in this thread, nor did I want to start a this versus that discussion but I guess some want and expect that?

That said, for sure Linux is more secure than Windows, and faster operating. My 2013 HP elite desk 800 G1 I7 ran like a dog with Windows 7 on it, I can't imagine MS coders ever getting more efficiency from later versions but if they did, good on em and I'll never know. Linux runs like a chicken on fire compared to Windows on my old machine, the days of chasing hardware upgrades for a bloated O/S are gone for me though it seems as if this battle is just starting with smart phones.

As it is, Linux does not crash, much of the software that costs a lot in the MS world is either free or low cost in Linux. MS is not immune from updates BTW, nowadays Windows is regularly updating itself in the background whether you like it or not and I have the option with Linux, hence my investigation into Debian.

My issues with Linux are small compared to MS but they're certainly livable with even if I did not move over to another distribution. So you all know there's much division even in the Linux user communities over "better" distributions and their issues are really minutia (as is mine) in the scheme of things

 

[dannyd]

You may want to try Chrome OS Flex, it works like Mint and other Linux products.

Took bunch of old laptops and raised them from the dead with Chrome.

 

[Kevin]

Better may be the most overused and combative word in English and I can understand someone who uses Windows and doesn't "get" anything else. It's a Ford / Chevy thing and you'll note I said nothing disparaging about MS or folks who use their stuff in this thread, nor did I want to start a this versus that discussion but I guess some want and expect that?

A comparison of Linux to Windows just seems a natural course for the reasons of your post. On my current computer, new in 2019, I've got Windows and (knock on wood) it's not crashed or locked up once.

I am able to easily adapt to new and different technologies. However, for me to switch to Linux, it would have to be much better and faster.

If Linux is like a Chrome OS, I wouldn't like it.

 

[gnappi]

A comparison of Linux to Windows just seems a natural course for the reasons of your post.

>>SNIP<<

Not once did I mention anything about Win and Lin in my OP. Dunno how you got that if so, mea culpa

 

[dannyd]

We just moved a company with 250 users off of Windows to Chrome Enterprise, worked well, was a fast migration, because everything is going Cloud and Web Based.

I am a Mint user and also Ubuntu, just easier if your only using the web.

 

[gnappi]

We just moved a company with 250 users off of Windows to Chrome Enterprise, worked well, was a fast migration, because everything is going Cloud and Web Based.

I am a Mint user and also Ubuntu, just easier if your only using the web.

It makes good sense to me. Did they negotiate a cost reduced bare bones (no O/S installed) type of hardware purchase deal or just wipe the MS stuff from the installed base?

I think that if I dropped a Linux machine in front of 10,000 office workers who do spreadsheets, word processing, printing, faxing etc. with minimal instructions (if any) they'd be as productive as with an MS based machine. My only issue with Google Chrome is their being well known as invasive to privacy and for their information mining. Dunno I could trust it in an office environment without some serious privacy protection guarantees.

Everything going cloud could have long term privacy and security issues, and I store nothing in the cloud, everything is local, redundant and offline when not in use. The jury isn't even out yet on the cloud privacy subject... that is until it becomes a global threat

 

[dannyd]

It makes good sense to me. Did they negotiate a cost reduced bare bones (no O/S installed) type of hardware purchase deal or just wipe the MS stuff from the installed base?

I think that if I dropped a Linux machine in front of 10,000 office workers who do spreadsheets, word processing, printing, faxing etc. with minimal instructions (if any) they'd be as productive as with an MS based machine. My only issue with Google Chrome is their being well known as invasive to privacy and for their information mining. Dunno I could trust it in an office environment without some serious privacy protection guarantees.

Everything going cloud could have long term privacy and security issues, and I store nothing in the cloud, everything is local, redundant and offline when not in use. The jury isn't even out yet on the cloud privacy subject... that is until it becomes a global threat

Most of the cost that driving everyone to the cloud is the 100,000 to 300,000 thousand dollars for more SAN devices and cost of licensing.

Enterprise Chrome and a MS Office license reduces the cost greatly for now, what will happen when everyone goes cloud, who knows, but for now the bean counters see it has a saving.

My my personal Linux laptop is from 2007 and my new Chrome OS from 2013, saves me money on equipment.

 

[WendyZXZ]

It makes good sense to me. Did they negotiate a cost reduced bare bones (no O/S installed) type of hardware purchase deal or just wipe the MS stuff from the installed base?

I think that if I dropped a Linux machine in front of 10,000 office workers who do spreadsheets, word processing, printing, faxing etc. with minimal instructions (if any) they'd be as productive as with an MS based machine. My only issue with Google Chrome is their being well known as invasive to privacy and for their information mining. Dunno I could trust it in an office environment without some serious privacy protection guarantees.

Everything going cloud could have long term privacy and security issues, and I store nothing in the cloud, everything is local, redundant and offline when not in use. The jury isn't even out yet on the cloud privacy subject... that is until it becomes a global threat

That is very true about how much can be done on Linux for home and office use that is available. Between the various office suites out there you can do most of those tasks. We have several different PCs running various Linux based distro systems here. We have a few flatpak programs but not many, but we typically set up for ability to utilize both flatpak and snaps. My husband has been told he has a real aptitude for the systems.