Linux Mint is a linux distribution, based on Ubuntu, which is aimed to be user friendly and comes with out-of-the-the-box multimedia support (Java, Flash etc). Linux Mint uses the same repositories as Ubuntu does and the latest version, called Celena, is available in two versions: Main version which is packed with copyrighted stuff and Light version which is packed with open source, GPL licensed stuff only.
Linux Mint is different from Ubuntu though. The interface is much more elegant and smart. Icons are well-designed and the Gnome main control bar is moved to the bottom side of the screen. Main menu is replaced with SLAB. Live search is supported when browsing applications, wich makes app detection much easier. On desktop, there are only three icons: Computer, Home and Installation. Double clicking the computer icon will show your drives, home will bring you to your files folder and installation will guide you to full install Linux Mint (install icon appears only when running the distribution using the Live CD).
Mint is packed as mentioned above with the lates Kernel version and with the many well known open source apps: Amarok, OpenOffice, Gimp, Thunderbird, Totem, Firefox, Pidgin and Java. Beryl/Compiz is also available for 3D desktop lovers (you need to install manually or using Envy the ATI or Nvidia drives for your graphics card). Java and Flash plugins are also preinstalled which means that you can view every web site on the internet correctly.
Linux Mint can install (one-click installation) .mint packages using the MintInstall feature. Here you can find many apps in this format, including Google Earth. The most important point is that the distribution contains drivers for almost any WiFi card and MintWifi app makes Wifi configuration a piece of cake. MintDisk allow users to view and manage NTFS partiotions without installing other software.
To install and run Linux Mint you need a PC with 1Ghz processor and 512 MB or RAM. This distribution is suitable for amateur Linux users and users that want an easy-to-handle Linux operating system.
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