First let me say, if you discovered this post in hopes of finding out which is better for you...then this probably won't be for you as this is what I'm looking for as well.
Also, if your an experienced Linux user, keep in mind I'm new to Linux so things I may find difficult or confusing, may come off as easy to you.
Since installing Mint 11 exactly one week ago today I have few complaints about it. Everything pretty much just worked after installing.
So then why did I last night bother to install along side Mint, Ubuntu 11.04? I suppose one of the reasons is that 11.10 Alpha 3 was released and it peaked my interest, but the larger community also drew me in.
Having not been in Ubuntu all that long yet, here are some of the differences or pros/cons I can note:
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Desktop & Menus:
Ubuntu comes by default with the new Unity desktop. At first I couldn't wait to get out of Ubuntu, but it is slowly growing on me.
With the left side launcher, I find some programs simply won't dock. I'm into video editing and use Kdenlive and for whatever reason Kdenlive won't stay there.
On Mint I can simply add Kdenlive to my favourites and it stays without issue.
One of my biggest peeves with the Unity interface is it's lack of customization. For whatever reason I can't simply right click on the panel on my second monitor and delete it.
Winner: Mint
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Stability:
Well I'm probably not the best person to talk about stability having only been in Mint for one week, and Ubuntu for a day.
I will say that I haven't had any major crashes while in Mint. The odd program would crash (kdenlive), but the system as a whole was quite good.
In Ubuntu however, I plugged a USB drive in and everything went black...Okay I should admit there is probably something wrong with the USB drive as I have had issues in Windows, so this isn't fair for Ubuntu.
Like in Mint, I had kdenlive crash on me...Unlike in Mint where it would crash while editing, kdenlive crashed while simply adding a clip to the project tree.
Of course a crashing Kdenlive shouldn't look negatively on either Mint or Ubuntu.
I have read that updates within Ubuntu are more prone to crash your system. Mint has a more user friendly update system that hides kernel updates and indicates ones that could be harmful.
Despite some more (minor) issues that I've encountered within Ubuntu, it feels more stable.
Winner: Draw
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Speed:
Let me get boot times out of the way. This has never been an issue for me, however I find both Ubuntu & Mint quite equal in start-up times.
Opening and loading videos does seem faster on Mint. Once you click to open a video file it starts playing pretty well right away.
In Ubuntu it takes perhaps an extra second or two, so nothing to lose any sleep over I guess.
I find that the flash player is faster on Mint. When loading a video it seems to load much smoother, unlike Ubuntu where it can be choppier.
Now in defense of Ubuntu, I am using the 64-bit version of flash which I couldn't get in Mint.
Opening applications initially is quite a but fast in Mint. I do find after you've opened a program at least once in Ubuntu, they open as fast or in some cases faster. It's just the initial start.
Processing a video did feel a bit faster in Ubuntu. Unfortunately I didn't render the same videos so again, another poor test on my part.
Loading of websites? Well they are fairly equal and of course browser and internet connection play a role.
I have found that sites load fast in Mint.
Winner: Mint
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Customization (themes, menus, desktop):
Like I touched on briefly in the desktop/menu above, Ubuntu's Unity lacks customization.
I still haven't figured out how to add/delete panels, relocate the launcher to the bottom of my screen, change the 'close, minimize, maximize' to the right side.
In Mint however, it is quite easy to relocate the panels, add/delete them, place things in the favourites, change the 'close, minimize, maximize' to whichever side you prefer.
Adding shortcuts to the desktop are much easier in Mint, as all you have to do is right click and add to desktop.
Changing the wallpaper and themes are the same.
Winner: Mint
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Support/Community:
Although I haven't asked anything on either OSes forums, both appear to have solid and helpful communities.
Ubuntu of course is the larger of the two which probably means a bit more help. Of course while searching out help via Google, Mint's forums came up with a fair amount.
Winner: Draw
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Software & installation:
With Mint being based off of Ubuntu, 99% of the software out there for Ubuntu will work on Mint.
Mint does come with more pre-installed programs which is helpful. The most notable absence from Ubuntu is Gimp and Thunderbird. With Thunderbird however, you still have to download the newest version in Mint.
Where I did notice a difference is with flash. You can go to Adobe's website and download flash for Ubuntu without issue.
You cannot simply download and install with ease the Ubuntu release of flash for Mint. You must go through steps of compiling etc. which for me is still over my head for the most part.
Both come with LibreOffice, but again on both systems you'll have to update it yourself.
Winner: Ubuntu
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Despite Mint 11 winning 3-1-2 (W-L-D), I am still drawn to Ubuntu. Over the next few days I will play around with both before deciding exactly which route I will take.
For a newbie such as myself, dual booting Mint/Ubuntu isn't worth it as I'd rather learn and get to know just one.
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