I’ve been a Linux user for more than twenty years. I started with Red Hat 6.1 in the late 1990’s. Since then I’ve used a number of distributions and have loved the experience and freedom of open source software. My journey has taken me from Red Hat to Suse then Mandrake. Fedora 1 to Fedora 5 and then Centos and Ubuntu 5.04 in 2005. In the past couple of years I have been running Pop_OS! which I really like. It’s a great implementation of Ubuntu. It’s better than the stock release of Ubuntu Desktop in my estimation.
I first heard of Linux Mint a dozen or more years ago when a community member shared that he used that distribution. Last year a friend asked me to install Linux on an under powered Windows laptop that they owned. In my search to find the right distribution I settled on Linux Mint XFCE. It worked well. Then came the pandemic.
Since March of last year I’ve been helping folks get connected to Zoom and other video conferencing solutions and in all but one case I’ve used Linux. Several of the units I’ve purchased on Ebay came from Free Geek which is a non-profit in Portland, Oregon. Those laptops have come with Linux Mint installed. Most of the time I reinstalled Pop_OS on them. Recently when looking for a Linux solution for an aging Acer laptop with a Pentium processor I opted to install Linux Mint XFCE. It fit the bill perfectly. The client was very happy that a computer that was in their storage closet would now be the solution to their problem created when Google nixed cloud printing and made it impossible to print from their Chromebook to a two year old HP LaserJet multi-function device.
In helping a client find a Linux solution to his problem I decided it was time to try Mint on my System76 Darter Pro. I installed the Cinnamon desktop and had fun learning the nuances of this new interface. I liked it so well that I decided to use it on my Intel NUC desktop. I backed up my files and had Linux Mint 20.1 installed. I’m having fun configuring it the way I like it. Mint comes with a backup solution of it’s own but I opted to install Cronopete which is my favorite backup software. There’s always a learning curve with any new distribution. I’m looking forward to the experience. Thank you Linux for the freedom to choose.