IMPORTANT NOTICE! There are reports that in Linux Mint 9 - Isadora (based on Ubuntu 10.04 - Karmic Koala) the wireless card will loose connection with the router from time to time. The problem can be easily solved upgrading the default linux kernel 2.6.32 that Linux Mint 9 comes with to the new kernel 2.6.36. Follow this LINK to do the necessary upgrade if you have an ath5k or ath9k (Atheros wireless card ).
Not much different as in “look and feel” from Linux Mint 8 but...very fast and not only!
I won't talk about desktop backgrounds or other insignificant stuff. It looked good before, it looks good now.
I have installed Linux Mint 9 on two computers : an Acer Aspire One and a Toshiba Satellite.
Installation on Acer Aspire One took exactly …. 10 minutes! While on Toshiba Satellite A135-S4467 the installation was done in 3 minutes!!! Pretty cool , eh ?
Once the installation completed you'll find pretty much everything under the hood.
However, you'll need to install a package to help manipulate images from photo camera, so I'll recommend F-Spot.
The big surprise comes if connecting an iPod Touch or an iPhone. Once connected such device, a window will pop up asking you if you want Rhythmbox to deal with the connected device.
I don't know if ( and I don't see any reason why ) Banshee or Amarok will handle an iPhone or an iPod Touch but for sure Rhythmbox will do the job.
This regarding the manipulation of the audio files in and from the aforementioned devices.
As for the pictures, the Image Viewer or the F-Spot should do it just fine.
For those who own iPhones or iPods Touch and wanted to make the change to Linux this is a great news.
If you have a cheap netbook or any other laptop just put inside Linux Mint 9 and it will become a very powerful tool to serve you perfect no matter if you're gonna use it for home or business purposes.
Let me make this clear : it is not only the operation system but also the repositories that “backup” the system with thousands and thousands of useful applications.
You don't have to install them all. Just think about what you need or what would you use normally on , let's say Windows.
For example, you've just installed Linux Mint 9 and you remember that you were using Windows Media Center on your old system to keep organized your pictures, music files, videos.
Is it possible to find something similar working with Linux Mint ? Of course!
Just go on Google and search something like “ linux media center”.
A multitude of answers will pop up and among them you'll find Moovida.
How to install it? Well, first let's see if Linux Mint repositories have this Moovida package on their repositories.
A fast way to check this: click on the Menu icon on the lower left corner of the screen ( I assume you're using the Gnome “flavor” interface) and then click on Package Manager. You'll be instructed to insert the administrative password. Do so and the Synaptic Package Manager window will appear.
In the Quick Search field insert “moovida” and ...here it is. Just check the box next to moovida and the application will be installed with all necessary dependencies.
If you want to install Skype use the same Synaptic Package Manager and you'll find the package there. I'm sure that Skype for Linux will work good with the internal sound device of your system and also with any more or less newer model of webcam attached.
You don't have to carry along anymore the CD stack with drivers for any piece of hardware your computer has or you'll attach.
WIFI works just great and also Bluetooth. No driver needed. Linux Mint 9 has everything necessary to handle these things with great stability.
I've also noticed another essential improvement regarding Firefox and the way it handles now the embedded video files.
If in previous versions of Mint ( 7 and 8 ) Flash Player plugin was causing embedded videos to run not quite smoothly forcing me to replace Firefox with Google Chrome , now in Mint 9 seems that the problem is solved very good.
In an older posting I've mentioned that the OpenOffice Writer is capable to open and edit that creepy ”.docx“ format. But it's not all! The OppenOffice Writer can do more ! Once edited a document you have the possibility to save it in a multitude of formats including...PDF.
Now think about it a little bit: you have a fast,extremely safe, long term supported and very stable operation system capable of handling thousands of programs and applications even on low performance computers saving you the trouble of searching and installing drivers and it's all for free. More that that, with it's latest release all you have to do is to plug in your iPod Touch or iPhone and have no worries loading or unloading any song or picture you want.
The question is : why would you pay to have an operation system that any potential attacker will break in extremely easy, offers you a media player that plays only few audio/video formats and requires even more money to be payed for any additional software that you might need???
Just use Linux Mint 9 and if you like it ( I see no reason not to !) just donate something to the team of developers. They'll use the money NOT TO get rich but to buy in the future new hardware that will appear on the market so they'll have the necessary equipment to test and improve their Linux distro !!!!!
As shown in pictures, if the panel containing the Menu , the Clock and Calendar is located "classical" at the bottom of your Desktop, if you want to access the Calendar ...you won't be able too see it because it is "hiding" on the upper right corner of the screen. At least this is happening on my Netbook.
