Linux Mint 12 may be poised to overtake Ubuntu Linux as the king of desktop Linux operating system. Ubuntu was met with considerable resistance within the Linux community when it announced the change, and results have been reflected with a downside in Ubuntu users who are jumping ship in favor of Linux Mint.
Linux Mint Gains Popularity
According to the distrowatch.com Ubuntu has now fallen to second place in user page hits to its website. Granted these numbers do not reflect the actual number of Ubuntu users vs Linux Mint users since they are only statistics of page hits to a single website. The numbers at distrowatch.com do show that there is a continued resonating dissatisfaction with the decision by Canonical to move away from the GNOME desktop in favor of Unity.
The Big Difference Between Ubuntu and Linux Mint
The main differences between the two operating systems revolve around the user interface. Ubuntu recently made the jump from using the GNOME interface in favor of Unity.
Linux Mint was originally based on distribution packages from Ubuntu. Since it was relying on its big brother, Linux Mint has always lagged behind Ubuntu in bringing the latest version of its operating system to users. However, Linux Mint stuck with the GNOME based desktop interface. They are even staying with GNOME 2.0 when there was a 3.0 version available. This has been enough to sway many Linux users to jump to Linux Mint.
Linux Mint 12 will continue onward with the GNOME tradition, but it is not quite ready to jump to GNOME 3.0. Clement Lefebvre stated in his blog that he wants to find a way to keep the best parts of the GNOME 2.0 that uses the latest technological advancements of GNOME 3.0. It will be a tall order for Linux Mint developers to fill. Based on a recent posting some of the latest changes coming in Linux Mint 12, they are well on their way.
Linux Mint is also now available in several flavors. If users want to see a clean break from Ubuntu, they can now use Linux Mint Debian. Linux Mint Debian separates itself entirely from Ubuntu, and uses packages created for Debian for its operating system. With Linux Mint 12 you get all of the same great software and desktop usability as an Ubuntu system, in the absence of Unity.