LMDE Review

I've been using Linux Mint, on and off, for a number of years now, and I really like it. For quite a while I was on Linux Mint 16 (I realize that 17 just came out), but a couple of months ago I decided to give LMDE (Linux Mint Debian Edition) a try. 

Linux Mint Debian Edition

Linux Mint Debian Edition, or LMDE, is a version of the very popular distribution Linux Mint. While the "normal", numbered, editions of Linux Mint are based of Ubuntu, LMDE is based on Debian Testing instead. Aside from what distro they are based on, the idea is that they should be the same.

First off, the installation procedure. It's different from the Ubuntu-based version, but I actually prefer this one. The Ubuntu installer (and the slightly modified one used in the main version of Linux Mint) is simply great, it's simple, intuitive, and looks nice to boot. The only problem I have with it, is that it's, in a sense, too simple. I feel like I'm not really the one in control, but rather I have to trust in that the Ubuntu team has done things correctly.

The LMDE installer still provides a nice, simple interface for installation. It does not by any means require you to be an expert in order to install it. It does show you a little bit more of what is going on, and provides you with just that little bit of added control of the process, which means that it feels very comfortable to use.

Once installed, there are only 2 visible indications that anything is different from the "normal" version. The first is the background, which has a Debian logo instead of the number of the LM version. Personally, I think the Debian logo looks better. The second is the font used for menu-button, icons, etc. Here I go the other way, the Ubuntu-based versions font is better. LMDE's font seems somehow smaller and thinner, making it slightly less readable. It is by no means a disaster, but it's not quite as good as the original.

For everyday use, things run smoothly and quickly, there is no sense that you are using a distro that is inferior to the Ubuntu-based version. The settings app and program manager look no different from that found in the "normal" version.

After a couple of months of use, I've only really found one bug. It's in the regional settings, and it's not as if that is something that you tend to mess with a lot.

I had a bit of trouble installing BankID due to the repositories being different from the Ubuntu-based ones. But then BankID is kind of a special case. I imagine that other applications which do not come from the default repositories might have similar problems in terms of dependencies.

All in all, I have to say that the Linux Mint team has succeeded very well in making LMDE the same as the "normal" version. There are a couple of very minor downsides, but then there is a major upside as well - LMDE is rolling distribution, which means that there is no need to reinstall when a new version becomes available. This seems especially beneficial now that Ubuntu only has 9 months support on their non-LTS versions. Only 9 months support means that you need to either run the LTS version, or reinstall every time a new version comes out (which has its own charm). I hear that Linux Mint may start to base each of their versions only on the Ubuntu LTS, so we'll see where that goes.

For now though, I'm sticking with LMDE. It is definitely good enough, that I don't see any reason to return to the numbered versions. And really, I don't think that there is any higher praise to give than that.