Debian vs Linux Mint

[TrevorNoah]

I know this may have been covered but I just want to get a fresh take from current users.

I know this is the Debian subreddit so opinions may be biased, but I don't mind. I simply want to get users' opinions on why one might be better off using Debian over Linux Mint, Ubuntu etc.

Context: I'm currently running Linux Mint on a Lenovo Thinkpad X250. I'm somewhat a 'noob' (know my way around the command line basics but I couldn't really fix things without help from the community).


Lastly, I've read that the best way to think about Debian and other distros is that they're different software philosophies, in that pure Debian is all about freedom first and foremost, and is more stable, secure etc. - that is exactly what attracts me to Debian.

But I'm still not 100% sure about leaving Mint because of potential WiFi driver issues, difficulties I might run into etc. Of course I'm willing to learn more about maintaining it all, but my time, knowledge and experience is limited.

[dbarron]

Mint/Sparky/Ubuntu (and many others) are all Debian based.  Personally, I prefer Debian based because basically every application is supported here, because Ubuntu is the largest install base of Desktop Linux.  It's not necessarily the best, most recent, most secure, most stable, but it's the largest population.  This does lend itself to a lot of feedback and fixes coming out faster sometimes.  Underneath they're the same, but there may be some seasoning applied on top (and philosophy of rolling/stable/etc).
Others, like Arch based, or RedHat, or Suse, just aren't quite my cup of tea, though I've tried many of them (I currently have 7 distros installed on my hard drives, because I was evaluating for a 'class' presentation).  They all have different strengths.
I've decided I love the freedom of easily switching between multiple desktop environments that Sparky offers, this is (in my experience) unique among distros.  As a general rule, different desktops conflict and require a fair amount of tweaking to get right (and even then it seems there are compromises).  Much of that work has been done in Sparky for us.
If it weren't for what was listed above, Solus would be my choice.  I've ran it for more than a year and am impressed, it's a 'it just works' distro as long as you don't play with it too much (and thus break it).
Only way to gain experience is to do.  Depends on if you have any desire to do.

The only thing I don't like (so far) with Sparky is the activity (or lack) that I see on the forums.  This probably is just a reflection of the times (I'm told forums are old hat and people want social media).

[paxmark1]

To dbarron

"Debian based".   What do those words actually mean.  Ubuntu was a fork of Debian in 2004.  I went from rpm to deb at that point.  But 15 years into a fork  can mean a large amount of distance when you look at vectors.  Yes, much common ground is taken up each 6 months when Ubuntu helps itself to Debian testing.   - but the environment and landscape  still continue to diverge. 

I was looking at Mint hard in 2014-15 to see if I could get in put onto ancient computers in a day program(at work in Winnipeg)  instead of WinXP.  But agency would not listen to me.  Now in the usOfa  I curse the xorg/synaptic  ancient crap on Mint from 2017 on the laptops at work (US agency out of Omaha), IT has not gone to systemd  libinjput 2018 version of mint. If you are on Mint based on 2018, it is not the end of the world. 

wifi  There are some fairly new Broadcomms that will involve work in any  linux distribution.   The older the computer, the more likely the non-free drivers will work if needed. 

wifi  There should not be much difference between Sparky and mint, both automatically  give you non-free early in the install. 

If you are new, try Sparky4 with a live usb.  And if you look, you can also find the non-free isos of Debian, they are not as hidden away as they used to be.  You could always wait till July/August for the new stable also.  It is not the end of the world to stay a few more months in Mint and learn. 

I have  no clue as to what "shareit" "uc  browser" or "appvn" are about, I have never heard of them in linux. 

peace out.

[Bill Statler]

I have  no clue as to what "shareit" "uc  browser" or "appvn" are about, I have never heard of them in linux. 

I assume that's what was in TrevorNoah's signature line, where it now says "*Link Removed* *Link Removed* *Link Removed*" courtesy of a moderator.  His whole post was actually stolen from a January 2019 Reddit post.  Common spammer trick.

I think it's cool when spammers accidentally start an interesting topic. ;D

A Linux Mint user who wants to try out Debian might look at LMDE (Linux Mint Debian Edition) as a first step.  But I like Sparky rolling version better myself.