Linux distributions come through my office in a constant flood. Most of them stick around long enough for a quick try-out on one of my test systems or on a VirtualBox virtual machine. A few find permanent homes. I currently use OpenSUSE on my servers, and Ubuntu, Fedora, and MEPIS on my desktops and laptops. Now, I have a new resident on my desktops: Mint 9.
I’ve been fond of Mint for years, but my affection for it never quite reached the point where I wanted to use it on a daily basis: Until now. It’s not that Mint, an Ubuntu-based Linux desktop distribution, has made a great strides forward, it’s that the distro has continued to get better and better with each release.
Mint 9 is based on Ubuntu 10.04, so if you’re already a Linux user chances are you already know its foundation. On top of Ubuntu though Mint layers a much more attractive, to my eye, default GNOME 2.30 interface. The color scheme is green with a very clean and simple desktop. I find Mint’s desktop to be both restful and inviting.