LINUX MINT

The most popular version of Linux Mint is the Cinnamon edition. Cinnamon is primarily developed for and by Linux Mint. It is slick, beautiful, and full of new features.

Linux Mint is also involved in the development of MATE, a classic desktop environment which is the continuation of GNOME 2, Linux Mint’s default desktop between 2006 and 2011. Although it misses a few features and its development is slower than Cinnamon’s, MATE runs faster, uses fewer resources and is more stable than Cinnamon.

Xfce is a lightweight desktop environment. It doesn’t support as many features as Cinnamon or MATE, but it’s extremely stable and very light on resource usage.

LMDE aims to be as similar as possible to Linux Mint, but without using Ubuntu. The package base is provided by Debian instead.

Its goal is to ensure Linux Mint can continue to deliver the same user experience if Ubuntu was ever to disappear.

The primary difference between Linux Mint and Linux Mint Debian Edition (LMDE) is their underlying package base: standard Linux Mint uses Ubuntu LTS repositories, while LMDE uses the Debian Stable repositories directly.

Key Differences

• Software Freshness: Standard Linux Mint typically offers newer software versions and more frequent updates because it builds on the Ubuntu LTS cycle, which receives backported packages. LMDE relies on Debian Stable, resulting in older, more conservative software packages that prioritize long-term stability over new features.
• Hardware & Driver Support: The Ubuntu-based Mint generally provides better out-of-the-box support for newer hardware, including newer kernels and proprietary drivers (like NVIDIA), thanks to Ubuntu's more frequent updates. LMDE may require manual intervention or additional configuration for newer graphics cards or hardware not supported by the older Debian kernel.
• System Management Tools: Standard Linux Mint includes the Mint Driver Manager and supports PPAs (Personal Package Archives) from the Ubuntu ecosystem, allowing for easier driver installation and third-party software access. LMDE lacks the Driver Manager and does not support PPAs, requiring users to manage drivers and software sources manually or via Flatpak.
• Performance & Stability: LMDE is often perceived as having a lighter footprint and fewer pre-installed applications, while standard Mint is designed for a polished, ready-to-use experience with a "gentle" learning curve. Both distributions are considered highly stable for daily desktop use once their respective base systems have received point releases.

Use Cases

Which One is Better?

• Choose Standard Linux Mint if you want the easiest setup, need support for the latest hardware, or rely on PPAs for specific software. It is generally recommended for new Linux users and those who prefer a "it just works" experience with regular updates.
• Choose LMDE if you prefer a pure Debian base, want to avoid Ubuntu/Canonical influence, or have older hardware where the lighter footprint of Debian is beneficial. It is suitable for users comfortable with manual driver configuration who value long-term consistency over software freshness.

You can customize the clock format like you wish!
To do so, you need to right-click on the clock/calendar applet in the bottom-right corner, then click “Configure”, in the calendar settings, enable the “Use a custom date format”. In Date format you can now type soemthing like this exemple: %a %d-%m-%y %H:%M:%S

More info on the syntax here.

You can enable the touchpad gestures, this is very useful for laptops.
To do so, follow this path : Menu → Preferences → Gestures → Settings → Enable gestures.

Configure the actions in the Swipe and Pinch tabs.

Night Light is a feature designed to reduce your exposure to blue light by warming up the color of your monitor. As you approach bedtime, it adjusts the screen to help reduce eyestrain, headaches, and improve sleep quality.

This feature is fully integrated into the Cinnamon desktop environment and it supports both Xorg and Wayland.

To enable Night Light, navigate to Settings → Night Light and toggle the option to activate it.

By default, Cinnamon automatically calculates your local sunrise and sunset times based on your system's timezone. During the day, the screen displays cooler, bluer tones, while at night, Night Light shifts the screen to warmer, redder tones.

If you prefer, you can switch to a manual schedule and set custom start and end times for when the feature is active.

You can also adjust the color temperature to control how warm or neutral you want the display to be during the night.

Linux Mint’s repository does not have the latest Nvidia driver by default. This is because the Linux Mint team does not automatically push the latest Nvidia drivers to their repository for general users. Instead, they rely on the open-source Nouveau driver, which is sufficient for general use but may not provide optimal performance for gaming and high-resolution video playback.

For users who need the latest Nvidia driver, add the Personal Package Archive (PPA) from “Graphics Drivers” team.

Adding the PPA to your system:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:graphics-drivers/ppa

sudo apt update

Search available driver:

sudo apt search nvidia-driver

Install the latest driver (ex: nvidia-driver-555):

sudo apt install nvidia-driver-555

sudo apt update

Reboot your system:

sudo reboot

Increase vm.max_map_count

Having the vm.max_map_count set to a low value can affect the stability and performance of some games. It can therefore be desirable to increase the size permanently by creating the following sysctl config file.

Create de config file:

sudo nano /etc/sysctl.d/80-gamecompatibility.conf

copy this line in the new created config file: vm.max_map_count = 2147483642

Save and close nano.

Apply the changes without reboot by running:

sudo sysctl --system

source: Arch Wiki

⚠️ Be sure you know what you are doing! Create a backup (with Timeshift) before you change your kernel, you could get compatibility issues!

Go to the Ubuntu Mainline Kernel page and choose to the version you want.

For AMD/Intel CPUs, simply download the first 4 .deb packages from the web page.

If you don’t know your CPU architecture type, open terminal (Ctrl+Alt+T) and run either uname -m or dpkg --print-architecture command to tell.

After downloaded the corresponding .deb packages, right-click on blank area in your downloads folder and select "Open in Terminal". Finally, run the command sudo apt install ./*.deb or dpkg -i *.deb to install all the .deb packages in that folder.

When done, reboot your computer and run command uname -r to identify your kernel version.

If you encounter issues with the Linux kernel and want to revert to default kernel or another installed kernel, follow these steps:

1. Boot your computer.
2. Press the Esc key during startup to access the boot menu.
3. Select "Advanced options" from the boot menu.
4. Choose a different kernel version from the list of available kernels.

source: It's FOSS: How to Install the Latest Mainline Linux Kernel Version in Ubuntu [GUI and Terminal Methods]

XanMod is a general-purpose Linux kernel distribution with custom settings and new features. Built to provide a stable, smooth and solid system experience.

Liquorix is an enthusiast Linux kernel designed for uncompromised responsiveness in interactive systems, enabling low latency compute in A/V production, and reduced frame time deviations in games.

linux-tkg The Linux-TKG (Tweaked Kernel for Gaming) is not a kernel itself but a build system for the Linux kernel that allows users to choose and apply various patches and configurations.

The Ctrl+Alt+Backspace key combination in Linux Mint is designed to terminate the X server, which forces a logout and returns the user to the graphical login screen. This action kills all running applications within the graphical desktop and restarts the X server, making it useful for recovering from a frozen graphical interface without a full system reboot.

While the feature exists, it is disabled by default in modern Linux Mint versions to prevent accidental activation. To enable it, users must configure the option via Regional Settings > Layouts > Options or by adding Option "DontZap" "false" to the /etc/X11/xorg.conf file.

• Function: Sends a terminate signal to the X server software.
• Result: Ends all graphical applications and logs the user out.
• Default State: Typically disabled in current distributions.
• Enabling Method: Can be toggled in Keyboard Layout Options under Regional Settings.

In Linux Mint with the Cinnamon desktop environment, the Ctrl+Alt+Esc key combination restarts the Cinnamon desktop shell without closing your open applications.

• Function: Restarts the Cinnamon process.
• Effect: Preserves your session (open windows and running programs remain intact).
• Use Case: Useful for recovering from minor graphical glitches, unresponsive panels, or frozen desktop effects without losing work.
• Desktop Specific: This shortcut is specific to Cinnamon and may have different functions in other desktop environments (e.g., it can trigger xkill in XFCE).

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