Mint covers all the bases and thanks to its Windows-like Start menu, finding these applications is very easy. The upshot is that you may never know that Ubuntu had the application you needed but didn't quite know the name of.
Ubuntu appears to have more applications, but finding them can be a chore when having to plough through the Dash to find them. While there is no material difference between how Libre Office works on both operating systems, the way the user interface is structured on both is slightly different. When installed, both Ubuntu and Linux Mint feature Libre Office productivity suite and Firefox browser.
Here you use the Update Manager app to update the OS and applications. This then checks for any updates (either to the operating system or applications), downloads them and then installs them.įor Mint, the process is broadly similar.
For Ubuntu, it's just a case of clicking on the Dash icon in the dock, and searching for the Software Updater. Ubuntu vs Mint: Upgradabilityīoth Mint and Ubuntu have easy-to-use updaters.
While you are free to download, install and use Ubuntu, should you need professional support, this comes at a price. Mint pitches itself as a community-driven project, as such relies on donations from users, sponsors (such as hosting companies) and partners (who give the project backing, support and services). To the right of this, along the top of the screen are other icons, focused on more settings-based functions including networking, language, sound, time and date and other essentials.
Ubuntu uses what's called the Unity UI, with a dock situated on the left side comprising the basic app icons, including Firefox for browsing and Libre Office for productivity.
Mint looks more like Windows (albeit going back to Vista rather than the more refined Windows 10), while Ubuntu will be more familiar to macOS users. Although they're built, at their core exactly the same, the UI is probably the most significant variation between the two. Mint and Ubuntu vary significantly in terms of looks. Ubuntu vs Mint: Desktops interfaces and usability LTS stands for 'long-term support' - a guarantee that the version will receive security and other updates, free of charge, for a specified time frame, usally years in advance - much like Windows or macOS. More recently it adopted a traditional numeric format such as Ubuntu 20.04.3 LTS. For example, 15.04 was called Vivid Vervet.
Ubuntu used to codename its releases these code names formerly consisted of an adjective and the name of an animal also beginning with the same letter. Ubuntu releases versions of the software with a version number that encompasses the year and month of release. Mint gives every new release a female name ending in "a" current version 20.2 is known as "Uma". Feedback from these parties helps shape decisions about its development. While Ubuntu has software company Canonical behind it to run its development, Mint relies on individual users and companies using the OS to act as sponsors, donors and partners.
deb.ĭebian is perhaps one of the oldest iterations of Linux, launching in 1993, at a time when Microsoft was rolling out Windows 3.1. As we've already explained, Ubuntu is based upon Debian and the package format is. Ubuntu first burst into the Linux scene in October 2004 and is updated every six months. Therefore, if you're using either Mint or Ubuntu, you are actually using Debian to an extent. Mint, is, in fact, based upon Ubuntu and Ubuntu has Debian at its core. It solely relies on its own keen community of users and developers to maintain the project which often leads to more experimental updates that are sometimes buggier and timed less rigidly than Ubuntu’s bi-annnual schedule. Unlike Ubuntu, it isn’t managed professionally.
Mint is generally considered to be a more traditional Linux distro compared to Ubuntu, with its somewhat antiquated aesthetic which resembles an amalgam of Windows 7, XP and a few other earlier Windows installations. Per the Ubuntu project’s manifesto, Ubuntu will always be free to use, accessible in as many languages as possible, shipped with a refreshed version every six months, and uphold open source development principles. It features a familiar, macOS-like user interface (UI) and is maintained by both its keen community of users and professionally by Canonical - sponsor of the Ubuntu project. Generally speaking, Ubuntu is the more popular choice over Mint.