My latest pet project is an evaluation of Linux Mint: Cinnamon. I'll have more details later on, I'm sure, but here I want to mention one HUGE irritation that I've never seen in any other Linux or Windows distribution. Linux Mint is just another flavor of Linux Ubuntu with a different desktop environment, but all the standard software comes with it. Firefox is the default browser as it is in every other Ubuntu OS I've looked at. One of the first things I did was try to configure Firefox. All my bookmarks were imported and setup was a breeze. Then I searched for something and discovered Google was not an available search engine. What? There were others on the list, but Google was absent. So, I tried to search by going to Google.com and that worked fine, but I could not add Google as a default search engine. It would not even install on the list of options. It turns out that Firefox now bans Google from being a default search engine due to the ease of hacking it in their address bar.
This only applies to Linux Mint as far as I can tell, but if it's a recent change that is across the board I'll have to check into my various installations to find out. I'm all for security, but to ban Google is a fatal error. My browser of choice in Linux Mint is now Maxthon and it may become the browser of choice in other places too.
Firefox Removed Google
Re: Firefox Removed Google
Google is my default search engine in Linux Mint 17 Mate desktop.
I tried Cinnamon a couple of times, don't remember why I didn't like it, but I didn't so tried Maya, and then Mate.
Even so, I don't use the Linux Mint computer for much. I normally use Debian 8 the most now, but keep Debian 7 for some things it does better. There are also some things which do not work on Debian 7 at all anymore, but work great on 8.
I still liked Debian 6 the best, but I don't think it is updated any longer.
As far as using Google as a search engine, I have it as my default on all computers, plus have a link in the bookmark bar to get back to it faster. I'm also using G+ to manage my bookmarks across all computers. This may be risky, but it works great.
I tried Cinnamon a couple of times, don't remember why I didn't like it, but I didn't so tried Maya, and then Mate.
Even so, I don't use the Linux Mint computer for much. I normally use Debian 8 the most now, but keep Debian 7 for some things it does better. There are also some things which do not work on Debian 7 at all anymore, but work great on 8.
I still liked Debian 6 the best, but I don't think it is updated any longer.
As far as using Google as a search engine, I have it as my default on all computers, plus have a link in the bookmark bar to get back to it faster. I'm also using G+ to manage my bookmarks across all computers. This may be risky, but it works great.
Re: Firefox Removed Google
I'm using Mate and the Unity desktop in the LTS Ubuntu distro and have not noticed any changes. I also have Ubuntu Gnome on a USB stick somewhere, and will look that over too. It's too early to tell if it's a universal change or just something Cinnamon can't deal with, but there are tech blogs specifically stating that Google exists no more for default searches.
I just downloaded Mint 17.3 which is their LTS version. Supposedly Ubuntu doesn't have a bright future ahead of it and I'm still looking for something reasonable to replace Windows. I like the look of Cinnamon, but it's a PITA to set up and doesn't support all the hardware that other distros do. I'll issue a more thorough report once I check out all my systems.
I just downloaded Mint 17.3 which is their LTS version. Supposedly Ubuntu doesn't have a bright future ahead of it and I'm still looking for something reasonable to replace Windows. I like the look of Cinnamon, but it's a PITA to set up and doesn't support all the hardware that other distros do. I'll issue a more thorough report once I check out all my systems.
Re: Firefox Removed Google
If Ubuntu declines, Linux Mint will also, since they use Ubuntu's repositories.
I have not followed Ubuntu much these past few years. I was not happy with the direction they took after 8.04LTS.
They seem to be picking up more commercial accounts as they move toward a service oriented OS like RedHat.
You pointed out several times, Linux is not just Linux, it is a mish-mash of anything and everything, with way too many variations on an OS. The problem is calling all of these OS's Linux. It is like every version of Windows being called NT, imagine the confusion. Just because something works on one OS, doesn't mean it will work on another version of the same OS. I have several programs that work on Debian 8, which will not work on Debian 7, and vice versa.
It is much deeper than just the dependencies too. The OS must be compatible with the CPU, and how things are addressed. Just because a program works on WindowsXP, doesn't mean it will work on 7, 8, or 10. You never hear of programs being backwards compatible in Windows anymore either. Even Mickey$oft has abandoned some of their greatest programs as they moved forward along the timeline, and they no longer run on newer releases.
Hardware support in Linux, unless the mfgr supplies the proper drivers for various OSs, which is rare, has always been it and miss. But FWIW, I had a MAJOR ISSUE with expensive hardware for Windows also, at a time when I could not afford such drastic financial losses from buying bad hardware, and then a computer which was supposed to be compatible with the hardware and wasn't. HP did me dirty, and it ended up costing me big time, buying more of their useless equipment in an attempt to get all of their own same new vintage branded equipment to work together. We never could because HP refused to write drivers for all Windows XP Pro versions. All other hardware mfgrs provided drivers, but not HP. So I sat with a bunch of brand new HP equipment and matching grossly overpriced computer, and still had nothing which could possibly work. It is for this reason, nothing associated with HP will ever be allowed in this house ever again.
Burned Once, shame on them, burned twice, shame on me for allowing it.
Burned Three Times, and the lessons learned of their bad reputation is now indelible and irreversible.
I have not followed Ubuntu much these past few years. I was not happy with the direction they took after 8.04LTS.
They seem to be picking up more commercial accounts as they move toward a service oriented OS like RedHat.
You pointed out several times, Linux is not just Linux, it is a mish-mash of anything and everything, with way too many variations on an OS. The problem is calling all of these OS's Linux. It is like every version of Windows being called NT, imagine the confusion. Just because something works on one OS, doesn't mean it will work on another version of the same OS. I have several programs that work on Debian 8, which will not work on Debian 7, and vice versa.
It is much deeper than just the dependencies too. The OS must be compatible with the CPU, and how things are addressed. Just because a program works on WindowsXP, doesn't mean it will work on 7, 8, or 10. You never hear of programs being backwards compatible in Windows anymore either. Even Mickey$oft has abandoned some of their greatest programs as they moved forward along the timeline, and they no longer run on newer releases.
Hardware support in Linux, unless the mfgr supplies the proper drivers for various OSs, which is rare, has always been it and miss. But FWIW, I had a MAJOR ISSUE with expensive hardware for Windows also, at a time when I could not afford such drastic financial losses from buying bad hardware, and then a computer which was supposed to be compatible with the hardware and wasn't. HP did me dirty, and it ended up costing me big time, buying more of their useless equipment in an attempt to get all of their own same new vintage branded equipment to work together. We never could because HP refused to write drivers for all Windows XP Pro versions. All other hardware mfgrs provided drivers, but not HP. So I sat with a bunch of brand new HP equipment and matching grossly overpriced computer, and still had nothing which could possibly work. It is for this reason, nothing associated with HP will ever be allowed in this house ever again.
Burned Once, shame on them, burned twice, shame on me for allowing it.
Burned Three Times, and the lessons learned of their bad reputation is now indelible and irreversible.