At the beginning of 2011 there was a big question as to whether or not I would live out the year. I was clearly dying of Crohn's Disease and had been for most of the previous year. Down from around 225 pounds to 144 pounds the day of my surgery. My body was getting no nutrition, no nourishment of any kind. I was too weak to walk any distance. Too weak to do anything.
Surgery in March of last year was an ordeal, but also a lifesaver. I was worried about being too weak for the surgery, but the surgeon did not think waiting would be a good idea as he believed I would continue to grow weaker. The surgery and recovery was difficult, but it brought me back from the brink of death. No more daily fevers, no more being too weak to walk to the kitchen and get my medicine, no more looking like a starving vampire badly in need of a blood transfusion.
Family and friends were a continual help and encouragement. Doctors and nurses were of great help. Many people helped me on my road to recovery.
All this has given me a unique perspective going into this new year. I'm probably much more laid back than I once was, nearly dying will do that to you. Things that once seemed very important do not matter as much now, priorities change, perspective changes, it is a somewhat different world I enter into in 2012 both on the outside and from an inner perspective.
2012 will be a better year. Of that I'm convinced. It will have its challenges as every year does, but I think not only for myself, but the world at large may be a bit wiser from the things suffered over the past year.
And last but not least, God has had a hand in it all. I have no doubt if God had not lined things up in a straight row for me that I would not be as far recovered from my ordeal as I am. I have gained back all my old weight and then some (Lord help the brakes to go on), I am not 'weak as a kitten' like a year ago. Much was taken from me through my ordeal, but God has also restored much to me.
I look forward to 2012. I know 2011 was a hard year for many people. It is good to put the past behind us, yet to learn from the things we have gone through, and take that wisdom into the coming year, adding to its chance of greater successes than the previous year. I pray all my family and friends have a blessed new year and that 2012 is your best year ever.
Saturday, December 31, 2011
Thursday, December 8, 2011
Are Movies The New Books?
A couple of months ago I was at a Barnes & Noble bookstore. I was somewhat surprised at the size of the video and music area of the store. More recently I visited my local library. I left with very mixed feelings. Not long ago the entrance to my local library surrounded you with books. On the right was new fiction and a large genealogy area filled with books. To the left was general fiction in rows upon rows of bookshelves. Not so today.
Today when you walk into my local library inside the doorway you see a just a couple of bookshelves with featured fiction, Christmas books for instance. But just behind this front area you see more than a dozen computers for library patrons. To the right, beyond the checkout counter, are large shelves lined mostly with videos, but also computer games and music CDs. I told the librarian: "This looks more like a video store than a library." She did not argue the point.
Having browsed around a bit I saw posters announcing an upcoming program about e-reader devices. There were also posters advertising the Overdrive Library program where you can download music, videos, and e-books online. Looking through the books that were available, I would guess that there are 1/4-1/3 fewer books in the library than in years past. Just a few years ago the audio-video area of the library occupied a small basement section--now it basically is the library.
How things can change in just a short period of time. I was one of those predicting these events. For numerous reasons I saw that e-books would become the prevalent way of storing, reading, and transferring books. I looked at this likelihood with both a bit of concern, and some excitement. On the negative side I had concerns about the demise of physical books, their lack of availability to the public, and perhaps the loss of access to out of print books. On the positive side the ability to carry around one's entire library in a back pocket, instant access to millions of books online, and no need to store massive amounts of books in one's home--these things appealed to me.
Yet I find myself a bit depressed realizing that books are no longer the primary function of local libraries--at least for those libraries who plan on existing into the future--but other forms of entertainment have supplanted books. This makes me question the role of books as entertainment going into the future, and whether or not books are being replaced by other entertainment, such as music, computers, the Internet, but especially movies.
Movies are perhaps the closest you can get to the experience of reading a book. Movies generally tell stories to entertain, as do books. The big difference with books is that it takes a bit of effort to read, you must imagine the picture painted by the book's wordsmith, visualize the scenes and characters, and you have time to think through the implications and motivations of the characters. With a movie that is all done for you. The director and others involved in the film paint upon the screen images that you merely look at to comprehend, often the character's clothing and demeanor and actions portray much of what matters to the story. You are simply along for the ride. Movies are the lazy person's book.
OK, I don't want to bash movies too harshly, I enjoy a good movie as much as anyone. But I believe they require far less mental energy and imagination than books. And they are limited to just a few hours so that even the most thought-provoking of movies cannot impact the way a book can with hundreds of pages and more time and room to present questions and provide answers. And even those books considered "fluff" by some still require imagination and active thought-processes to provide the energy needed to imagine scenes and scenarios presented by the author.
I fear I know the answer to this already, and I fear its impact on future generations. But what do you think, are movies the new books?
Today when you walk into my local library inside the doorway you see a just a couple of bookshelves with featured fiction, Christmas books for instance. But just behind this front area you see more than a dozen computers for library patrons. To the right, beyond the checkout counter, are large shelves lined mostly with videos, but also computer games and music CDs. I told the librarian: "This looks more like a video store than a library." She did not argue the point.
Having browsed around a bit I saw posters announcing an upcoming program about e-reader devices. There were also posters advertising the Overdrive Library program where you can download music, videos, and e-books online. Looking through the books that were available, I would guess that there are 1/4-1/3 fewer books in the library than in years past. Just a few years ago the audio-video area of the library occupied a small basement section--now it basically is the library.
How things can change in just a short period of time. I was one of those predicting these events. For numerous reasons I saw that e-books would become the prevalent way of storing, reading, and transferring books. I looked at this likelihood with both a bit of concern, and some excitement. On the negative side I had concerns about the demise of physical books, their lack of availability to the public, and perhaps the loss of access to out of print books. On the positive side the ability to carry around one's entire library in a back pocket, instant access to millions of books online, and no need to store massive amounts of books in one's home--these things appealed to me.
Yet I find myself a bit depressed realizing that books are no longer the primary function of local libraries--at least for those libraries who plan on existing into the future--but other forms of entertainment have supplanted books. This makes me question the role of books as entertainment going into the future, and whether or not books are being replaced by other entertainment, such as music, computers, the Internet, but especially movies.
Movies are perhaps the closest you can get to the experience of reading a book. Movies generally tell stories to entertain, as do books. The big difference with books is that it takes a bit of effort to read, you must imagine the picture painted by the book's wordsmith, visualize the scenes and characters, and you have time to think through the implications and motivations of the characters. With a movie that is all done for you. The director and others involved in the film paint upon the screen images that you merely look at to comprehend, often the character's clothing and demeanor and actions portray much of what matters to the story. You are simply along for the ride. Movies are the lazy person's book.
OK, I don't want to bash movies too harshly, I enjoy a good movie as much as anyone. But I believe they require far less mental energy and imagination than books. And they are limited to just a few hours so that even the most thought-provoking of movies cannot impact the way a book can with hundreds of pages and more time and room to present questions and provide answers. And even those books considered "fluff" by some still require imagination and active thought-processes to provide the energy needed to imagine scenes and scenarios presented by the author.
I fear I know the answer to this already, and I fear its impact on future generations. But what do you think, are movies the new books?
Sunday, December 4, 2011
Thoughts On Mepis 11
Mepis 11 was the first ever Linux I installed and used on my computer. This gives me perhaps a somewhat unique perspective months later after having tried most of the major Linux distributions.
The Good: I beat the daylights out of Mepis learning to use Linux and it proved time and again to be Rock Solid. Coming with KDE it gives an ex-Windows user a comfortable desktop environment. Having later tried Kubuntu and finding Kubuntu ran as slow as a turtle on my machine, I appreciate that Mepis comes with KDE and is still quite fast and responsive. The community is helpful to newbies and that is very important. Worth mentioning is that Mepis has an excellent installer.
The Not-So-Good: I happen to like music and Mepis is not set up for Music out of the box. As a newbie I downloaded nearly everything in the repository that had the word "gstreamer" in it before finally getting all the codecs I needed. This is a huge problem for newbies and can alone turn away potential Mepis users. If Mint can come with all the codecs in its Main and Debian versions, I think Mepis should as well, even if it breaks solemn Debian commandments. Alternately there should be something in huge letters on the desktop explaining how to easily install the needed codecs, perhaps giving information on how to install Banshee or some other music player with codecs attached. At the very least newbies should be offered and made aware of a restricted extras codec package in the repository much as Ubuntu does, perhaps offered during the install process. The font rendering has to be improved. It seems to me there is no reason Lubuntu with LXDE desktop should have better font rendering than Mepis, especially as Mepis prides itself on being a beautiful desktop. Maybe some of the problem is KDE, which I notice has bad font rendering as well in Kubuntu. Lastly, I think some people would like Mepis more if it offered optional desktops like LXDE and Xfce. I know they can be added, but that is a newbie nightmare as I learned for myself trying to install Xfce. I think an LXDE and Xfce version would increase the popularity of Mepis.
I don't think it would take much for Mepis to be one of the top 5 Linux distros ever. And my criticisms here are meant constructively, Mepis will always have a special place in my heart as my first Linux distro.
The Good: I beat the daylights out of Mepis learning to use Linux and it proved time and again to be Rock Solid. Coming with KDE it gives an ex-Windows user a comfortable desktop environment. Having later tried Kubuntu and finding Kubuntu ran as slow as a turtle on my machine, I appreciate that Mepis comes with KDE and is still quite fast and responsive. The community is helpful to newbies and that is very important. Worth mentioning is that Mepis has an excellent installer.
The Not-So-Good: I happen to like music and Mepis is not set up for Music out of the box. As a newbie I downloaded nearly everything in the repository that had the word "gstreamer" in it before finally getting all the codecs I needed. This is a huge problem for newbies and can alone turn away potential Mepis users. If Mint can come with all the codecs in its Main and Debian versions, I think Mepis should as well, even if it breaks solemn Debian commandments. Alternately there should be something in huge letters on the desktop explaining how to easily install the needed codecs, perhaps giving information on how to install Banshee or some other music player with codecs attached. At the very least newbies should be offered and made aware of a restricted extras codec package in the repository much as Ubuntu does, perhaps offered during the install process. The font rendering has to be improved. It seems to me there is no reason Lubuntu with LXDE desktop should have better font rendering than Mepis, especially as Mepis prides itself on being a beautiful desktop. Maybe some of the problem is KDE, which I notice has bad font rendering as well in Kubuntu. Lastly, I think some people would like Mepis more if it offered optional desktops like LXDE and Xfce. I know they can be added, but that is a newbie nightmare as I learned for myself trying to install Xfce. I think an LXDE and Xfce version would increase the popularity of Mepis.
I don't think it would take much for Mepis to be one of the top 5 Linux distros ever. And my criticisms here are meant constructively, Mepis will always have a special place in my heart as my first Linux distro.
Friday, December 2, 2011
Lubuntu 11.10 Light And Fast
Light and fast, that almost says it all regarding Lubuntu 11.10 Linux. If you have older computer hardware, you can do no better than install Lubuntu. It is a full-fledged operating system that takes very little in the way of resources. It runs well with just 256 mb of ram. So even semi-ancient hardware can be brought back to life with Lubuntu.
And as mentioned--it is fast. I dare you to try it, then compare it to those slug operating systems you've been running. Lubuntu makes Windows look like its gasping for its last breath. And even some Linux operating systems that consider themselves moderately light weight are blown away by Lubuntu.
Out of the box Lubuntu comes as a fully functioning operating system. For word processing Lubuntu comes with Abiword, which I'm a fan of, but I end up installing LibreOffice Writer as well. I've found I can install all my favorite software I would use in other Linux distributions. So you are not going to starve for software with Lubuntu, the excellent software manager, Synaptic Package Manager, that comes with Lubuntu 11.10 will allow you to download any software available to the larger Linux distributions.
OK, so you might ask: What is the downside to Lubuntu? Well, nothing is perfect. You might find that configuration takes a bit more work than say Gnome 2.3 and yet, paradoxically, Lubuntu 11.10 allows for more configuration than desktops like Unity and Gnome 3 even though Lubuntu is faster and lighter. There are some things you may need google to help you with, such as changing clock settings. There is a small learning curve with these lighter Linux desktops. Yet there is plenty of support on the web for questions pertaining to Lubuntu, such as the Lubuntu One Stop Thread:
http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=1844755
There are a few things I would like to see added to Lubuntu that should not add much to the weight of the distribution. For instance, I added Gnome Screenshot because I like a screenshot listed in the applications menu. I would like to see power management added to the applications menu to easily find and configure the power settings. I would dearly love a weather applet in the panel. Another improvement I'd like to see is with the cursor/pointer theme, it has always struck me as a bit weak and feeble, And most importantly, I sincerely wish that Lubuntu 12.04, the next Lubuntu release, was going to be a Long Term Support release (5 years of support). I understand there just isn't the manpower for this right now, but I think this is an opportunity missed. People using older hardware would be the prime candidates for LTS releases because they are most likely to want to keep whatever they install on their computers for a long time. Lubuntu's next opportunity for a LTS release will be 14.04, the year 2014. That is a long time away, and as I say, I think Lubuntu being the only one in the Ubuntu family without a LTS release next Spring is missing an opportunity. OK, end of the downside.
I liked Lubuntu from the first time I tried it. And I have installed its LXDE desktop on other Linux distributions and have never been disappointed. As mentioned, there are some things I would like to see added or changed, but as a whole Lubuntu does so very much while requiring so very little. On an older desktop computer, or on a laptop or netbook--Lubuntu is lightning.
You should probably be warned, once you try Lubuntu you will be forever ruined. Your other operating systems will seem like slow moving turtles when compared to Lubuntu. The LXDE desktop is both beautiful and functional. It is not perfect, as no desktop is without defects. Yet for older hardware, for newer hardware you want to see moving at lightning speed, and for just a simple, straightforward, classically designed desktop--you will not be sorry if you give Lubuntu a spin.
Lubuntu 11.10 gets a 4 out 5 five star rating from me. I believe with a bit more polish, perhaps a few more developers getting on board to bring it up to speed with other Ubuntu releases, and receiving a bit more attention to features that keep it lightweight but add options, Lubuntu could easily pull ahead of all the other Linix desktops. As it is, Lubuntu for several years has remained near the top ten Linux distributions on Distrowatch. Lubuntu is a winner, and 11.10 is both stable and as I said at the start--Light and Fast.
And as mentioned--it is fast. I dare you to try it, then compare it to those slug operating systems you've been running. Lubuntu makes Windows look like its gasping for its last breath. And even some Linux operating systems that consider themselves moderately light weight are blown away by Lubuntu.
Out of the box Lubuntu comes as a fully functioning operating system. For word processing Lubuntu comes with Abiword, which I'm a fan of, but I end up installing LibreOffice Writer as well. I've found I can install all my favorite software I would use in other Linux distributions. So you are not going to starve for software with Lubuntu, the excellent software manager, Synaptic Package Manager, that comes with Lubuntu 11.10 will allow you to download any software available to the larger Linux distributions.
OK, so you might ask: What is the downside to Lubuntu? Well, nothing is perfect. You might find that configuration takes a bit more work than say Gnome 2.3 and yet, paradoxically, Lubuntu 11.10 allows for more configuration than desktops like Unity and Gnome 3 even though Lubuntu is faster and lighter. There are some things you may need google to help you with, such as changing clock settings. There is a small learning curve with these lighter Linux desktops. Yet there is plenty of support on the web for questions pertaining to Lubuntu, such as the Lubuntu One Stop Thread:
http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=1844755
There are a few things I would like to see added to Lubuntu that should not add much to the weight of the distribution. For instance, I added Gnome Screenshot because I like a screenshot listed in the applications menu. I would like to see power management added to the applications menu to easily find and configure the power settings. I would dearly love a weather applet in the panel. Another improvement I'd like to see is with the cursor/pointer theme, it has always struck me as a bit weak and feeble, And most importantly, I sincerely wish that Lubuntu 12.04, the next Lubuntu release, was going to be a Long Term Support release (5 years of support). I understand there just isn't the manpower for this right now, but I think this is an opportunity missed. People using older hardware would be the prime candidates for LTS releases because they are most likely to want to keep whatever they install on their computers for a long time. Lubuntu's next opportunity for a LTS release will be 14.04, the year 2014. That is a long time away, and as I say, I think Lubuntu being the only one in the Ubuntu family without a LTS release next Spring is missing an opportunity. OK, end of the downside.
I liked Lubuntu from the first time I tried it. And I have installed its LXDE desktop on other Linux distributions and have never been disappointed. As mentioned, there are some things I would like to see added or changed, but as a whole Lubuntu does so very much while requiring so very little. On an older desktop computer, or on a laptop or netbook--Lubuntu is lightning.
You should probably be warned, once you try Lubuntu you will be forever ruined. Your other operating systems will seem like slow moving turtles when compared to Lubuntu. The LXDE desktop is both beautiful and functional. It is not perfect, as no desktop is without defects. Yet for older hardware, for newer hardware you want to see moving at lightning speed, and for just a simple, straightforward, classically designed desktop--you will not be sorry if you give Lubuntu a spin.
Lubuntu 11.10 gets a 4 out 5 five star rating from me. I believe with a bit more polish, perhaps a few more developers getting on board to bring it up to speed with other Ubuntu releases, and receiving a bit more attention to features that keep it lightweight but add options, Lubuntu could easily pull ahead of all the other Linix desktops. As it is, Lubuntu for several years has remained near the top ten Linux distributions on Distrowatch. Lubuntu is a winner, and 11.10 is both stable and as I said at the start--Light and Fast.
Thursday, December 1, 2011
Why Mint Matters
I've been thinking about some of the hurdles newcomers to Linux will face, and the things I had to deal with when I began to use Linux not so long ago. Various things bring newcomers to Linux. Perhaps, like me, a virus killed their Windows machine and they wanted an alternative to Windows. They may have an old machine that needs a new operating system. Or they may simply have come to Linux out of curiosity.
Newcomers must decipher which Linux distribution to use, and that is no small matter. Unless they are given a Linux CD or buy one, they must also figure out how to actually get their hands on Linux. Since Linux is free, that is not an obstacle, but discovering how to get the correct iso for their computer, such as do they need 32 or 64 bit? or amd or the intel version? And then figuring our how to burn the iso to a disc after downloading can be a challenge for Linux newbies. There is software that will run on Windows that can help them burn the iso to a disc, and then they are finally off to try their hand at the Linux experiment.
Which brings me to Linux Mint. The first Linux I ever heard about, and tried, was Ubuntu. When I asked around inevitably as a Linux newbie that is the Linux distribution I was directed to. But even in my short time with Linux I would not now recommend the main Ubuntu version to a Linux newbie. With its funky dock stuck on the left side of the desktop, and its hidden menus, overlay scroll bars, and minimize/maximize/close buttons on the left side of the windows, I think Ubuntu has become less newbie friendly than just a few releases ago. Ubuntu's children, Kubuntu, Xubuntu, and Lubuntu, are user friendly, but the main Ubuntu has lost that crown. In my view Mint is the new Ubuntu.
The first Linux to be installed on my computer was Debian Stable SimplyMepis 11. I will always think of it fondly, and remember it as "the unbreakable distro" that I beat up and it kept on working despite my many mistakes in the Linux learning process. But there are some things I don't have fond memories of, such as trying to track down all the codecs I needed to play my music, and searching for the correct software to rip my CDs, and for the software to view and edit my photos. Mepis was great, but it was not an easy out-of-the-box Linux distribution. Mint, however, is a great newbie Linux distribution.
I don't regret beginning my Linux learning experience with Mepis, but if I had started with Mint, I would have had the software and codecs needed from the beginning. I might not have learned as much as I did from starting with Mepis, but I would have had an easier launch with Linux if I had entered the race with Linux Mint. I suspect that even long time Linux users and true Linux geeks are glad to have Mint around for newbies. Once Mint is installed, it is completely ready to use. Music can be played, photos viewed, CDs ripped, videos watched, in other words, the Linux learning curve becomes much smaller with Mint.
I have recently heard people say that without Ubuntu there would be no Mint, and that is true to some extent, but Mint is moving forward in ways that Ubuntu is not. Ubuntu is out chasing the illusive dream of the tablet and phone market while Mint is continuing to stick with the real world desktop and laptop computer user. Mint has not forgotten who it is that uses their software. And Mint is not solely dependent upon the choices and whims of Ubuntu. The screenshot above is of Linux Mint Debian Xfce. I've been using it the last few days and I'm very impressed with it. I would not wish for it to happen, but if Ubuntu sinks her ship tomorrow, Mint will still be afloat.
Mint matters because the Linux world beyond the geekdom needs a user friendly product. It needs a reliable operating system, not one subject to whims and temporary trends. People count on their computers. They don't want to run an upgrade and find themselves looking at a tablet interface instead of an intuitive desktop they are familiar with. They don't want to go back to school to re-learn how to operate their computer. They don't want the ability to control and shape their computer desktop taken away from them. They like things simple and easy, but they also want to be treated as thinking adults. In other words, what they want is Linux Mint.
I'm still learning with Linux, and I don't think that ever really ends. Using Linux takes a certain amount of inquisitiveness and desire to learn and experience new things. Yet at the same time I believe many who come to Linux simply want a reliable operating system that they can sit down to and use in a matter of minutes. They want to be able to get their work done, and also get onto the Internet, check their email, watch videos, visit Facebook, and surf the web without a great deal of effort, and have their operating system make that easy for them to do, not get in their way.
Why does Mint matter? I would suggest that at the very least it should be the "gateway drug" into Linux. Mint is user friendly and makes the step from Windows nearly effortless rather than a leap into the dark. Linux Mint is, and likely will continue to be, the first Linux distribution to come to my mind for those new to Linux. Mint is one of the main Linux distributions I use, the only one my wife uses, and the only one on the desktop computer that we both use. I would recommend it to anybody. Long live Linux Mint!
Newcomers must decipher which Linux distribution to use, and that is no small matter. Unless they are given a Linux CD or buy one, they must also figure out how to actually get their hands on Linux. Since Linux is free, that is not an obstacle, but discovering how to get the correct iso for their computer, such as do they need 32 or 64 bit? or amd or the intel version? And then figuring our how to burn the iso to a disc after downloading can be a challenge for Linux newbies. There is software that will run on Windows that can help them burn the iso to a disc, and then they are finally off to try their hand at the Linux experiment.
Which brings me to Linux Mint. The first Linux I ever heard about, and tried, was Ubuntu. When I asked around inevitably as a Linux newbie that is the Linux distribution I was directed to. But even in my short time with Linux I would not now recommend the main Ubuntu version to a Linux newbie. With its funky dock stuck on the left side of the desktop, and its hidden menus, overlay scroll bars, and minimize/maximize/close buttons on the left side of the windows, I think Ubuntu has become less newbie friendly than just a few releases ago. Ubuntu's children, Kubuntu, Xubuntu, and Lubuntu, are user friendly, but the main Ubuntu has lost that crown. In my view Mint is the new Ubuntu.
The first Linux to be installed on my computer was Debian Stable SimplyMepis 11. I will always think of it fondly, and remember it as "the unbreakable distro" that I beat up and it kept on working despite my many mistakes in the Linux learning process. But there are some things I don't have fond memories of, such as trying to track down all the codecs I needed to play my music, and searching for the correct software to rip my CDs, and for the software to view and edit my photos. Mepis was great, but it was not an easy out-of-the-box Linux distribution. Mint, however, is a great newbie Linux distribution.
I don't regret beginning my Linux learning experience with Mepis, but if I had started with Mint, I would have had the software and codecs needed from the beginning. I might not have learned as much as I did from starting with Mepis, but I would have had an easier launch with Linux if I had entered the race with Linux Mint. I suspect that even long time Linux users and true Linux geeks are glad to have Mint around for newbies. Once Mint is installed, it is completely ready to use. Music can be played, photos viewed, CDs ripped, videos watched, in other words, the Linux learning curve becomes much smaller with Mint.
I have recently heard people say that without Ubuntu there would be no Mint, and that is true to some extent, but Mint is moving forward in ways that Ubuntu is not. Ubuntu is out chasing the illusive dream of the tablet and phone market while Mint is continuing to stick with the real world desktop and laptop computer user. Mint has not forgotten who it is that uses their software. And Mint is not solely dependent upon the choices and whims of Ubuntu. The screenshot above is of Linux Mint Debian Xfce. I've been using it the last few days and I'm very impressed with it. I would not wish for it to happen, but if Ubuntu sinks her ship tomorrow, Mint will still be afloat.
Mint matters because the Linux world beyond the geekdom needs a user friendly product. It needs a reliable operating system, not one subject to whims and temporary trends. People count on their computers. They don't want to run an upgrade and find themselves looking at a tablet interface instead of an intuitive desktop they are familiar with. They don't want to go back to school to re-learn how to operate their computer. They don't want the ability to control and shape their computer desktop taken away from them. They like things simple and easy, but they also want to be treated as thinking adults. In other words, what they want is Linux Mint.
I'm still learning with Linux, and I don't think that ever really ends. Using Linux takes a certain amount of inquisitiveness and desire to learn and experience new things. Yet at the same time I believe many who come to Linux simply want a reliable operating system that they can sit down to and use in a matter of minutes. They want to be able to get their work done, and also get onto the Internet, check their email, watch videos, visit Facebook, and surf the web without a great deal of effort, and have their operating system make that easy for them to do, not get in their way.
Why does Mint matter? I would suggest that at the very least it should be the "gateway drug" into Linux. Mint is user friendly and makes the step from Windows nearly effortless rather than a leap into the dark. Linux Mint is, and likely will continue to be, the first Linux distribution to come to my mind for those new to Linux. Mint is one of the main Linux distributions I use, the only one my wife uses, and the only one on the desktop computer that we both use. I would recommend it to anybody. Long live Linux Mint!
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