Comparisons between Ubuntu and Linux Mint

Today, I would like to share about comparisons between Ubuntu and Linux Mint Operating systems. Let’s take a look.

Ubuntu is the most famous Linux distribution. Its development started back in 2004. It is based on Debian distribution, which is why Ubuntu also uses the dpkg packaging system (And .deb package format) along with the apt packager manager.

Linux Mint, on the other hand, is based on Ubuntu. Its development started in 2008. Hence, Mint by extension is also based on Debian, and uses the same package manager and packaging system.

1. Distribution Goals

Ubuntu does not aim to be a simple Linux desktop distribution. Instead, Ubuntu is a general-purpose Linux distribution that can be used on servers, cloud, IoT and embedded devices.

Linux Mint, on the other hand, is nothing more than a desktop Linux distribution. There are no Linux Mint versions for servers or cloud or IoT… etc.

2. Software Manager

Ubuntu Software Center is slow while interacting with it. Of course, things have improved over the years but even with Ubuntu 20.04, on board, you will often notice it loading up slow or freezing when updating/installing an app. On the other hand, Linux Mint’s Software Manager is lighter and quicker.

3. User Interfaces

Ubuntu comes with the GNOME desktop environment. GNOME is an open-source desktop environment, which means that it’s a collection of programs associated with a GUI. The GNOME GUI has a dock on the left side where you can see all opened applications.

Mint comes with Cinnamon as a default desktop environment. Cinnamon is a Windows-like interface with a launcher, panel, and a system notification area on the bottom.

Ubuntu does support other desktop environments like Budgie, KDE, and Xfce. Mint only supports KDE and Xfce in addition to its default, Cinnamon.

4. Memory Usage

Desktop environments usually consume a lot of memory in order to run, which reduces the performance of the OS. Both Cinnamon and GNOME have their own perks but Cinnamon consumes significantly lesser memory than Ubuntu Desktop, making Mint the best distro for old PCs. So, the advantage of Mint is Cinnamon’s lower memory consumption as compared to GNOME.

5. Preinstalled Applications

Every Linux distribution comes with preinstalled applications like internet browsers, video players, image editors, and text editors. While Ubuntu offers more applications, their applications are difficult to search for, as you have to remember the exact name of the application. You can’t just guess the name or depend on browsing to find it.

Mint, on the other hand, only offers basic applications, but those applications are easy to find on their Windows-like menu.

This is all for now. Hope you enjoy that.

By Asahi