QuoteI feel there's a slight discrepancy

nope - I haven't said that I prefer Ubuntu to Mint, have I ? ...just that I got it working as I wanted it to

Quotenext week there are 16 more linux versions

possibly, but not relevant - distros <> desktop environments <> versions


The point you are perhaps missing is that Ubuntu and Mint are pretty much the same thing.

Me using Ubuntu with Cinnamon Desktop, is almost exactly same as using the default Mint - same core code, same software base, same to use, same happiness factor etc.  It just lets me play around with the latest version of stuff before the Mint team have time to incorporate it into their distro.

I am just using the fact that I am on a 'temporary' PC to play around with 'this latest stuff' safe in the knowledge that I will be doing a complete reinstall when the lappy gets back. If it pleases me more than Mint did, then I can stay with it - but as long as I don't want the ' 12.04 testing' version of Ubuntu, I could just as easily replicate the whole setup on Mint and not really notice any difference. Whether I install Mint or Ubuntu - the end product will be the same - it will NOT be the stock Ubuntu DE (Unity), it will be Mint's Cinnamon DE, Gnome 3 DE, or a close equivalent - maybe even XFCE.

Playing around with Desktop Environments is like playing around with Windows/Mac apps that add bells and whistles to the OS.
You might equate it to adding dock software to Windows 7 to see if prefer working that way.

I think you are confusing this with changing to unrelated Distros - eg Slackware, Suse, or Redhat - all of which would be a massive PITA

>It take f###ing hours to sort a PC to get it how you want, why mess with that!

This is the beauty of the mac.  My desktop/ enviro has stayed pretty much the same for the last 5 years.  Even after I upgrade, the environ stays the same.  I like this.

Sorry I missed your reply during my downtime.

QuoteMy desktop/ enviro has stayed pretty much the same for the last 5 years.  Even after I upgrade, the environ stays the same.  I like this.

The point with Linux, is that this could also be the case if you so wished - you can use any desktop environment you want. The desktop environment and the core operating system are separate. A 'distro' pretty much just a combination of desktop environment, software and core mods. If you want to mess about configuring stuff, you can do - if you don't, just choose a distro that matches your needs.

Clearly, Windows and Mac are still the path of least resistance - but I am doing a reinstall for my elderly Mother this weekend, and she will be getting Linux again cos it is free, and will end up looking, and working, like the Windows she was used to in the past.. it will also be rock solid for years.