If I think of any distro which just works without any issue month after month, year after year, it is got to be Linux Mint. I am using Linux Mint 13 XFCE (with LTS support) on my netbook and it's been a trouble free 1.5 years - with absolutely no issue. Everything just working as it should work and I keep it on most of days at night to download Linux distros or movies - no heating problem till date. Linux Mint 13 XFCE was and still is so amazingly efficient!
With that prelude, I thought of writing a review based on my experience. I have been using Mint 15 XFCE for a week before the final release. It is installed in my Asus K54C laptop with 2.2 Ghz Core i3 processor and 2 GB RAM. It's experience ranks actually better than my experience with Mint 13 XFCE, primarily because of the exciting new features.
The release notes of Linux Mint 15 XFCE states:
Aesthetics
Overall, it comes with the same theme as the previously released Cinnamon & Mate versions. XFCE looks very similar to the Mate version. The same professional look with refined artwork is maintained in this edition as well. Attention to detail is evident when you boot up any Mint distro. Font rendering is very good and the distro looks pleasing to the eyes.
Olivia XFCE comes with some new wallpapers as well, if you would like to add some glamour to your desktop.
Though there are no special effects (like in the Cinnamon edition), XFCE can be customized a lot to make it look decently attractive. Compositing was already enabled in Mint 15 XFCE, I added a conky (conky works well with XFCE), and added the conky to the start up, to make it look more functional.
The desktop is blank by default, post installation. However, I could add icons to it from desktop settings to make it appear better.
The default menu in this edition is whisker menu. It appears good and similar to what I get in KDE.
I really liked the html5 greeter, it appears better than the usual login window. Given I could not capture it from my laptop, I had to take a screenshot of the html5 login window by installing Mint 15 XFCE in virtualbox. It is good looking, could have been more functional had it chosen the default user automatically, rather than me selecting my name every time.
Hardware recognition
No other Linux distro recognizes hardware better than Linux Mint. I booted up Mint 15 XFCE live-USB on Asus netbook (Intel Atom, 1 GB RAM & 12 inch display), HP Pentium 4 PC with 1 GB RAM & 24 inch LCD monitor and the test laptop (Asus K54C). Everywhere it recognized hardware impeccably. Touchpad, Wifi, LAN and display recognitions were perfect each time.
Applications
Linux Mint generally packs with essential applications with all multimedia codecs and Adobe flash pre-installed. Mint 15 XFCE too follows the same suite.
Application list is more or less complete for regular day to day use. A lot of codecs and drivers are pre-installed so that casual users don't need to face any hassle. I could watch my favorite online videos right after live boot.
Installation
Installation of Linux Mint is just like Ubuntu 13.04 and comes without any surprises. Questions are really the usual ones and it doesn't bug you popping questions like where to install the grub. All in all, installation took about 25 minutes for me.
Post installation, users are greeted with a screen showing important Mint documentations, support, project and community help forums. If the box at the bottom is checked, it will appear every time - once you are familiar with Mint, it is better to turn it off. I feel it is a great feature for Linux novices to learn about the distro as well as know where to find help in case of any trouble.
Settings Manager
XFCE 4.10 comes with integrated settings manager as well as separate settings entries for each. I guess in future releases of XFCE, it is better to give the integrated settings manager only and remove the redundant individual menu entries to avoid confusion to Linux novices. Gnome and KDE follow the same and it is high time XFCE too should follow it.
Repositories
Though Mint sources it's apps from Ubuntu repositories but adds a few of their own (like USB Image writer) and provides everything through Mint repositories. The default GUI is Mint installer 7.4.8. In previous releases of Mint, I never actually liked the Mint installer much as it is very slow. Ubuntu Software center actually looks better and works faster. However, I see that in Linux Mint 15, it's speed has improved significantly from previous versions.
Also, in this edition, Mint has introduced some handy features like Software Sources. It allows users to add backport and remeo packages as well.
Now users can use it to change mirrors and it will show the fastest mirror available to users' location.
Further, adding a ppa is now just a click away. Earlier, I recall opening terminal to add ppa's and it was always challenging for new users. Now, it is so easy that even my 2.5 year old daughter can add a ppa!
I downloaded conky, skype, docky, chromium browser, etc. through Mint installer and all of them worked as expected. All dependencies were met while installing.
Performance
Mint 15 XFCE gives performance comparable to Mint 13 XFCE. With task manager running, it consumed about 140 MB RAM to boot the desktop. If I compare it to other XFCE (all 32-bit) distros that I've used in 2013 - Mint definitely comes in top 10 distros. All the below stats are recorded on the same machine (Asus K54C) at various point in time under similar conditions.
With that prelude, I thought of writing a review based on my experience. I have been using Mint 15 XFCE for a week before the final release. It is installed in my Asus K54C laptop with 2.2 Ghz Core i3 processor and 2 GB RAM. It's experience ranks actually better than my experience with Mint 13 XFCE, primarily because of the exciting new features.
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| From Linux Mint 15 XFCE http://mylinuxexplore.blogspot.in |
The release notes of Linux Mint 15 XFCE states:
"The team is proud to announce the release of Linux Mint 15 'Olivia' Xfce. The highlight of this edition is the lightweight Xfce 4.10 desktop. Xfce is a lightweight desktop environment which aims to be fast and low on system resources, while still being visually appealing and user friendly. It embodies the traditional UNIX philosophy of modularity and re-usability. It consists of a number of components that provide the full functionality one can expect of a modern desktop environment. They are packaged separately and you can pick among the available packages to create the optimal personal working environment. The default menu used in this edition is Whisker which features quick access to your favorite applications, categories, system shortcuts, recent documents and recently used applications."The 32-bit ISO which I downloaded is about 992 MB. I created a live USB using Unetbootin to first live boot and then install in my laptop. Mint 15 XFCE comes with XFCE 4.10 and Linux kernel 3.8.0-25. Thunar 1.6.2 is the default file manager.
Aesthetics
Overall, it comes with the same theme as the previously released Cinnamon & Mate versions. XFCE looks very similar to the Mate version. The same professional look with refined artwork is maintained in this edition as well. Attention to detail is evident when you boot up any Mint distro. Font rendering is very good and the distro looks pleasing to the eyes.
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| From Linux Mint 15 XFCE http://mylinuxexplore.blogspot.in |
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| From Linux Mint 15 XFCE http://mylinuxexplore.blogspot.in |
Though there are no special effects (like in the Cinnamon edition), XFCE can be customized a lot to make it look decently attractive. Compositing was already enabled in Mint 15 XFCE, I added a conky (conky works well with XFCE), and added the conky to the start up, to make it look more functional.
 |
| From Linux Mint 15 XFCE http://mylinuxexplore.blogspot.in |
 |
| From Linux Mint 15 XFCE http://mylinuxexplore.blogspot.in |
 |
| From Linux Mint 15 XFCE http://mylinuxexplore.blogspot.in |
The default menu in this edition is whisker menu. It appears good and similar to what I get in KDE.
 |
| From Linux Mint 15 XFCE http://mylinuxexplore.blogspot.in |
I really liked the html5 greeter, it appears better than the usual login window. Given I could not capture it from my laptop, I had to take a screenshot of the html5 login window by installing Mint 15 XFCE in virtualbox. It is good looking, could have been more functional had it chosen the default user automatically, rather than me selecting my name every time.
 |
| From Linux Mint 15 XFCE http://mylinuxexplore.blogspot.in |
Hardware recognition
No other Linux distro recognizes hardware better than Linux Mint. I booted up Mint 15 XFCE live-USB on Asus netbook (Intel Atom, 1 GB RAM & 12 inch display), HP Pentium 4 PC with 1 GB RAM & 24 inch LCD monitor and the test laptop (Asus K54C). Everywhere it recognized hardware impeccably. Touchpad, Wifi, LAN and display recognitions were perfect each time.
Applications
Linux Mint generally packs with essential applications with all multimedia codecs and Adobe flash pre-installed. Mint 15 XFCE too follows the same suite.
- Office: LibreOffice 4.0.2.2 suite (Calc, Writer, Impress, Math, Draw, Base), Dictionary, Document viewer
- Internet: Firefox 22.0, Thunderbird, Pidgin IM, Transmission, Remmina Desktop sharing, Xchat IRC
- Graphics: GIMP 2.8.4, gthumb, Ristretto image viewer, simple scan
- Multimedia: Banshee music player, Videos, VLC 2.0.6, Xfburn
- Accessories: Application finder, Archive manager, bulk rename, calculator, gedit, screenshot, tomboy notes, USB Image writer, backup tool, firewall, domain blocker, gdebi package installer, Printer settings, gparted
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| From Linux Mint 15 XFCE http://mylinuxexplore.blogspot.in |
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| From Linux Mint 15 XFCE http://mylinuxexplore.blogspot.in |
Installation
Installation of Linux Mint is just like Ubuntu 13.04 and comes without any surprises. Questions are really the usual ones and it doesn't bug you popping questions like where to install the grub. All in all, installation took about 25 minutes for me.
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| From Linux Mint 15 XFCE http://mylinuxexplore.blogspot.in |
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| From Linux Mint 15 XFCE http://mylinuxexplore.blogspot.in |
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| From Linux Mint 15 XFCE http://mylinuxexplore.blogspot.in |
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| From Linux Mint 15 XFCE http://mylinuxexplore.blogspot.in |
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| From Linux Mint 15 XFCE http://mylinuxexplore.blogspot.in |
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| From Linux Mint 15 XFCE http://mylinuxexplore.blogspot.in |
Post installation, users are greeted with a screen showing important Mint documentations, support, project and community help forums. If the box at the bottom is checked, it will appear every time - once you are familiar with Mint, it is better to turn it off. I feel it is a great feature for Linux novices to learn about the distro as well as know where to find help in case of any trouble.
 |
| From Linux Mint 15 XFCE http://mylinuxexplore.blogspot.in |
XFCE 4.10 comes with integrated settings manager as well as separate settings entries for each. I guess in future releases of XFCE, it is better to give the integrated settings manager only and remove the redundant individual menu entries to avoid confusion to Linux novices. Gnome and KDE follow the same and it is high time XFCE too should follow it.
 |
| From Linux Mint 15 XFCE http://mylinuxexplore.blogspot.in |
Repositories
Though Mint sources it's apps from Ubuntu repositories but adds a few of their own (like USB Image writer) and provides everything through Mint repositories. The default GUI is Mint installer 7.4.8. In previous releases of Mint, I never actually liked the Mint installer much as it is very slow. Ubuntu Software center actually looks better and works faster. However, I see that in Linux Mint 15, it's speed has improved significantly from previous versions.
 |
| From Linux Mint 15 XFCE http://mylinuxexplore.blogspot.in |
 |
| From Linux Mint 15 XFCE http://mylinuxexplore.blogspot.in |
 |
| From Linux Mint 15 XFCE http://mylinuxexplore.blogspot.in |
Further, adding a ppa is now just a click away. Earlier, I recall opening terminal to add ppa's and it was always challenging for new users. Now, it is so easy that even my 2.5 year old daughter can add a ppa!
 |
| From Linux Mint 15 XFCE http://mylinuxexplore.blogspot.in |
 |
| From Linux Mint 15 XFCE http://mylinuxexplore.blogspot.in |
Mint 15 XFCE gives performance comparable to Mint 13 XFCE. With task manager running, it consumed about 140 MB RAM to boot the desktop. If I compare it to other XFCE (all 32-bit) distros that I've used in 2013 - Mint definitely comes in top 10 distros. All the below stats are recorded on the same machine (Asus K54C) at various point in time under similar conditions.
| Operating System | Size of ISO | Base | Desktop | Linux kernel | CPU Usage | RAM usage |
| Snowlinux 4 Glacier XFCE | 727 MB | Debian | XFCE 4.10 | 3.5.0 | 1-5% | 87 MB |
| Debian Wheezy XFCE | 868 MB | Debian | XFCE 4.8 | '3.2.0 | 1-5% | 100 MB |
| Snowlinux 3.1 Crystal XFCE | 639 MB | Debian | XFCE 4.8 | 3.2.0 | 1-5% | 110 MB |
| Linux Lite 1.0.4 XFCE | 755 MB | Ubuntu | XFCE 4.8 | 3.2.18 | 1-5% | 120 MB |
| Mint Debian XFCE | 1.2 GB | Debian | XFCE 4.8 | 3.2.0 | 1-5% | 125 MB |
| Bridge XFCE | 696 MB | Arch | XFCE 4.10 | '3.6.7 | 1-5% | 130 MB |
| Linux Lite 1.0.0 XFCE | 916 MB | Ubuntu | XFCE 4.8 | 3.2.0-32 | 1-5% | 130 MB |
| Mint 14 XFCE | 914 MB | Ubuntu | XFCE 4.10 | 3.5.0-17 | 1-5% | 140 MB |
| Mint 15 XFCE | 992 MB | Ubuntu | XFCE 4.10 | 3.8.0-25 | 1-5% | 140 MB |
| Fedora 17 XFCE | 705 MB | Fedora | XFCE 4.8 | '3.3.4-5 | 1-5% | 160 MB |
| Manjaro 0.8.3 XFCE | 817 MB | Arch | XFCE 4.10 | '3.4.24 | 1-5% | 160 MB |
| Mint 13 XFCE | 850 MB | Ubuntu | XFCE 4.8 | 3.2.0-29 | 1-5% | 160 MB |
| Sabayon 11 XFCE | 1.3 GB | Gentoo | XFCE 4.10 | 3.7.0 | 1-5% | 160 MB |
| Xubuntu 12.04.1 LTS | 715 MB | Ubuntu | XFCE 4.8 | 3.2.0-29 | 1-5% | 160 MB |
| Xubuntu 12.10 | 727 MB | Ubuntu | XFCE 4.10 | 3.5.0-17 | 1-5% | 160 MB |
| Xubuntu 13.04 | 827 MB | Ubuntu | XFCE 4.10 | 3.8.0 | 1-5% | 160 MB |
| Fedora 19 XFCE | 617 MB | Fedora | XFCE 4.10 | 3.9.8 | 1-5% | 160 MB |
| Emmabuntus 12.04.2-1.04 | 3.5 GB | Ubuntu | XFCE 4.8 | 3.2.0-39 | 1-5% | 170 MB |
| OS 4 13.1 | 1.5 GB | Ubuntu | XFCE 4.10 | 3.2.0 | 1-5% | 200 MB |
| Voyager 12.10 | 991 MB | Ubuntu | XFCE 4.10 | '3.5.0 | 1-5% | 200 MB |
| ZevenOS 5 | 734 MB | Ubuntu | XFCE 4.10 | 3.5.0 | 1-5% | 220 MB |
Mint 15 XFCE is a delight to use. Even on machines with limited specs (P4 PC and Intel Atom netbook), it gave commendable performance. On Asus K54C, it was very smooth with blazing fast speed. During my usage, I didn't note any stability issue.
Mint 15 XFCE takes about 3.8 GB space on hard drive which is about 1 GB higher than Fedora 19 XFCE. I didn't record the disk space occupied by the other distros in the above list.
Obvious comparison in performance will be with Xubuntu 13.04. Mint looks better and more refined than Xubuntu and may be, I say may be, marginally more efficient. However, it is individual preference and there is no clear-cut winner here, IMHO.
Overall
Linux Mint 15 XFCE comes with some exciting features like new html5 login, updated Linux kernel (3.8), a new whisker menu, software sources, etc. along with the same refined interface and comparable performance. Is it enough to change from Mint 13 XFCE - I don't think so. Same holds for users with Mint 14 XFCE as well. Better to wait for the next LTS release in April 2014. For distro hoppers, I guess you should try out Mint 15 XFCE, it is definitely among the best XFCE releases I have used till date.
For the rest, anyone thinking of trying out Linux (intending to migrate from Windows or any other OS), possibly you may like to take a shot to Linux Mint 15 XFCE. It is buttery smooth to use and works like a charm. Also, irrespective of any variety of hardware, Linux Mint just works! Additional advantage is that Mint comes pre-installed with almost every essential app or drivers you need and it may save a lot of your time and effort to configure the distro.
You can download the 32 and 64 bit versions of Linux Mint 15 XFCE from here.
Great post, i am thinking whether to get Xubuntu or Linux Mint with XFCE. You're post helped me to decide. Thanks for sharing :)
ReplyDeleteThanks for liking my post. Mint XFCE is marginally better in performance and more refined in looks that Xubuntu, IMHO. I hope it works well for you as well.
Delete...tried Xubuntu (12.04, 13.04), but both were buggy for me...on my hardware.
DeleteAs a former Kubuntu user, I never thought I'd at all like "boring" XFCE, but I tried Mint 15 XFCE while it was still only in RC stage... it was so quick and responsive. Now I'm hooked!
So fast and stable!
@arindam sen - I check your blog many times a day hoping for MORE - I very much enjoy your contribution to the Linux community!
Hi Crik:
DeleteThanks for liking my blog. I am fortunate to have readers like you.
Normally Mint XFCE performs better on my systems than Xubuntu, though Mint is build from Xubuntu. Mint developers actually package a lot of things in addition to the base distro to make it work on almost all possible hardware. Great that you found Mint 15 XFCE good.
If you have a dual core or above system, can you please also give a shot to Netrunner. I am currently hooked to it - it is derived from Kubuntu but works a lot better and impressive in appearance.
Regards,
Arindam
can you review solydx and solydk linux please ? They're based on debian.
ReplyDeleteHi Saheel:
DeleteI have downloaded both Solydx & Solydk for quite sometime but didn't get enough time to review. Will try it this month.
Regards,
Arindam
Looks nice, does it have better performacne then MATE, I use it with classic GNOME Menu, does Xfce version have simillar menu?
ReplyDeleteXFCE performs better than Mate in my experience. There are quite a few menu options for XFCE as well - even I use XFCE with a very simple menu. It makes my life easier :).
Delete@ arindam sen Like many others I too enjoy your reviews. Thank you very much for your time and effort. It's appreciated. For the past nine months I've been successfully running Linux Mint 14 KDE 64 bit, but when I tried to run the live disk of Linux Mint 15 KDE it froze up solid due to a kernel panic. I reinstalled version 14 but when I tried to upgrade to KDE 4.11 via PPA I encountered all sorts of instability. @$#&%!*# I decided then I would try Linux Mint's new version of XFCE. In the past I've always looked at any XFCE distro as second rate, the unwanted stepbrother to KDE or Cinnamon. A friend had really fine praise for Linux Mint's last iteration of XFCE so I too decided to give it a spin. Even with my bias against XFCE going into this trial I was very pleasantly surprised with this version. I took the time to tweak it to look and feel the best I could, and while not anywhere near as polished as KDE it was actually not bad. In fact it was quite nice. The distro was blazing fast and very stable .... yes, stable like a giant chunk of granite. There was also that beautiful selection of programs I've come to expect from the Linux Mint team. Although I haven't been using Linux Mint 15 XFCE all that long I am VERY MUCH liking this experience. Whether it will replace KDE in the long run is uncertain but for now it's all smiles and two big thumbs up. I'm even wondering what's coming in XFCE version 4.12
ReplyDeleteHi Thomas:
DeleteGlad that you liked XFCE. It is currently my favorite desktop and I find it more functional. However, please check out KDE 4.11 - it is simply blazing fast and offers similar speed and responsiveness as XFCE. I had a really great experience with KDE 4.11.
Regards,
Arindam
@ arindam sen I forgot to say that I too would like to see you do reviews for the SolydX and SolydK distros. They have turned a few heads and I want to know what you think.
ReplyDeleteHi Thomas:
DeleteI used both SolydK and SolydX, found them to be good, stable & no-nonsense distros. I didn't find time to actually pen down a review till date. But, will jot down a review this weekend on the updated release of SolydXK.
Regards,
Arindam
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteCan you share the conky configuration that you used with this install?
ReplyDeleteI guess it was conky lua.
ReplyDelete