Linux Mint 201303 "Debian" Mate: Very good semi-rolling Mate distro from Debian testing

Last week I reviewed Linux Mint 201303 Debian Cinnamon and was extremely pleased with the smoothness, refinement and performance it offered. Further, LMDE offers a semi-rolling distro with little requirement of reinstalling it again (if everything works properly after each update though!). Next I thought of reviewing the Mate version to make an assessment. Honestly, I haven't used much of Mate on a regular basis - I rather preferred distros with Gnome 2 desktop (like Fuduntu, CentOS or GhostBSD).

From Linux Mint Debian 201303 Mate http://mylinuxexplore.blogspot.in

Linux Mint 201303 Debian Mate comes with Mate 1.4 and Linux kernel 3.2.0. Mate is forked from the now unsupported Gnome 2 and is supposed to be lighter than Gnome 3 and its derivatives. I downloaded the 32-bit ISO (about 1.3 GB in size) for this review. I did a live boot on my Asus K54C with 2.2 Ghz Core i3 processor and 2 GB RAM. Post live boot with correct resolution and proper detection of hardware, I installed Linux Mint Mate on the same laptop. For those with Windows 8 laptop, LMDE doesn't yet support UEFI firmware and may not install as dual boot.

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Linux Mint 201303 "Debian" Cinnamon Review: Debian simplified and offers impressive performance!

One thing I really like about Linux Mint is the refinement and completeness they render to each and every release. I have been using Linux Mint since 2009 and except for the repetitive art-work, I have never been disappointed so far. Normally Linux Mint releases mimic Ubuntu and mostly require fresh installation. I tried upgrading a few but with no luck and hence, had to do a fresh installation to make things work. However, in 2012, Linux Mint deviated from convention and brought a semi-rolling release LMDE (Linux Mint Debian Edition). LMDE is based on Debian testing and doesn't require ever to re-install the OS. I tried the Mate version in 2012 and was highly impressed with aesthetics as well as performance.

From Linux Mint Debian 201303 Cinnamon http://mylinuxexplore.blogspot.in

This time with the release of 201303 LMDE update, I thought of trying out the Cinnamon version. LMDE is available in both 32 and 64 bit versions - I downloaded the 1.3 GB 32-bit version. Those who are using LMDE Cinnamon already, need to just update and upgrade the system to 201303 and need not to do a fresh installation. The 201303 update comes with Cinnamon 1.6, Linux kernel 3.2.0, and Gnome shell 3.4.2. Nemo 1.1.2, forked from Nautilus, is the default file manager. Both Cinnamon and Nemo being lighter than Gnome 3, render a sense of lightness to the overall feel of the distro. For this testing, I used my Asus K54C laptop with 2.2 Ghz Core i3 processor and 2 GB RAM.

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