Linux Mint 19 Mate

[HaleysComics]

Wow I tried linux before & couldn't get the hang of it, but Linux Mint 19 has improved quite a bit. Just downloaded it to my laptop & liking it so far.

[Huddylion]

If you download it and don't like it can you go back to what you had???

[cheaver]

Wow I tried linux before & couldn't get the hang of it, but Linux Mint 19 has improved quite a bit. Just downloaded it to my laptop & liking it so far.

If you download it and don't like it can you go back to what you had???

Haleys - Tara I presume? Been watching and waiting for it for a while (wanted a few fixes to happen before I switched from Mint 18 (Sarah).

Huddy - Yes - but you would have to reinstall your alternative..... unless you had enough space to run your current OS alongside the Mint......

[Huddylion]

Right ok thanks should have enough space will think about it

[HaleysComics]

If you download it and don't like it can you go back to what you had???

Huddylion, be sure to backup your system & files in case something goes wrong. You will also need to make sure you have a way to reinstall your original OS if you don't want to continue using Linux Mint.
If you go with dual boot still back up system & files.
I would recommend running Linux Mint from live CD to test it out.

Haleys - Tara I presume? Been watching and waiting for it for a while (wanted a few fixes to happen before I switched from Mint 18 (Sarah).

Huddy - Yes - but you would have to reinstall your alternative..... unless you had enough space to run your current OS alongside the Mint......

Yes Cheaver, Linux MInt 19 Tara

[cambrensis]

I use Peppermint as a server on a large and fast tower. It dual boots with Windows 10, and is set to be the desired OS, unless I decide otherwise. I've used it for several years now and have not had problems. Love the way one may search for Mintos and Peppermintos - still makes me smile!

[johnwash1]

If you download it and don't like it can you go back to what you had???

Better than that, if it breaks you get a full refund of what you paid for it AND you get to keep both pieces! :^)

Isn't open source wonderful!

Huddylion, be sure to backup your system & files in case something goes wrong. You will also need to make sure you have a way to reinstall your original OS if you don't want to continue using Linux Mint.
If you go with dual boot still back up system & files.
I would recommend running Linux Mint from live CD to test it out.

The easiest way to backup, if you have a sufficiently large spare drive, is to take a full image of the whole of your drive, every sector. Takes a while, but is very reassuring.

Definitely explore live DVDs (or USB sticks, which run faster) first, bearing in mind that they'll be slower that when you install it. Running a live system doesn't touch anything on your disk drive.

Yes Cheaver, Linux MInt 19 Tara

I do hate the way that developers like to give version numbers and version names to their productions. It must be really confusing for beginners. Ubuntu and Debian are bad enough, doing this for every major release. Mint is even worse, giving new names even to point releases. Must admit it's one of the few things I don't like about Mint though.

And the next thing a new user has to decide is which desktop flavour. Obviously opinions will vary, but I think Mate is the best compromise. Quite like Windows, and not too greedy with resources.