If you are a beginner Linux user looking for a simple, friendly distribution, you might want to look at Linux Mint.

Linux Mint is based on Ubuntu and shares the same repositories. The default version ships with the Gnome desktop, although the KDE, Xfce and Fluxbox desktop managers are also available. Like Ubuntu, Linux Mint offers a highly versatile and friendly environment, with Aptitude interface and Synaptic package manager.

For those of you who might have preferred my Kubuntu tutorial to have been a Ubuntu one, this is a very good chance at bridging the gap and getting answers to open questions. While the two distributions have much in common, there are some differences, offering the new Linux user to enhance his/her experience on familiar grounds and yet gain a different look from another angle into the free world of Linux.

What are we going to see in this article?

In this article, I'll demonstrate the classic GUI installation, but also a few things more, including guided text installation of an application from an archive, troubleshooting compilation and installation problems, troubleshooting post-installation problems, editing system configuration files, adding new startup programs, tweaking the resolution and mouse settings, all these while using both the GUI and the command line to achieve the desired results, and some basic insight into wireless adapter configuration. It should not be boring.

Note:

This guide builds on the other Linux tutorials I have published; you are advised to invest some time reading them before you try this one because some miscellaneous elements might be skipped.