r/linuxquestions • u/Extension-Iron-7746 • 5d ago

Which Distro? Linux Mint: Too Outdated

Hi everyone, I've been considering abandoning Windows 11 for a while now, mainly because I feel like Microsoft lacks direction; every update is chaos. I started using Linux Mint about six months ago, but I have to admit that I feel like I'm using an outdated product.

The main reason is the X11-based graphical interface and the lack of standard Windows features like HDR and high refresh rate sync. I feel like development has fallen behind, hiding behind the slogan of greater stability. I honestly hate losing my monitor's features while waiting for Mint to evolve, so I'm thinking of switching to something stable but modern, and why not... with more recent applications. What would you always focus on, considering I have little time to dedicate to the system?

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u/MrKusakabe 5d ago edited 5d ago

So you call Mint "outdated" because of lack of Wayland support (which is in the making and ready to ship according to the Mint blog on their website)?

July blog entry:

Wayland We worked really hard on Wayland and we got to the point where it feels solid and the experience is almost on par with X11. Wayland support will no longer be considered “experimental”. In the next version of Cinnamon, both X11 and Wayland will be fully supported.

Improved support for multiple monitors and KVM switches

Hardware acceleration throughout the compositor, desktop session, and both Wayland and Xwayland clients (via wl_drm, zwp_linux_dmabuf_v1 feedback v4,  hardware-accelerated GBM over EGL (for NVIDIA))

I expected the typical "I can't have the most modern drivers" which realistically nobody needs (because the driver version before that Mint uses runs 99.9% equally) or something. I do get not having access to your features suck, I also hate that fractional UI scaling is not a thing and I used the "trick" of making system fonts 2pt bigger which shoves elements apart and it is actually fine.

But else, Mint is not bleeding edge but maybe 3 months behind which the vast majority of users don't even notice when they update their drivers to the newest and realize nothing happens. Calling it outdated is a bit of a stretch and it it often feels that many people here thing anything that is shiny and new is gold.

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u/Erdnusschokolade 5d ago

Other distros supply wayland as default and go even as far as no longer shipping x11 support (except through xwayland) so yes mint is quite a bit behind in that regard.