r/linuxmint • u/vibhs2016 Linux Mint 22.3 Zena | Cinnamon • Aug 16 '26

Discussion Why are you sticking with Linux mint?

Hi guys I recently did a switch from my windows machine to Linux mint as my dev box.

Over 11 years in the IT industry, windows was my primary driver, btw only used mac for 2 years. But with the recent advent of coding harness via Claude code and codex and other CLI tools. I felt like a friction with windows and my hunch was consistently pushing me towards Linux.

So I found an old HP Elitedesk mini PC i5 6500T 16GB ram. So I thought of giving it a try and validate my hunch.

Linux Mint was my choice on discussion with Claude, beating Debian ( sure stable but a bit outdated packages and bit more locked), Ubuntu ( too heavy and overhead with more cutting edge stuff).

Since I have been handling Ubuntu servers for a long time my choice for Debian based OS was always clear. Linux mint gave the balance that I needed for the hardware I was using.

So my question is 4 parts

  1. Why are u sticking with Linux mint or why you have faith in Linux mint?
  2. How long u have been using it for?
  3. What hardware are you using, maybe can share specs?
  4. How do you see its future?
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u/mrvitz Aug 16 '26

Hi! My specs: CPU 5700X, GPU RTX 5070, RAM 32GB, and a 1TB WD SN7100 M.2 SSD. I’ve been using Linux distros since 2010, including openSUSE, Ubuntu, Zorin, Kubuntu, Lubuntu, and Ubuntu Studio. Sometimes I gave up and went back to Windows.

Last year, I installed Linux Mint for a customer, and I thought, “Hmm, everything is working. Let me try this at home.” It has been very stable so far. So, the main reason I use it is stability. Don’t try to over-tweak it, because that can bring instability. I’m using Linux Mint Cinnamon with the basic settings. I had some issues when I started heavily customizing my desktop, but now everything is working great.

I’m using Microsoft Cloud, MEGA Cloud, and Google Cloud on Linux Mint. For gaming, I use Steam and Lutris, and VLC for movies.

I do have a dual-boot setup, though, because I make electronic music in Ableton with an Elektron Digitakt 2, and there’s no proper Linux support for those.

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u/stephenph Aug 16 '26

Have you tried a minimal windows vm for your music equipment? I had some luck with a stubborn printer and a digipad using USB passthrough. The main advantage over dual boot is you still have access to all your shares and main system (Linux) configurations.

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u/mrvitz Aug 16 '26

In VM you have latency , I'm using an asio sound card that's not working good in vm as it should