Linux Mint 19.2 “Tina” my review
On Friday, 2 August, 2019, after much anticipation Clem and the team released the stable version of Linux Mint 19.2, “Tina”. I don’t know how many downloads it had, it will have been a lot and I was one of them.
As usual I stuck with the Cinnamon Desktop Edition, because I love it and that is the only reason, oh and perhaps because it was developed by the Mint team for Mint.
I suppose you should really read the Release Notes, which can be found here:
https://blog.linuxmint.com/?p=3786 but to be honest I don’t as I just want to use it and am not that bothered about the techie stuff.
Download
I always use the World Wide location and the thing that I found with this version of Mint it downloaded quicker than previous versions seemed to do.
Install
The install is the same reliable non-frightening thing that it has always been with Mint, guided and simple to use and as always very quick. Again I found this quicker than previous versions of Mint.
Post Install and Setting up
The familiar Welcome Screen welcomes you, making setting up things a breeze. One change worth mentioning is that the printer icon is on the panel which makes it easier to directly print things. The other thing you can’t help but noticing is how everything is clearer than even it was on 19.1.
As I had done a clean install, I used the back up tool to restore my personal data and yet again I found this to be quicker than before.
After using TimeShift, to seal everything in place. I then did the Updates. Previously in Update Manager to not be asked if you want to use a local source you went to edit to do so. Now you don’t have to do all you do is say no to it on the blue banner.
As usual for me I headed to https://easylinuxtipsproject.blogspot.com/p/first-mint-cinnamon.html to round things off. I know some may disagree with me, but this is the only site I trust to use to ensure you get the best possible experience with Mint. You don’t have to use everything on there, but it is a complete guide.
I did find that after doing everything the first restart seemed to hang, but after that the restarts worked well and again quicker than in previous versions.
Overall Verdict
I was disappointed that the Libre Office version installed was the previous version of it, but this easily sorted using Flatpack to install the newer version. Again Mint ships with Firefox as the web browser, which I hate and I hoped that Mint would offer an alternative pre-installed, but they’ve not done so. You can find other browsers in Software Manager, or just use Firefox to download them, or even like I do have the package on external drive and from when you last downloaded it and then install it (just remember to update it).
Improvements are clear all round in Tina, it looks and feels better and it is noticeably quicker. Without doubt all the hard work that Clem and the time have put into it has paid off. Every time there is a new release in Mint, we think it is the best yet, then another version comes along and we think the same again.
So is Tina the best? Well yes it is at the moment. Apart from minor things and I’ve probably said that about all versions of Mint, it is great. Would I recommend the update to everyone ? Yes I would without missing heart beat to do so.
Mint is and always has been stable, easy to use and none frightening to ex-windows users. Some knock it for that, but I think that is its strength for most people just want something they can use and don’t have to have a great knowledge about things. Really there is nothing more to say than that. Mint is great, Tina is great, so just sit back after doing everything to start off with, one off things, apart from updates and just get on an enjoy using it.
© copyright merimaat 2019
There again there are plenty of posts about ubuntu – guess I have just been lucky so far with ubuntu 16.04 LTS and Trisquel? Think when I do get to try a minty flavour I shall follow your lead – thanks again.
