Mint Linux Distribution Reference
Mint Linux is based on Ubuntu- the Long Term Support (LTS) Ubuntu distributions. Therefore, many of the customizations mentioned in Kubuntu and Ubuntu Linux Distribution Reference are applicable to Mint. A distribution based on and compatible with Ubuntu, which is shipped with integrated proprietary or patented media codecs.
Mint is more user friendly, stable, and supports 3D acceleration better than Ubuntu. For frustrated Ubuntu users, Mint just might be the answer.
Reference New Linux Workstation Post Installation Tips for other post installation suggestions that apply to Mint.
To determine what version of Mint that you currently have installed,
cat /etc/apt/sources.list
The default windows manager / desktop environment is called Cinnamon. Cinnamon is an independent desktop environment that retains many features that users appreciated in GNOME. The toolbar is called the Cinnamon Panel.
Contents
- 1 web browsers
- 2 UI Preferences and Features
- 3 Useful system tools and software
- 4 Mint comes with a lame vim
- 5 Shell Environment Path
- 6 Put important LAN addresses in /etc/hosts
- 7 File Managers
- 8 Java
- 9 Wine
- 10 Chrome rather than Chromium
- 11 Mint changes computer clock on reboot
- 12 Image Viewer
- 13 Related
web browsers
Uninstall Firefox
Replace with one of the following 2 options (or both)
Install Pale Moon Web Browser
Imagine the classic Firefox before they destroyed it (current Firefox developers are more political than skilled.)
It is recommended that you install Pale Moon and forget Firefox altogether. It works like the classic Firefox and it is efficient, fast, and more stable.
Install Firefox ESR Version
The Firefox Extended Support Release so that you don't get forcefully upgraded to the dreaded Quantum 57.
- Open Software Manager
- In the search box type "Firefox" and click "remove"
- Close Software Manager
- Launch Software Sources (Menu button - Administration - Software Sources)
- Choose PPAs and +Add a new PPA
- enter: ppa:mozillateam/ppa
- Click "update the cache" and close Software Sources
- Open Software Manager
- In the search box type "Firefox-esr" and when located "install"
See also: Firefox , Favorite Firefox Extensions
UI Preferences and Features
launch Welcome Screen
At the console prompt type:
/usr/bin/python3 /usr/bin/mintwelcome-launcher &
Fast Light File Manager
PCMan File Manager (PCManFM) is meant to be a replacement for Nautilus, Konqueror and Thunar. PCManFM is the standard file manager in LXDE.
apt install pcmanfm
Useful system tools and software
Secure Shell Support for Remote Login
I don't know why they do not include SSH by default. Allows remote secure terminal shell connection.
apt install openssh-server openssh-client service ssh start
vncserver as a boot service
A VNC server is a program that shares a desktop with other computers over a network. Vino is the default VNC server in Mint Linux. x11vnc is another VNC server that uses tcl/tk based GUI and is not dependent on any one particular graphical environment.
The default VNC Server only lets you connect remotely once the user has logged into Cinnamon. This is not useful for a remote headless system. To configure the VNC Server to start with the system and listen before a user is logged in locally the vncserver must be configured to start with the system services. For this it is the most simple to install x11vnc. In this guide we will configure vncserver as a boot service.
If you reboot the system you can still get in as this will allow vnc server to share the login screen. Screen resolution adjustment after login may cause the connection to reset, however, you can reconnect and you're in like Flynn.
Vino is crap, we'll remove it, install x11vnc and set a default password, which is the password client will use to connect.
sudo apt-get -y remove vino sudo apt install x11vnc sudo mkdir /etc/x11vnc sudo x11vnc --storepasswd /etc/x11vnc/vncpwd
Now to make x11vnc server start as a system service
sudo vi /lib/systemd/system/x11vnc.service
Now you're in the text editor and you need to add the following lines:
[Unit] Description=Start x11vnc at startup. After=multi-user.target [Service] Type=simple ExecStart=/usr/bin/x11vnc -auth guess -forever -noxdamage -repeat -rfbauth /etc/x11vnc/vncpwd -rfbport 5900 -shared [Install] WantedBy=multi-user.target
Save and exit vi, go back to command prompt and type:
sudo systemctl daemon-reload sudo systemctl enable x11vnc.service sudo systemctl start x11vnc.service
- verified: Mint 18.3 Sylvia 2/15/2018, Mint 19.2 Tina 8/30/2019
Troubleshooting:
Check to see if x11vnc.service is running
sudo systemctl status x11vnc.service
View log when no default path is specified in ExecStart
cat /var/log/syslog|grep x11vnc
Vinagre Remote Desktop Viewer
The vinagre software allows you to remote connect to another computer via protocols such as vnc and rdp.
apt install vinagre
Cinnamon Task Bar Thumbnail Previews
When the mouse cursor is over a running program label and icon in the task bar a preview window opens up to show a mini view of the running program application. Sometimes this is an annoyance when the user inadvertently parks the mouse cursor at the bottom of the screen out of the way while working, causing the preview window to pop up and cover part of the workspace. The preview feature can be disabled, the setting is a little bit buried. To disable (or enable):
- click the Menu
- Hover the mouse cursor over the Preferences icon under "All Applications"
- In the next column over a list selection will appear, scroll up and click on "Applets"
- In the Applets dialog under the Installed Applets list scroll down and locate "Window List"
- There are two icon symbols on the right side of "Window List," click on the gears (configure)
- Under "Display" toggle "Show window thumbnails on hover" on or off
Mint comes with a lame vim
Get full vim
apt install vim
Shell Environment Path
Need to add a directory path to the shell path statement for your own scripts?
- Per user shell
vi ~/.provile
Look for the line with a comment about "set PATH so it includes user's private bin directories" and add your custom path in there like this: ( added /myscripts to the path )
PATH="$HOME/bin:$HOME/.local/bin:/myscripts:$PATH"
note: In the past we used ~/.bash_profile and had to include "export PATH"
Look at /etc/profile which is used for each new user directory created. It has a script still looking for .bash_profile so it appears that if a .bash_profile is created, the script will identify its existence and use it.
Also note that .bashrc is executed every time a bash shell is opened and .bash_profile only if it's a login shell. Also, it appears that the default profile still looks for
Put important LAN addresses in /etc/hosts
This is primarily for the LAN file server or any machine you wish to access shares on, and only machines that have a static IP address.
vi /etc/hosts
You'll need this if you put any shares in /etc/fstab ref: New_Linux_Workstation_Post_Installation_Tips#CIFS_Windows_file_share_connectivity
File Managers
Linux Mint with the Cinnamon desktop includes Nemo File Manager by default. Nemo is fine. Pcmanfm is another good file manager. pcmanfm file manager
apt install pcmanfm
pcmanfm does some useful things nemo does not do. For example, to backup a file in the directory with pcmanfm simply click the filename, choose "copy" and then choose "paste" from the menubar. pcmanfm will prompt you because the copy has the same filename as the original, and give you the option to rename, in which I simply change the extension to .bak or something like that. This simple task that you can do in Microsoft Windows and in Linux using pcmanfm cannot be done with nemo!
Java
OpenJDK Java Runtime
sudo apt install openjdk-8-jre
Wine
The Windows emulator, I mean, Wine Is Not an Emulator...
To use a current version of wine we do not want to go though the Software Manager in Mint. A current version of wine is available from the wine repository.
- open the "Software Sources" control panel
and click "Authentication Keys" -
At the bottom click "Download a key" and enter: https://dl.winehq.org/wine-builds/Release.key(** If this fails, see "add key via console below") JUST USE CONSOLE - Click "Additional repositories" choose "+Add a new repository" and enter: deb https://dl.winehq.org/wine-builds/ubuntu/ xenial main SEE NOTE BELOW FOR VERSIONS
- Click the "Update cache" button
- From console type: sudo apt install --install-recommends winehq-stable -y
- Configure: winecfg
note 1 ***: Add key via console, goto terminal and enter (instructions for step 2)
sudo wget https://dl.winehq.org/wine-builds/Release.key sudo apt-key add Release.key
or try the legacy method
apt-key adv --keyserver keyserver.ubuntu.com --recv 76F1A20FF987672F
WINE REPOSITORY VERSIONS
- Mint 18.3 deb https://dl.winehq.org/wine-builds/ubuntu/ xenial main
- Mint 19.x deb https://dl.winehq.org/wine-builds/ubuntu/ bionic main
- Mint 21.x deb https://dl.winehq.org/wine-builds/ubuntu/ jammy main
see also: Wine as a resource to using wine and installing windows software.
Chrome rather than Chromium
Google Chrome is not FOSS. But it does stuff Chromium does not do. Lets install Google Chrome not because we love it, but because we might need it. This cannot be done with the Mint Software manager. Instead we shall go to console and install it.
- Create a text file in the path /etc/apt/sources.list.d
cd /etc/apt/sources.list.d vi chrome.list
- Add the following text to the newly created chrome.list file
deb [arch=amd64] http://dl.google.com/linux/chrome/deb/ stable main
- Download the current signed key
wget -q -O - https://dl-ssl.google.com/linux/linux_signing_key.pub | apt-key add - apt-get update
- Install Google Chrome from the new repository
apt install google-chrome-stable
This procedure was verified in 2017 on Mint 18.3 Sylvia installed Google Chrome Version 63.0.3239.108 (Official Build) (64-bit)
Mint changes computer clock on reboot
This is only noticed on a dual boot machine when the other OS is Microsoft Windows. On a dual boot system, or comparing bios time to the time in Mint- Windows tries to keep HW clock at the local time. Linux tries to keep them at the UTC.
The fix for Mint 18 or newer is to execute this:
sudo timedatectl set-local-rtc 1
Related Issue on Ubuntu (for reference): Ubuntu_Troubleshooting#Ubuntu_changes_computer_clock_on_reboot
The folks over at Mint don't want you to use local time. Here's the warning:
Warning: The system is configured to read the RTC time in the local time zone. This mode can not be fully supported. It will create various problems with time zone changes and daylight saving time adjustments. The RTC time is never updated, it relies on external facilities to maintain it. If at all possible, use RTC in UTC by calling 'timedatectl set-local-rtc 0'.
Image Viewer
Xviewer is the default image viewer installed in Mint 18. You may find that Xviewer is lacking some useful features in an image viewer. Gimp is also included in Mint however Gimp is quite a bit more than an image viewer, and most people are looking for something lightweight in an image viewer. Here are some alternatives:
Geeqie
Perhaps the most useful image viewer and also in the Mint repository. Highly recommended.
sudo apt install geeqie
When you zoom in on an image the window does not automatically enlarge, however, it will zoom an image automatically to fit the window. It has many image zoom options and zoom memory. You can also hide any part of the interface such as the files view on the left. This is a better image viewer than the classic ACDSee 2.21 (not a linux software but runs well under wine.) Geeqie is a 5 star image viewer as of version 1.2.2
viewnoir
Has some good features such as the ability to control the action of the mouse wheel (scroll though images in a directory or zoom level). However, it is not in the default repository. Use this if you don't care for Geeqie, however, I still prefer Geeqie.
sudo add-apt-repository ppa:skellat/flow1 sudo apt-get update apt-get install viewnior
Missing feature: when you zoom in on an image the window does not automatically enlarge.
viewnoir can edit and save which I don't need in an "image viewer."
You can remove the repository without uninstalling viewnoir (I don't necessarily want other software from skellat, but if you do, then leave it.
add-apt-repository --remove ppa:skellat/flow1
If you want to delete a PPA repository as well as all packages installed/upgraded from the PPA, you can use "ppa-purge" command, simultaneously this downgrading installed packages to the version from official mint base. But to keep viewnoir after removing the repository do not "ppa-purge."