DO you remember After Eight mints?
When I was a child, and once the Christmas dinner was cleared away, my mother always used to put out a box of the dark chocolate, wafer-thin treats with a sugary white, peppermint filling.
Even though I was full-to-bursting with turkey and roast potatoes, mince pies and pudding, I always ate a handful of After Eights; I loved them, and still do.
This self-indulgent and nostalgic ramble through my gluttonous, post-prandial childhood brings me to another minty treat of a very different nature.
When Linux Mint 5 Fluxbox CE (Community Edition) (get it from http://www.linuxmint.com/blog/) appeared on the Distrowatch new releases list I experienced the same sense of excitement and anticipation that little boy felt on a cold Lancastrian Christmas morning, way back in the mists of time.
My main test computer already runs Linux Mint 5 and, as regular readers of this blog will know, I am a big fan of the Fluxbox window manager, so to have the two combined in one distribution release was very exciting.
Respectively, Linux Mint is known for its comprehensive multimedia approach and user-friendly administration tools, while Fluxbox has a reputation for simplicity, speed and low resource demands.
It is a potent mix, as I discovered when I installed it onto my desktop machine - a 3.4GHz P4 with 1024MB of RAM, Nvidia 9500GT Super graphics card with 512MB of dedicated RAM, twin DVD drives and an Acer AL1912 19inch monitor with 1280x1024 resolution.
I am not going to trouble you with details of the installation routine in LM5 FCE because it is identical to that in the main Linux Mint release and all the Ubuntu releases - it does its job flawlessly and with a minimum of fuss.
What I will say is that while most KDE (3.5 and 4.1) and GNOME distributions run smoothly on this machine, Linux Mint 5 with Fluxbox absolutely flies.
The release notes for LM5 FCE reveal:
This release has been built from the ground up based on the Ubuntu Hardy repositories with the emphasis on a lightweight and yet fully functional desktop centred on the Fluxbox window manager.
One of the drawbacks of using Fluxbox, for new users at least, can be the manual editing of the configuration files that is often required to get your main menu looking how you want it; indeed, in some cases there is no menu at all and you have to create one.
LM5 FCE gets around this with its boldest new feature, Mint-mfm.
Mint-mfm is an auto-generated and auto-updating Fluxbox menu, which means that whether you are installing or uninstalling applications, Mint-mfm takes care of the menu entries for you.
You still have full access to and control over your menu should you wish to edit things by hand - you just don't have to any more. It is a fabulous new feature that brings Fluxbox's menu system into the same user-friendly realms as the big desktop environments.
Obviously, the point of Fluxbox is low resource use and speed, so there is a fine balance to be struck between maintaining that lightness and automating everything through GUIs - but I think LM5 FCE has got it just right. The distro retains all the administration tools that LM regulars have come to rely on:
* mintInstall
* mintWifi
* mintUpdate
* mintAssistant
* mintUpload
* mintBackup
* mintConfig
* mintDesktop
As for its multimedia-friendly heritage, LM5 FCE more than keeps up this distribution's reputation. I was able, without any codec-hunting required, to watch Apple movie trailers in Firefox, view YouTube videos, hear streamed BBC Radio content, listen to a music CD and MP3s and watch a commercial copy of The Bourne Ultimatum on DVD - which pretty much covers all the bases as far as I am concerned.
My USB memory stick was detected and the Thunar file manager launched, giving me immediate, easy access to my data.
On the subject of Thunar, many custom actions have been added to improve its functionality:
* md5sum-mint: A simple tool for quick and easy calculation of MD5 Checksums
* Simple printing of files
* Folder sharing over Samba
* Upload to the mintUpload service
* Archiving
* Browsing as root
* Searching in a specified location
* Easy installation of True Type fonts
* Easy creation of symbolic links
Both my wired ethernet network and my sound were automatically configured during the installation.
Due to difficulties in getting Fluxbox to work well with PulseAudio, LM5 FCE uses ALSA by default. I am perfectly happy with this, but what it might mean is that if you install certain applications from the Ubuntu repositories - and I believe the multimedia package VLC is a notable example of this issue - you may have to change the application's default configurations to get your sound working OK.
Because Linux Mint uses the Ubuntu repositories there is a vast collection of software available to you if the default selection does not contain something you need.
Bear in mind that the software for this Fluxbox CE aims to reflect the window manager's speedy nature and stays true to the one-tool-per-task philosophy.
Anyway, here is the default software selection:
Internet:
* Firefox 3 web browser
* Pidgin instant messenger
* Sylpheed mail client
* Transmission bittorrent client
* Wicd network manager
* XChat IRC client
* Chestnut dialer for dialup connections
* GPRS EasyConnect for GPRS connections
Office:
* Abiword word processor
* Gnumeric spreadsheet application
* Orage calendar application
Multimedia:
* Mplayer movie player
* Media Player Daemon with Gnome Media Player Client
* Brasero disc burning application
* Grip audio ripper
Graphics:
* The GIMP
* GPicView image viewer
Accessories:
* Thunar file manager
* Mousepad text editor
* XFCE4 Terminal emulator
* Tilda terminal emulator
* Catfish search tool
* XFCE print tools
* FuseSMB tools for file sharing
System tools:
* Gnome System Monitor
* Conky system monitor
* Synaptic package manager
* EnvyNG for easy installation of NVIDIA and ATI graphic card drivers
* Bluetooth-gnome
* A selection of XFCE and Gnome tools
During my first post-install run of LM5 FCE the mintUpdate utility reported 67 updates were available (this just a couple of days after its release) which I duly installed without incident.
As far as documentation goes, Linux Mint does OK - there are links in Firefox to the distribution's website, forum, wiki and software portal where new users should be able to find answers to their queries - but I would have liked a guide for new Fluxbox users to have been included somewhere.
When it comes to the look of LM5 FCE, I must say that I was hoping for something lighter and more fresh looking. The developers have gone for a very dark theme (hence my After Eight analogy!) with a modified MurrinaFlux style (by Hund), a custom MurrinaMintFB GTK theme using the Murrina engine, Delta Green icons (by rodofr), and backgrounds and GDM themes from the Elyssa default library (by Jernau).
If dark is not your thing - and, frankly, I am getting a bit bored with it myself - it is all easily changed using LM's excellent configuration utilities.
A couple of Fluxbox-related issues have been referred to by the developers at release time:
The default key mapping for Fluxbox has been setup as follows:
* Alt+Tab = Next window
* Alt+Shift+Tab = Previous window
* Alt+1/2/3/4 = Brings up the respective workspace
* Ctrl+M = Brings up the menu
* Alt+F4 = Closes the current window
Hopefully this will make transitioning to Fluxbox for new users more trouble free.
Enabling or disabling menu icons for the menu will delete the current menu and regenerate a new one. Any custom changes made to the auto-generated section of the menu will be lost.
On Quitting, Shutdown, Reboot, Suspend and Hibernate LM5 FCE will prompt the user for an admin password. In order to disable this, grant the user privileges in sudoers to run shutdown with no password.
LM5 FCE is a great piece of work. It takes a distribution that is justifiably very highly thought of, keeps all the best bits and adds something extra special - the speed, flexibility and stability of Fluxbox but with that Linux Mint eye toward user-friendliness.
23 comments:
You don't look professional by writing: "get it from http://www.linuxmint.com/blog/".
Correct variants:
http://www.linuxmint.com/rel_elyssa_fluxbox.php
http://www.linuxmint.com/blog/?p=404
or even:
http://www.linuxmint.com
BUT NOT THE ADDRESS OF THE BLOG!
wtf
Ah... Beranger,,,
Even when you are being constructive and helpful, you can't resist the temptation to throw in a little confrontation ("WTF") as well, can you! ;-)
You are correct - the ISO can be had from http://www.linuxmint.com/rel_elyssa_fluxbox.php and http://www.linuxmint.com/blog/?p=404 and also http://www.linuxmint.com
but it can also be downloaded from the address I gave as well.
When all I seek to do is direct someone to where they can get the ISO - and they CAN get it from the many mirrors listed on the blog - how is that deemed "unprofessional"?
Cheers,
Red Devil
Thanks for such a complete and well written review. I especially liked how you highlighted the tools and feature set of this edition.The review was very professional and a pleasure to read.
exploder
Beranger,
Relax, dude.
The great beranger...
I can't even count the number of distro reviews or blogs I've seen you on nit picking and criticizing people....
Anyways, Thanks for the review Red Devil. I was quite interested in trying this version of Linux Mint, but there wasn't a review on the internet until you posted yours. One of my main concerns was how mounting would be handled, and you answered that for me.
Thanks for the review. I have it installed already and I can say I am happy with LM. However, my internet connection is not so stable. Very often I have connetion with limited access (or no access at all). It seems that my network card can't obtain IP address from DHCP. I never had this problem with Ubuntu. Do you have any idea how to get this fixed please.
Another small question. How to install & enable Desktop effects in this nice distro?
Thanks any way. Leo.
@ leo
Glad you like LM5 FCE.
Re. your problems/questions - try
http://www.linuxmint.com/forum/
and
http://www.linuxmint.com/wiki/index.php/Main_Page
I'd love to be more helpful but this blog isn't really meant to be a user forum - once I start answering users' detailed questions about their problems, I won't have time for anything else.
And remember that if you post a question on the forum re your network problem, they'll need a lot more information than you gave here - your NIC details, your router, etc etc.
HTH
@ exploder
Thank you very much for your kind words, I'm pleased you liked the article.
Professional, detailed and well written review. Even though our political opinions are worlds apart, I have truly enjoyed all reviews in this blog. Keep up the good work! :)
As for Beranger, what a jerk you are. I've seen you whining and picking on a countless number of (perfectly fine) things all over the Linux world; why?! Pointless, jealous and silly.
I always so look forward to your reviews Red Devil! They are so unlike the reviews found elsewhere on the net for the reason of how you add that "personal touch" at the beginning, such as you did here with the "After Eight" mints. I recall those well!---and how it set the mood for the review!
Fantastic info---and even better screenshots! I've waffled back n' forth on whether or not to try this flavour of Mint. I had great success with 4.0.
I happen to have a spare partition. Now to get the .iso... and perhaps some "After Eight" mints and settle in for an enjoyable time... ;)
Amicalement/Cheers!
Eyes-Only/"L'Peau-Rouge"
@ Eyes-Only and Sandstrom - you flatter me... stop it! And thank you very much ;-)
Nice one RD !
I installed this distro on VMware Workstation 6.5 when it was released and all seems good. 1st time I use a fluxbox window manager and when I saw this was a Mint edition, I decided to try it.
I moved from using the Mint 5 main edtion to the XFCE edition when it became final. Although I think the fluxbox release is good, I really took to using Mint XFCE.
Hi Red Devil,
Indeed yet another nicely written review from you.
I have used LinuxMint KDE 5 and it was OK,though it was jumbled up with lots of things which anyone could install if desired but LinuxMint people added those just to make the ISO size bigger.
As far as Fluxbox variant is concerned it might be good to try it,hope it doesn`t clutter like the KDE version.
Beranger was just trying to be sarcastically funny, he loves to pick up at people,but I guess he doesn`t mean any harm,it`s the way he is :)
Regards,
@ Dr Saleem Khan,
I would not worry about the Fluxbox version being too jumbled - the software selection is very streamlined with just one tool per task and, thanks to the new menu setup, it is all in fairly logical order.
Thanks for reading my review.
Nice review but i´ve a question, linux mint fluxbox edition support intel core duo processors? I saw at linux mint main page a x64 edition and i suppose that it comes with gnome :/ anyway i´m going to burn my linux image and try to run it on my laptop.
P.D: Sorry for my bad english i´m spanish xD
Hola Cabimero, y gracias!
I'm afraid I don't know the answer to your Intel Core Duo processor question off the top of my head - my machine's an old P4 - but I would be very surprised indeed if LM Fluxbox CE didn't support dual core. Perhaps you could join the Linux Mint forum's Fluxbox section and post a question there - find it at http://www.linuxmint.com/forum/
I enjoyed your review. Thanks. Currently running Mint main edition on my main PC.
Mint seems to be strong on the wired network but drops the wireless frequently.
Great review, very enjoyable to read. cheers.
to Cabimero,
The answer about your processor type with linux mint is a big no. I have the same one on my desktop and it won't work well. After installing in my new partition, it won't load the OS. I tried to re-install the whole OS but all I got is an interrupt error message ( This is using LIVE CD still ).
Now I have an older IBM Thinkpad X30 12" with P3 1.2 ghz and 1 Gb Ram....Works like a champ. The fluxbox version is awesome. My old Laptop become my New Laptop.
What's the MINIMUM install size for this? I'd like to intsall this (or another distro) on a CF card (w/ IDE adaptor) & would hope I didn't have to spring for more than the 2GB card I've got...
@ ACSial - the latest version of Linux Mint Fluxbox edition, version 6.0, requires 2GB of disk space for installation and presumably more for your Home folder/data etc. The full release details are here: http://www.linuxmint.com/blog/?p=651
Hi Red Devil,
Thanks a lot for your review. I switched from Windows to Linux about one year ago and never wanted to go back except for something that had to be done in Windows. And recently I was trying Linux Mint XFCE in my desktop. After reading your review, I decided to give fluxbox a try... I never use fluxbox before so my question is can you make a brief comparison between Linux Mint in gnome and fluxbox? My first impression is fluxbox is much lighter, and use text configuration files a lot. But how about the other aspects, like stability, etc...? Thank you very much.
Beranger you shouldnt be so hard on Red Devil, It's a great review. Beranger when you make a review let us know so we can post trashy comments :P lol
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