Linux Mint is probably the most recommended Linux distribution for people switching from Windows, and for good reason. It’s beginner-friendly, the layout looks familiar if you’re coming from Windows 7 or Windows 10, and it’s packed with quite a few graphics apps. you rarely need to touch the terminal. I’ve used it myself, recommended it to many people, and some of them actually made the switch. However, there were those who said that Mint is not Windows.
My first instinct was that they just didn’t do it justice. So I sat down with one of my friends who was struggling with it, watched how they actually used the system, and came to a conclusion – they’re right. Linux Mint indeed Not a Windows replacement. I’ve listed the three biggest problems that stand in your way when you try to use Linux Mint like Windows.
Installing programs is not always easy
Well, it mostly depends on what apps you have installed
Installing a program in Windows is a very outdated ritual: you find the program you want, go to its website, download the EXE file, run it, click the installation wizard, and that’s it — the program is installed on your computer. I wouldn’t necessarily call it a “better” way to install software, but it’s a workflow that millions of people have adopted internally. Unfortunately, Linux Mint – or any Linux distribution, for that matter – requires one a completely different approach.
Your Linux distribution ships with its own official software repository. From there, you can install apps through the App Manager, similar to the app store on your phone, or from the terminal. This is the first point of friction. Next comes when you want to install a program that is not in the official repository of your distribution. You may need to add a third-party repository before installing. For example, on Ubuntu-based distributions like Linux Mint, you often need to add a PPA (Private Package Archive) before installing certain programs.
Then there’s the brand new the concept of packet formats. The default package format in Linux Mint is .deb. However, some apps are distributed as Snaps, while others are available as Flatpaks. To install software in these formats, you must first enable or install support for them. None of this is particularly difficult, but it’s a really different and often unfamiliar experience for those who want to download an executable, double-click it, and start using the program.
There are no good graphics troubleshooting programs
If you don’t mind the terminal
When your computer isn’t behaving as it should, it’s already a worrying situation. The last thing most people want is to open a terminal and start typing commands that feel like code. However, when something goes wrong with Linux, you often have to do just that.
While Linux Mint has a solid collection of graphical tools for everyday use, the same can’t always be said for troubleshooting. Often if you want to identify rogue processes, check system logs, or check the health of your SSD ends at the command line. For the average user, it’s a double whammy: not only is your normal workflow interrupted, but the main way to diagnose the problem is through that dreaded terminal.
Windows, on the other hand, has a robust collection of built-in and third-party ones graphical troubleshooting tools. I won’t claim they have award-winning interfaces – a lot of settings and diagnostics are hidden behind unintuitive menus – but at least with a GUI (graphical user interface) you can click through the menus, explore your options, and usually find what you’re looking for.
There is nothing to click in the terminal. You need to know exactly which commands to execute, and if you get one wrong, you’ll usually end up with an error message rather than a useful prompt. There is also a fair amount of reading. If you haven’t memorized the commands, you’ll likely find yourself poring over the documentation to figure out what to do. It’s true that troubleshooting is inherently technical, but Linux makes it a little more technical than it should be, especially for the non-tech-savvy.
Online guides ignore graphics programs
Almost every solution is preceded by a terminal
You choose Linux Mint because it’s beginner-friendly. It provides you with graphical applications for almost everything and you can really handle your daily tasks without learning terminal. But when you want to go beyond the basics—test, customize your system, or troubleshoot—you’re looking for a guide or want online help, and almost anything you’ll find terminal – first.
A typical Linux guide gives you commands to copy and paste. It rarely explains how to accomplish the same task with a graphical application—if such an application exists—and almost never includes screenshots. Compared to the average Windows tutorial, it’s just less accessible to beginners.
Well, after using Linux for so long, I understand why. If I were writing a Windows guide, I’d include ten screenshots, arrows, highlights, and step-by-step instructions to explain what to click and in what order, because it’s necessary. However, on Linux I can often do the same thing with one command. This is significantly more efficient for the person writing the guide.
But this efficiency comes at a cost to the reader, especially those new to Linux. The standard advice is not to blindly execute commands you find online. Someone can troll you, or worse, do bad things and have commands that can seriously damage your system. This means that you need to understand what each command does and how its syntax works before you can run it.
As a result, it’s easier to skim through a manual in Windows and judge whether it looks legitimate or not. Making such judgments in Linux often requires technical knowledge that newcomers do not yet possess.
Linux Mint looks like Windows – not a Windows clone
The main problem here is a mismatch of expectations. Linux Mint and every other Linux distribution is a different operating system. It just won’t fit your Windows workflow in every way. You wouldn’t switch to macOS and expect it to behave exactly like Windows, would you?
However, switching from Windows to macOS can be difficult – the same goes for Ubuntu and other Linux distributions. Linux Mint, by comparison, makes the transition much easier. Through him Cinnamon desktop environmentit offers a familiar layout along with a robust collection of graphics programs and customization options.
This makes Mint a great landing spot for Windows users – so it’s highly recommended. It looks and feels familiar enough that you can hit the ground running without slowing down your daily routine. However, if you want to get the most out of the operating system, you’ll still need to spend time learning how it works—just like you learned Windows.
