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Linux Mint 22.1 Xia Cinnamon review - Reasonable, rounded
Quoting: Linux Mint 22.1 Xia Cinnamon review - Reasonable, rounded —
Mint 22.1 Xia is a pretty reasonable distro. I like the consistent approach to ordinary users having a stable, rounded desktop experience. I like the security mindset when it comes to unverified applications. You can customize the system to your taste. The look and feel aren't mindblowing, but you get a fairly okay workspace, with a mix of old and so-called modern elements, or rather, ergonomic and anti-ergonomic ones. Not the razor-sharp bundle from a decade back, but functional, solid.
There were some problems, too. Most of them stem from overly complicated defaults, and the reliance of various GTK bits and pieces, plus an obscure set of programs. Display scaling is a bit meh, and there isn't enough visual contrast in any one of the latest Mint themes. The performance can also be better. Overall, Linux Mint Cinnamon feels like an amalgamation of opposing ideas, the mid-2010 desktop, which is really the pinnacle of simple usage, and trying to keep up with the newer times, which require a redesign for the sake of it. Such energy would better be invested in making the software program shine, tweaking performance, and making the first-time experience a bit more familiar. Few people will feel comfortable with obscurely named tools and apps that are only used in this one distro.
My general impression stands. Linux Mint has lost some of its edge. The results are partially self-inflicted, but it is also the fact Linux ain't so scary no more. Mint also carries the Ubuntu baggage, for better or worse. So, if you ask me, it's a jolly good alternative to stock Gnome, but generally, I find Plasma-clad desktops to offer an ever so slightly more elegant experience. And with those words, I bid Xia farewell.