Linux Mint: from freedom came elegance.

I've been using Linux Mint constantly since about 2019, on three different laptops, and with each new version of Linux Mint it has been getting better. Mainly with little quality of living details, with a few changes that have meant a difference on how I use my laptop.

Yet, even those change have made my experience using the OS better. And one the things I've come to appreciate about Linux Mint since moving to only releasing long-term support releases, is that I'm not in a hurry to get the latest release. Each point release brings more then enough upgrades to keep the Linux Mint current.

Not only that, since each upgrade it the hardware requirements don't jump up that much, it means that my laptop has a longer life expectancy. I don't need to change it that often, mainly if it starts having problems with hardware that can't be changed easily or cheaply.

I used to prefer Ubuntu, but with Cinnamon becoming a mature desktop environment Linux Mint has become my go to Linux distro. Cinnamon just works better for me than GNOME, giving me all what I need and want, and then some more.

And I find Linux Mint to be all that much more of an elegant OS, that just works for me. Simple, yet it can be configured to work as you want it to work while looking like you want it to look. What I love, is that you don't need to much technical know-how to do so, while if you have technical proficiency you can do much do so much more.

Linux Mint just works, and can be actually a good way to get into using Linux of beginner and a great option for those who already use Linux that want a distro that is just easy to use and doesn't get in the way. It is truly one of those distros that prove that Linux is no longer the realm of computer experts.

Machenike L16A: a great value for the money.

I recently got a Machenike L16A to replace the HP laptop I've been using for about 4 years now, and it has been quite a good upgrade.

The value for the price has been excellent, it has really felt like an upgrade. Specially going from 8Gb of RAM to 16Gb. I specially notice the better performance when at work, since I use a remote desktop. I simply don't see as much slowdowns on the same use.

Most of the time, at work I've the remote desktop app, Firefox, Thunderbird, Spotify, or sometimes Rhythmbox, open at the same time and having 16Gb of RAM gives the performance I need since at time around 6-7Gb are used.

I also feel the AMD Ryzen CPU has been quite an upgrade, since it has more cores and threads than the Intel CPU my HP laptop has. That makes for a better user experience.

But, where I see the better user experience is on the keyboard, and display side of things. The keyboard keys got stuck often, making the track pad unusable and characters to repeat themselves. While the Machenike keyboard is not perfect, is far more usable and I find it to be quite nice to use.

On the display play side of things, that the panel is a 2.5k display makes it quite an upgrade. Not to mention that is an 16 inch over the 15.6 inch of the HP laptop. It isn't that bigger, but personally it make quite the difference.

Now I know that my favorite display size for laptops ranges from 15.6 to 16 inches. It has become my sweet spot for me, with the right compromise of size and portability.

And to top it up, Linux Mint works like a charm on the Machenike L16A. I just had to adjust the display resolution to my liking, other than that Linux Mint just works on the laptop. To be honest, I didn't have high expectations about the system when I got it, but after using it I most admit that can recommend it to most users that want a mid range laptop.