Today I updated to Linux Mint 22.3 Zena, and the new Mint Menu applet is a great update to the aesthetic of the OS. After a few hours of use, the update feels solid and all works like it should.
As with every update, Linux Mint makes honor to the motto from freedom came elegance. It is one of most elegant OS I've used so far. Most importantly for me, it has been getting better with time. It is not perfect, not by a long shoot, but is one of the best OS out there.
It might not be bleeding edge, but is a modern and stable OS that respect the user while being easy to use and set up to the user wants. Most modern hardware works out of the box without problem, and the best thing is that it looks great doing so.
To be honest, I'm going to stick just recommending Linux Mint to new users, and users who want an stable OS who doesn't get in your way, and just works. Bonus points that now playing video games via Steam is something you can do, though some AAA titles don't run well because of the anti cheat systems they implement on the kernel level. Though I've playing Palia and Sword of Convallaria for over four months now without much trouble. I used to play Star Wars: The Old Republic, but I stop playing mainly because of personal reasons.
I used to recommend Ubuntu as well, but Linux Mint has earned to be my main recommendation as well my go to OS. Yet, Linux Mint has become such a solid OS that I feel that there is no reason to have Ubuntu as a second option. If a second option is asked for, I rather recommend Pop_OS! witch is another OS that is easy to use by beginner and advanced users.
I started my Linux journey on Ubuntu, and at the time I didn't imagined that over a decade later I'd moved on and that I recommend other Linux distros over it. Yet, here I am and I am happy to do so.
