Linux Mint Introduces New Desktop

Article by George Norman (Cybersecurity Editor)

on 03 Jan 2012

Cinnamon is the name of the new desktop Lead Linux Mint Developer Clem Lefebvre introduced yesterday, the 2nd of January 2012. After failing to provide a better alternative to Gnome 2, the Linux Mint team decided to design a new desktop and named it Cinnamon.

Lefebvre explained that the most important upstream components on which the Linux Mint desktop was based on were lost as Gnome 2 became unavailable. The Linux Mint team tried to use MATE (a fork of Gnome 2 that is compatible with Gnome 3) and MGSE (Mint Gnome Shell Extensions) to help users transition away from Gnome 2. But the thing is that despite its best efforts, the team failed to provide a better alternative to Gnome 2. That is why the team decided to use new technology and use its vision to come up with a new desktop called Cinnamon.

The new Cinnamon desktop, as Lefebvre explained, will be easy to use and you will immediately feel at home using it.

“If you like Linux Mint you’ll probably like Cinnamon,” said Lefebvre. “Both projects share the same philosophy and the same vision of what a desktop should be. In this vision, the computer works for you and makes it easy for you to be productive. Things aren’t hidden away but easy to access. With easy to use interfaces, a familiar layout, advanced technologies and principles you’ve already got to use in Linux Mint, you’ll quickly find yourself at home.

Cinnamon 1.1.3 is available for Linux Mint 12, Ubuntu 11.10, Fedora 16, OpenSUSE 12.1 and Arch Linux. When Gnome 3.2 enters Debian Testing, Cinnamon will be available to LMDE as well. Cinnamon, which is forked from Gnome Shell and based on Mutter and Gnome 3, will replace Gnome Shell / MGSE as the main desktop in Linux Mint.

To install Cinnamon, install the package “cinnamon-session“, log out and choose the “Cinnamon” session at the login screen. Cinnamon can be installed alongside other desktops, including MATE and Gnome Shell/MGSE.



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