A modern and user-friendly GNU/Linux desktop distribution that is elegant and comfortable to use.
The primary objective of Linux Mint is to consistently innovate and offer desktop solutions of the highest quality to its users. The release cycle is fast, often featuring new updates monthly or bimonthly. All versions of Linux Mint are actively supported, and some editions, such as Bianca or Cassandra, come with a Long-Term Support guarantee, ensuring that the Support Center will continue to provide assistance for years to come.
Individual users can also find great value in Linux Mint. With over 300 active Linux distributions on the market, Linux Mint is striving to be the best alternative for desktop uses. If you have a PC with more than 512MB RAM, you're in the right demographic to give it a try. Users coming from a five-year-old non-free operating system, like Windows XP, are likely to be impressed. Linux Mint values feedback from its community, so please share your experience and suggestions with the team.
You may be wondering why there is both a Light Edition and a Full Edition. Linux Mint works to comply with GPL and respects the copyrights and licenses of all proprietary software it uses. However, the OS uses patented technologies in some parts of the world. In nations where software patents are invalid, this is not an issue, but Linux Mint created the Light Edition to provide a version free of patented technologies for users living in countries where software patents are enforceable.
Licensing is a complicated matter, and you may also question why Linux Mint includes proprietary drivers. The answer is that it doesn't. Including these drivers would violate the GPL or be ethically wrong. Linux Mint believes in open source and releases all of its work with corresponding source code. While it owes a great deal of gratitude to the Free Software movement and to the GPL, it acknowledges that software creators who release proprietary licenses have also contributed to making software better. Linux Mint likes software in general, Free Software even more, but doesn't believe in boycotting Proprietary Software.
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