I downloaded 3 flavours of Linux a couple of days ago. I was looking for revamping my Linux box to look as cool as possible, and I was also looking to upgrade my current Mint 6 distribution to Mint 7, as I had only heard good things about it. I have been using Mint 7 since yesterday after experimenting with the other downloaded distros of Good OS and Elive. So far I am happier with 7 than I was with 6. Even though there are no visibly ground breaking changes to the system, Linux Mint 7 does what is expected of it and much more and delivers a consistency that is very… refreshing. The best part… no manual configuration of my wifi card as it worked out of the box. This is the firs time that this has even happened in all my time of using the various distros of Linux.

This screenshot tour will give you a overview of whats new and whats not from what I have seen thus far.

The desktop after loading from the live CD. All the usual stuff that mint users are used to.

The desktop after loading from the live CD. All the usual stuff that mint users are used to.

The install process keeps the same look and feel and flow. Language choice.

The install process keeps the same look and feel and flow. Language choice.

Partitioning during install is simple and takes just a few minutes. It does look a little bit more colourful than the partitioner in mint 6

Partitioning during install is simple and takes just a few minutes. It does look a little bit more colourful than the partitioner in mint 6

Putting in your personal and login information

Putting in your personal and login information

During install, if your internet is up, the installer looks online to add additional language packs. This can be easily skipped.

During install, if your internet is up, the installer looks online to add additional language packs. This can be easily skipped.

After the installation is complete you can choose to continue using the live CD or you can restart and go to the Real McCoy. Why would I want to remain in the live CD anyway... right?

After the installation is complete you can choose to continue using the live CD or you can restart and go to the Real McCoy. Why would I want to remain in the live CD anyway… right?

The mint startup after Install. You can just about make out a slightly differently coloured box under the loading bar. This is probably where the messages would appear in case you switch them on.

The mint startup after Install. You can just about make out a slightly differently coloured box under the loading bar. This is probably where the messages would appear in case you switch them on.

The login screen has been changed and looks more console like than before. I liked it although I have read mixed review about it in the forums. However, since you can easily change this screen, there is really nothing to be concerned about.

The login screen has been changed and looks more console like than before. I liked it although I have read mixed review about it in the forums. However, since you can easily change this screen, there is really nothing to be concerned about.

This dialog appears at startup giving you something to do even before you get into the distro completely. Where I haven't been is the chat room. That's where I will head next.

This dialog appears at startup giving you something to do even before you get into the distro completely. Where I haven’t been is the chat room. That’s where I will head next.

The mintMenu looks the same at first glance but has captions of applications on by default and also other interesting addtions like suggested actions and pre-populated favourites section.

The mintMenu looks the same at first glance but has captions of applications on by default and also other interesting addtions like suggested actions and pre-populated favourites section.

The mintMenu already has some of the frequently used applications listed in the Favourites

The mintMenu already has some of the frequently used applications listed in the Favourites

If the filter in the mintMenu doesnt find what you are looking for it suggests some common/useful takes that you can perform using the phrase that you looked for. “Install Package” is what I found most useful.

If the filter in the mintMenu doesnt find what you are looking for it suggests some common/useful takes that you can perform using the phrase that you looked for. “Install Package” is what I found most useful.

Shiki-Mint is the default theme now. Nice, clean and easy to work with. The older default thems are also there and of course customization is possible to all the elements of the theme.

Shiki-Mint is the default theme now. Nice, clean and easy to work with. The older default thems are also there and of course customization is possible to all the elements of the theme.

The theme customizations are pretty much the same although I did see a fe wnew and improved border styles

The theme customizations are pretty much the same although I did see a fe wnew and improved border styles

A very useful feature that has been added to mintInstall is the Featured Applications area. From here you can install the most commonly used applications that didn't make it to the live CD. I thought that this could have been more comprehensive, maybe even segregated by intended use.

A very useful feature that has been added to mintInstall is the Featured Applications area. From here you can install the most commonly used applications that didn’t make it to the live CD. I thought that this could have been more comprehensive, maybe even segregated by intended use.

This image is actually to show the ”busy“ animation at the top right of the window. This is a new addition although purely for asthetics.

This image is actually to show the ”busy“ animation at the top right of the window. This is a new addition although purely for asthetics.

Firefox 3 does duty as the default browser. I would have much rather liked a mint optimized version as suggested by some of the users.

Firefox 3 does duty as the default browser. I would have much rather liked a mint optimized version as suggested by some of the users.

Open Office.org 3.0 does duty as the office suite. I haven't taken it for a spin yet but I am sure that there is nothing much to write about. The load time does seem to have improved.

Open Office.org 3.0 does duty as the office suite. I haven’t taken it for a spin yet but I am sure that there is nothing much to write about. The load time does seem to have improved.

The Shut Down dialog.

The Shut Down dialog.

I dont know if this was part of Mint 6, but I just noticed that Mint 7 allows me to connect to an ftp server directly from Nautilus.

I dont know if this was part of Mint 6, but I just noticed that Mint 7 allows me to connect to an ftp server directly from Nautilus.

The location gets mounted as a partition that you can browse like any other folder. This means that I wont really need Filezilla to move file from here to there and vice versa. Quite frankly, I find ftp clients very irritating and slow.

The location gets mounted as a partition that you can browse like any other folder. This means that I wont really need Filezilla to move file from here to there and vice versa. Quite frankly, I find ftp clients very irritating and slow.