The hunting season continues. We've got a long, detailed review of MX Linux MX-19 patito feo distribution with Xfce desktop environment, tested in a multi-boot Windows and Linux setup on a laptop with UEFI, Intel graphics and 16 partitions, covering live session, installation and post-install usage, including look & feel, networking - Wireless, Bluetooth, Samba sharing, printing, multimedia playback - HD video and MP3, smartphone support - Android, iPhone and Windows Phone, partitioning and live session data save, package management and updates, applications, MX Tools, hardware compatibility, resource usage, performance, responsiveness, battery life, customization and associated difficulties, various problems and annoyances, and more. Enjoy. https://www.dedoimedo.com/computers/mx-19.html Cheers, Mrk
Very interesting read, as usual. I am still on MX18 but using MX19 in Virtualbox. I do not customize my system as you do, so many of the issues you reported are unknown to me, nevertheless I think it's very interesting to see what can happen when digging more into tweaking. Overall, I think one of the greatest things of MX are its developers and their open and friendly attitude towards good critics: just browse to their forum and read their comments on your review. https://forum.mxlinux.org/viewtopic.php?f=94&t=54552
One thing rarely spoken of is the updating of software. Because software is updated with the MX Updater, the version number we use is quite often quite a long way from the current one available. qBittorrent mx18 ------- v3.3.7 kubuntu --- v4.0.3 (64-bit) Thunderbird mx18 ------- 52.9.1 (64-bit) kubuntu --- 68.2.1 (64-bit) LibreOffice and Clementine are identical and up to date, as are the browsers I am using [Vivaldi, Firefox and Opera]
True, but in the fable that Linux is just as easy as Windows to use, you have just added an extra paragraph and multiple clauses.
The new version of xfce desktop that was incorporated for the first time in this edition of MX Linux could account for some quirks. Xfce just moved to Gtk3, and that's a lot of coding to be redone.
Interesting read. Made me install MX19 in a VM to test. I have been running it for a couple of weeks. It is very fast, even in a VM, it is as if it is a normal install. I love the MX-tools. Especially the "snapshot" app. What a wonderful idea to be able to make a an ISO from you once configured system you can install on other computers or reinstall- so easily! And the fact that it is a rolling release is a big plus! It is relatively easy to install the theme you want (I find dark themes quite ugly and dont like the usual "linux looks" either) thankfully there are some, very few nowadays though, bright themes found on the net. I chose Canta theme to make it pleasant for the eye. But MX-tools and some other MX-developed apps are not themed, they are still old Linux style. It would be nice is everything where consistent. It has been stable and I yet have to encounter any problems or quirks. It is nothing I would recommend to a newly convert from Windows though. Unless it is a a person who are willing to learn.
MX19 is indeed great. but it is not a rolling release. If you want the latest and greatest kernels, software, desktop tweaks, etc etc, MX will not give you that, not by default, at least. It's based on Debian, and is pretty conservative in that way.
It isn't, but I see it as "semi-rolling" because part of the software can be updated to a newer version, including drivers and Kernels. Discussion here.
I updated my MX19 with the latest antiX kernel available from the stable repo, and it is still behind the Ubuntu 19.10 default kernel. Now, admittedly, you can use even newer kernels from the testing repo, but by the same token, you could install a bleeding edge kernel on most distros, if you are willing to take the risk.
It seems that even the people who invented the term "semi rolling" weren't sure what it meant After reading the thread you linked to, it sounds like they were referring to active use of the testing repo and the Debian backports repo, both of which are very cool features of MX.
