Innovation and Community
Distro Walk – Linux Mint
© Photo by Hannah Busing on Unsplash
Clement Lefebvre gives a brief history of Linux Mint and thanks the community that has grown up around the distribution.
Linux Mint is one of the top three Debian derivatives. Although it began as an Ubuntu derivative in 2006, Linux Mint first became prominent in 2011 when it forked Gnome 2 under the name of MATE for users who shied away from Gnome 3. Today, Linux Mint is also known for the development of its own desktop, Cinnamon, and for its rolling release Linux Mint Debian Edition (LMDE), as well as for the friendly interaction between its developers and its community. Throughout its 18 years of existence, Linux Mint has been guided by team leader Clement Lefebvre, who has taken the time to reflect on the project's history with Linux Magazine.
Linux Magazine: How did Linux Mint get started?
Clement Lefebvre: Linux was always a hobby. Over the years, it became much more than that, but from the very start it [was] always something I played with for fun. I wrote software; I tinkered with distributions; I spent a lot of time just chatting with other users. Eventually, I started writing articles and reviews about Linux, and, when the time came to host them myself, I called my website Linux Mint.
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