I think you get all the essential options a user would want. With Cinnamon, you get a good amount of control to tweak it. Yes, other desktop environments allow you to customize the same to some extent. The dock, taskbar, or panel comprises an integral part of the user interface. For instance, calendar events support using GNOME Online Accounts. Similarly, the desktop adds features that try to co-exist with services from other desktop environments. There’s nothing special with Cinnamon desktop that would break the experience. The best part about Cinnamon desktop is that it evolves in a way that respects and supports all functionalities.įor instance, if you want to install an app you enjoyed using on KDE Plasma, it should work the same way here. Why do I highlight the user experience again? To complement all the above spices, you can use extensions to make the panel transparent, add a watermark to your desktop, enable windows tiling, and add some exciting window animations. In addition, you get access to various themes built by the community that could easily give you the look you always wanted. Plenty of valuable utilities to monitor system resources, check the weather, and more. Similarly, you can add a Desklet from the available defaults or get a new one from the repositories. You can manage system default applets or download more from the official repositories: Manage Applets They include:Īpplets and Desklets are tiny programs that you can add on top of the panel (near the system tray) and the desktop, respectively. These are all part of its Cinnamon Spices offering. Linux Mint supports various add-ons to enhance your experience. Official Add-ons to Spice Up Your Experience Linux Mint Desklets You can head to the system settings and navigate to “Themes” to find the essential tweaks.ĥ. Some of the elements that you can easily customize include: I think Linux Mint gives the right amount of extra controls/customizations, which you also learn on its Welcome Screen. We have super useful guides if you are curious about going that way: You might already know that KDE is probably the king when it comes to giving the ability to customize out-of-the-box. So, there is little room for improvement. It may not be the best dual-monitor experience with Linux Mint Cinnamon edition (no dock/panel on the second screen for me). Typically, I am a sucker for pretty user interfaces, but I can still live with Linux Mint’s straightforward user experience running it on a dual-monitor setup ( 1440p + 1080p). It looks pleasing to the eyes with a minimal approach. It does include subtle animations and features icons/themes that make up for a modern look, if not the best. With Cinnamon desktop, that is not the case. When we think about a lightweight desktop environment-we usually imagine a bland user interface that focuses on performance. Fast Performance Without Sacrificing User Experience Of course, you can try installing Cinnamon desktop on Ubuntu.īut, for this article, we consider Linux Mint as the ideal use case. So, you do not have to worry about needing an insane amount of memory or disk space to run a Linux distro powered by Cinnamon. In the modern computing age, these specifications should suit almost everyone. To get a comfortable experience with Cinnamon desktop (usually with Linux Mint), you have the following system requirements: To help you further, the “ Welcome Screen” in Linux Mint provides you with all the information quickly. Whether you are a Windows user or a macOS user, the Cinnamon desktop layout should not feel challenging at all. But, accessing a start menu, a taskbar, system icons in the tray, and a couple of window decorations make it easy to grasp. Of course, Windows 11 has evolved its usual layout with time. The primary objective of building Cinnamon was to keep the GNOME 2 desktop style alive.Īnd that is why you get a familiar desktop layout compared to the most popular consumer desktop operating system, i.e., Windows. Familiar User Interface Linux Mint Cinnamon Desktop

If you did not know, the Cinnamon desktop is a fork of GNOME created in 2011 by Clement Lefebvre (Linux Mint creator) with enhancements over the years.

Linux mint desklets