Ubuntu Gnome & Cinnamon Reviews

Full featured Linux distro

Discovery

During my research on Linux distros, I watched YouTube Videos to determine which ones might be worth exploring. Ubuntu was high on the list based on the recommendations found on multiple tech sites. It is my understanding that Ubuntu has the largest community support of any Linux distro.

Installation

I downloaded the newest ISO files for Ubuntu GNOME and Ubuntu CINNAMON. From there I created Hyper-V machines and booted from the ISO. Following the prompts will take you through the entire installation process.
   GNOME has the taskbar on the left side and discourages having icons on the desktop. If your coming from Windows, you may be lost for a while.
   Cinnamon has the taskbar on the bottom like Windows and allows icons on the desktop.
Both versions were installed as Hyper-V virtual machines for a quick review and comparison with other distros.

Hyper-V Settings for Ubuntu

The following assumes you have some experience with Hyper-V. These are the minimal hardware settings that worked for me to create a new virtual machine in my test environment. You will need to specify your paths accordingly. If you are installing this for regular use, you will want to give the VM more memory and disk resources or dedicated hardware.

• Security = Key Storage Drive Disabled
• Generation = 1
• RAM = 4096 or more, (non-dynamic)
• Virtual Processors = 2 or more
• Virtual Hard-Disk = 100 Gig or more
• Network Adapter = vSwitch
• Integration Services = Check everything
• Checkpoints = disabled
• Page Files = disabled
• Autostart = Nothing
• Automatic Stop = Save

Start the VM, proceed through the setup process, assign your administrator password and your good to go!

Windows Hyper-V Video Settings for Debian Based Distros

I have noticed that using Debian based distros within Hyper-V do not allow a person to change the screen resolution by simply expanding the Window or by changing it within the OS. However it is possible by making a Grub modification to specify screen size. Contact Meyer Computer for these instructions and I can provide them.

Printer Driver

Ubuntu auto detected the Brother Laser AIO printer on the network. No driver install was necessary. Printing simply worked. NOTE: I have NOT attempted to locate software for the scanner or test that function of the device. There may be software from Brother or I may need to locate generic Linux scanner software.

WI-FI

This was not tested as I only installed Kali as a virtual machine. My Internet connection was achieved by using the passthrough ethernet to the host machine.

SMB Support

Samba allows Windows computers to interact with file shares and printers on a non-Windows server, making it a crucial tool for interoperability between different operating systems.

This feature works just as expected without any additional installation or configuration. The first time you connect to a shared network drive, it may take a second or two. I am assuming the system has to search for the shared device and folder the network. Then, you’ll need to enter a password for the network share. Once that’s done, you’re good to go. The connection will stay active until the computer is shut down. You can access the shared folder as much as you want without re-inputting a password. I like to bookmark the location within the file manager/file explorer so I don't need to type the network path. This will save you a little time.

It would be nice to make these connections semi-permanent. I want to be able to set it up and forget it. I want the ability to bypass the password requirement on my home network.

Software

I installed several programs using the software manager with both Gnome and Cinnamon versions of Ubuntu. There are no problems to report with my limited testing. Everything worked as expected.

Overall Impression of Ubuntu (Gnome)

Setup was just as fast if not faster than a Windows installation. I had a difficult time navigating the default GNOME desktop as its significantly different than Windows. It seems clumsy with a taskbar on the left. I know that the GNOME interface is a top choice for many users and I'm NOT saying its bad, it's just not for me.

Overall Impression of Ubuntu (Cinnamon)

Setup was just as fast if not faster than a Windows installation. The Cinnamon version is a HUGE improvement over Gnome and better for people transitioning from Windows. If I had to use Ubuntu, it would be the Cinnamon variant. I still prefer Linux Mint.