Elementary OS - a working installation!

This is a bit of a response to my previous post about problems with Elementary OS -  the new and highly anticipated Linux distribution.

I was determined to get it installed on a machine and see what all the fuss was about. So I grabbed an old laptop that I have lying around for just that purpose (installing and testing Linux installations - yes, I'm weird like that) and gave it another shot. Although there are some tweaking applications that one can add to the basic Elementary OS install, I suspected that the tweaking application was the issue, so I demurred from adding it - I'd just live with the standard install for a while.

That appeared to do the trick, and I was rewarded with a successful and so far stable installation of  Elementary OS.

First impressions... its FAST! I am using a relatively slow 1.6 GHz dual core business laptop, and it whizzes right along.

Its also very pretty. I hear that Linux users have said it is a MAC clone, and MAC users have said its too Linux-y, so I guess the designers made the right decision.

It's a distribution with its own idea of how a windowing operating system  should work. Either you buy into them and go with the flow, or you try to fight them and are probably miserable and should probably just go and install Linux MINT15 and be happy.

Me? I haven't decided yet. I'll live with it for a while and get back with a quick review.

Thanks!

Elementary OS - a new operating system

Interesting... I got all excited about the Elementary OS Linux Distribution release, but tried to install it on 2 different Machine (a Dell and an HP) and neither one worked properly, for different reasons.

I finally decided to try Linux Mint (it had been a while since I installed it on a computer) and I was pleasantly surprised. I started using it with the MATE desktop, but moved over to the Cinnamon desktop because it had more flexibility. It also uses a bit more horsepower, I think, but I like the extra desktop applets. Here's a quick video comparing Mate vs. Cinnamon - yes, I know the reviewer has a weird voice... but at least he made a video.

Has anyone else installed Elementary OS and had success? It's very pretty, and I hear it is fast, but I just couldn't get a solid install.