Linux Mint 8 Universal

Linux Mint's purpose is to produce an elegant, up-to-date, and comfortable GNU/Linux desktop based on Ubuntu. The Universal edition aims to provide the same features as the Main Edition without including proprietary software, patented technologies or support for restricted formats. Some of the reasons for the success of Linux Mint are:

• It's one of the most community driven distributions
• It is a Debian-based distribution and as such it is very solid and it comes with one of the greatest package managers
• It is compatible with and uses Ubuntu repositories. This gives Linux Mint users access to a huge collection of packages and software.
• It comes with a lot of desktop improvements which make it easier for the user to do common things
• There is a strong focus on making things work out of the box (WiFi cards drivers in the file system, multimedia support, screen resolution, etc)

Based on Ubuntu 9.10 Karmic Koala, Linux 2.6.31, Gnome 2.28 and Xorg 7.4, Linux Mint 7 "Helena" features a lot of improvements and the latest software from the Open Source World.