Other distros tried

Snowlinux 4

I am not sure why I wanted to try it... maybe because it's Debian-based and I felt lucky... By the way, they also plan to release Ubuntu-version in May 2013.

Well, I wasn't lucky – it didn't boot to Live at all. That's that.

SolusOs 1.2

SolusOs is Debian-stable-based distro, but has updated apps and also all non-free stuff included. They are also of those who try to preserve Gnome 2 look. They are forking Gnome 3 fallback and build their own desktop on it, called Consort. So the goal seems similar to Cinnamon – Gnome 2 look and Gnome 3 codebase.

Live session came up without any problems. And I quite liked what I saw. Except main menu, which was modernized – maybe comparable to Mint-menu. But with marked bonus of resizeability.
There was sluggishness, and some bugs.

I think I would have kept Solus – if I haven't had Xubuntu already. But – it's definitely on my spring second-round-test list when ver 2 appears.

Zorin OS 6 Live

It's based on Ubuntu and has Compiz installed by default. Desktop is heavily modified Gnome 3.They are saying that their goal is to provide an experience as close to MS Windows as possible.

For me it means No Way. As already mentioned – what for? Why to swap Windows for fake-Windows? Beacuse it's free? First, Linux is NOT free in meaning that you waste time(is money) with its bugs and quirks; and second, Full Zorin OS is not free at all, you have to buy it. Not that paying for good product is no-no for me, on the contrary – workforce with salary is less lazy and chaotic as a rule, BUT – I am not going to buy erzats-Windows, that's for sure.

Anyway – It's blingily elegant, has interesting docker/panel mixture, has strange porridge of settings and at least Live session was stable and without obvious bugs. If one wants to play Windows-on-Linux, Zorin is recommended. 

Fedora 18 xfce Live
Fedora is free pre-release version of Red Hat - Linux distro with yearly revenue billion dollars plus! Currently the only one.

The name Fedora associates also with: very progressive development-wise; and moronic 'only free stuff' stand. I do not have really any opinion if Fedora is frontiers-pushing, but – they definitely release their distros without any whiff of capitalist shit: no codecs, no flash, no ttf-s, no anything tainted.

Which means to normal user that all those things had to be downloaded & installed from other places. Additional hassle.

Fedora Live Xfce booted alright – and didn't leave me any impression whatsoever. Xfce was totally of stock, no customization at all.

Also – release 18 has quite a few bad reviews about it... Dedoimedo has one of such. Google helps to find more.

The test ended there, without any interest to install.

Ubuntu with Trinity Live

Trinity is old KDE 3.x slightly refreshed. That is – when KDE decided to create very much different version 4 (which was also horrible bug-pile at the beginning), there naturally appeared people who decided to preserve old version 3, and to modernize it in less dramatic way.

But it bloody is archaic-looking still! With various glitches here and there. It has strange types of panels and hodge-podge of settings.

And it definitely has very few devs working with it. For me it left zombie-like impression – jerking but not really alive.

Stella 6.3

...Is stright clone of CentOS. Means, it's super stable if a bit outdated distro.

Stella differs of her parent by added multimedia support, added repos and slightly customized desktop (cute old Gnome 2).

Live ISO booted nicely, classic DE made me feel all fuzzy. HDD-install also went without problems. Then I installed nvidia driver, rebooted – and it hung. Well, format it was, a pity.

Thought about trying OpenSuse again, but didn't find enough motivation.

Distro-hopping stopped with that and I dived seriously into Xfce.

4. Cinnamon!

2012, November-December, Linux Mint Cinnamon 14.1

Installation-media – USB, installation through live session. Differently of spring, install succeeded this time. Tingling feeling of happiness and satisfaction that devs reacted to my silent prayers and fixed Everything! Sound, wifi, samba all worked out of box.

Mint is derivative (fork) of Ubuntu - which is derivative of Debian. Geneology, how exciting!

Cinnamon (Mint's DE) is based on Gnome 3.x . It's the DE which is nowadays widely hated because its radical departure of pleasant and traditional desktop of Gnome 2.x. Some folks even say that the Way of Gnome 2 was/is the most intuitive and easily-used desktop of all times. Most productive - if we use current much overused shit-word. Gnome 3, of the contrary to its parent, is touch-screen oriented tablet-loving way-too-much-clicks porn. Also look here.

Cinnamon recreates Gnome 2-like interface using modern devices and means of Gnome 3.

Birth and growth of Cinnamon can be considered entirely good thing. I mean, everything is better than Gnome 3, even Unity is, and even Windows 8. So, fixing Gnome 3 interface is inherently Godlike and Benign Act.

Leaving that aside, do I like Cinnamon in practical way, do I want to use it? Yes and no.

1. Yes-things: Its interface is slick, modern and tasteful – and that last thing is rare animal in Linux zoo. Very rare. Bravo, Mint! Some say that Mint's stock green wallpaper is really, really repetitive and should be changed to something new. I don't care – it's easiest thing to change. And really, first thing to do – after or during very important more firster things is to change stock wallpaper. We the users always have the real better one.

INTERLUDE. Those important firster things:

a) Install your machine's proprietary drivers! Usually it means video driver. Sometimes more (wifi). If it is an Ubuntu-based distro, then the place to go is Settings/Software Sources/Additional drivers. You can install it from there. It takes time, be patient.

If it's not Ubuntu-like or some other friendly distro, then the process is probably a bit more complicated and depends into what distro you have stepped.

It took to me several days to find that there is one more step required to really install that Nvidia video driver...

Open terminal, type:

nvidia-xconfig

Conf file is created. Reboot is needed (which is NOT said to you. BUT, don't boot yet – let's do next step before, or in all likeness you have to boot twice.

b) Rev up your Update/Software manager and update. First load will be in three digit numbers (Megas), it takes many minutes. But, don't simply sit and drool – now its time to change that wallpaper! And generally click around. Try to drag things on your desktop. Right-click here and there.

Oh, it’s done (update, that is). Probably wants to reboot. If not - feel relieved, if yes - reboot. And … hopefully it does boot. If it doesn't, then there are two choices... do you only wish to use this marvelous opsystem of the future? Then format the whole thing, and find another, more cooperative distro. OR – you want to fix the lame one? Google 'my fresh Linux not booting' or something, or try distros' forum – you get matches as much as there are suns in the Galaxy. Depending of circumstances, but hour or two or more sweaty fun is waiting for you. Also fast level-up.

c) Codecs, ttf fonts, flash, ... distros have different attitudes about those things. There are those who include them without any fuss (Mint, Zorin, Stella etc), then there is Ubuntu and others who ask during installation 'Do you want' … (Just as a by-note: Xubuntu 12.10 install, in my case, simply hung after 'yes'). Fortunately, all forbidden things are also available after install. Via Synaptic, for example, package name is 'ubuntu restricted extras'.Other distros, naturally, have different package-names. Download & install (Synaptic does this for you), enjoy.

And then there are Fedora-likes: all smelly non-free stuff is stricktly out. In those cases one has to find special moonshining repositories, add them to your systems' list, and install. Procedures are distro specific. G!, RTFM or forum.

Mint Cinnamon didn't crash once. There were some little bugs. Which is quite a big improvement compared to ver 12. Which did crash... it's Software manager had fatal bug and had to be removed for distro to work properly.

Generally, nicy and cutey thing. Very nooby-cuddly. But as I said – not overly bling, not at all.

2. No-things for me:

What a unpleasant menu it had! … Though, not as revolting as KDEs' super crap-pile. MintMenu has Apps-folders and additionally Favorites and Places. It has fixed-size - and to remedy this it has quirky slider for getting to half-hidden apps-lists. I didn't like that. Have to say, through my teeth, that the menu is esthetically pleasing. But not pleasing to use.

There is only one panel (default bottom) in Cinnamon. Kinda poor? Yes. Sure, you can install dockers... but I like classical panels better. (adding mysteriously – not necessarily KDE3/Trinity ones.)

Settings. There is definitely too little to tweak. Yes-yes, I am never satisfied. Period.

I played around 2-3 days and found it boring in it's niceness and/or lack of customization.