Book Image

Linux Mint Essentials

By : Jay LaCroix
Book Image

Linux Mint Essentials

By: Jay LaCroix

Overview of this book

Table of Contents (22 chapters)
Linux Mint Essentials
Credits
About the Author
About the Reviewers
www.PacktPub.com
Preface
Index

Getting familiar with Cinnamon


Cinnamon is a desktop environment. This is the term that the Linux community uses to describe a user interface thrown on top of the Linux kernel. With Linux, you don't actually need a desktop environment. In the case of Linux servers, it's not uncommon to see them with no user interface at all; instead, the administrator would rely on shell commands to configure and interact with a system. In fact, it's even possible to perform all the basic desktop functions (such as modifying files, listening to music, and browsing the web) using shell commands. These commands call programs that can run without a user interface. However, when using Linux on your desktop or laptop, installing a desktop environment makes things much simpler. Most distributions (such as Mint) include a desktop environment in the default installation. Nowadays, Linux desktop environments have become so efficient that terminal commands are no longer a necessity; you can operate your computer with...