Full Circle Magazine FR

Peppermint Three (the number is always spelled out) has been out for roughly 6 months – One and Two have been in use for nearly a year before that – and has managed to remain in the Distrowatch top 50, so I decided to give the 64-bit version a try. At just over 550MB (a 32-bit version is just slightly lighter), this is an OS that still manages to fit on a CD or small flash drive – which is somewhat unusual given that its parent OS, Lubuntu, is nearly 150MB larger. Base and recommended specs include 192MB RAM (512MB recommended), Intel x86 processor (user forums indicate AMD chipsets are no problem but the website makes specific mention of Intel), and 2GB HDD space (4GB recommended). Many included programs require active Internet capability, so keep this in mind. Although based upon Lubuntu 12.04, Peppermint is really a hodgepodge of parts from the Linux bin. It does have the Lubuntu LXDE desktop, menu structure and Software Center but it borrows Mint's Update Manager, some bits of underlying code from Debian Wheezy and Sid, and, finally, pieces from the Chromebook engineering perspective. Chromebook? Yes, Google's answer to tablet users desiring a laptop instead. Utilizing the limited Chrome OS, that design has Google's Chrome browser doing double duty as the desktop, too. All the programs are Cloud based, so, without an Internet or cellular connection, you've got a $300 to $500 paperweight.

Peppermint Three (le nombre est toujours en toutes lettres) est sorti il y a 6 mois environ - les One et Two s'utilsent depuis presque dix-huit mois - et a réussi à rester dans le Top 50 de Distrowatch. J'ai donc décidé d'essayer la version 64-bit.

À un peu plus de 550 Mo (la version 32-bit est un tout peu plus légère), c'est un système d'exploitation qui peut encore se mettre sur un CD ou une petite clé USB - ce qui est quelque peu inhabituel étant donné que Lubuntu, son ancêtre, fait presque 150 Mo de plus. Les spécifications de base et recommandées comprennent 192 Mo de RAM (512 Mo recommandés), un processeur Intel x86 (les forums utilisateur précisent que les « chipsets » AMD ne posent aucun problème, mais le site Web mentionne Intel spécifiquement) et 2 Go d'espace disque (4 Go recommandé). Il faut garder à l'esprit que beaucoup des programmes inclus nécessitent une connexion internet active.

Being light has advantages, and Peppermint has a brisk installation time of just under 15 minutes. And my version had updates of just over 60MB (as opposed to my previous review of openArtist in which the updates were nearly 10 times larger than Peppermint's). Another advantage is that boot times, including BIOS, POST, and the obligatory password, averaged less than 30 seconds. Some of this speed is attributable to the LXDE underpinnings, but another part of the equation involves what this OS doesn't have. Seekers of glitz and glamor best look elsewhere as you get just a simple panel at the bottom with the usual indicators and a desktop of peppermint white and red. That's it folks; no desktop icons and just a few alternate wallpapers you can access by right-clicking the desktop; however, as bare as this may seem, it's no worse than base Lubuntu, and actually looks crisper and better designed. Keep in mind that LXDE was designed to work quickly in lower powered computers, and it doesn't fail here.

Clicking on the main menu button (a circular red and white peppermint) will bring forth a rather eclectic mix of programs, but it's the substitutes that may flummox some. LibreOffice or Abiword are nowhere to be seen; instead they’re replaced by Google Web Office, aka GWoffice. Firefox is a no-show for Google Chromium, Gmail assumes email duties, Guayadeque substitutes for the usual music players, and Gnome-MPlayer is there to play other media that Guayadeque won't or can't. Games are non-existent, as is Wine. Other programs include Dropbox (nice addition), Ice (a custom browser I'll delve into later), Transmission, Google Reader, and Google Calendar. Those desiring to add additional programs will find Software Center and Synaptic Package Manager. Photo and image techies are in for a treat. There are three custom designed web applications tailored for the manipulators in us all – Editor by Pixlr, Express by Pixlr, and pixlr-o-matic. Without getting overly elaborate, let's say you should have enough with these to keep your image hacking satisfied. Although it's tough to describe them in great detail here, I'll just say they are all well designed and rival just about anything the software managers offer. At this point it should be evident that some of these programs are definitely Cloud oriented, especially the office and image suites. As stated before, Peppermint took a cue from the Chromebook, but didn't go quite as far as that design. The Chrome OS used for those laptops is almost exclusively Cloud based, and no Internet or cellular connection means you've got a serious problem; however, Peppermint developers opted for a hybrid design – some of the programs are Cloud based, but users can add all the standard HDD based programs they desire.

However, Chrome OS and Peppermint differ greatly in their approach. The Chrome OS utilizes (obviously) the Google Chrome browser. It acts as a gateway for the included programs (such as Google Docs), and also acts as the desktop. If, for some reason, you cripple Chrome, then you've also crippled the computer. What makes Peppermint unique is Ice, their SSB (site specific browser) that acts as a middle-man or conduit for certain programs. Without being too geeky about it, Ice works by piggybacking the Chromium browser. For example, opening GWoffice (Google Docs by any other name) opens Ice in a separate window. You're online at Google Docs but what you see is in a window separate from Chromium. If you check your program manager, you'll notice no entry for Ice but you will see multiple Chromium entries, if you already had Chromium open. And what if you close Chromium while Ice is working? Nothing will happen and Ice will keep on working since it can still go through Chromium even if it is closed. In theory, even if Chromium crashes or freezes, it shouldn't adversely impact Ice (I never got to test that since Chromium wouldn't cooperate by crashing for me). But here is where it does get geeky. Although Ice may work independently of Chromium, it still relies on it and, therefore, you can't uninstall Chromium. Go ahead and install Firefox, Midori, Konqueror, or any other browser you like, but Chromium must stay or your online programs may not work. Although it may sound a little buggy, it really isn't, and the whole affair works surprisingly well as long as you have a strong Internet connection. This became readily apparent when I tested live mode at my local library, a place notorious for its mediocre wireless signal that slows to a crawl if more than 20 computer users show up. Already crippled by running Peppermint off my optical drive, the weak wireless signal eventually made most of the Cloud programs unstable and useless. This is exactly what happened with a Chromebook I tested for an acquaintance a few months ago. That person was piggybacking off a weak wireless signal and couldn't figure out why it wouldn't work. Fortunately, Peppermint has an out. Whereas Chromebooks often come with puny flash drives and an OS that makes adding programs a chore, Peppermint can be installed on nearly every computer, and has the capability of adding any program currently found in Software Center or Synaptic Package Manager.

As one might expect, Peppermint shines on the performance front. RAM (with 4GB) generally idled around 10% and rarely ventured above 15%, while my dual-core CPU usage hovered below 10%. Overstressed this isn't. Sluggish opening programs like Gimp and LibreOffice snap to attention quickly, and web-based offerings are just as quick (provided your connection is good). This is the main selling point of LXDE and Lubuntu. The real (and shocking) difference was in battery life. With Ubuntu 12.04 Unity, I averaged 2.5 to 3 hours on my laptop, but Peppermint's average was nearly 4 hours. That is a substantial improvement and not one easily brushed off. There was one failure, though. Guayadeque (the music player) just refused to cooperate and kept telling me my system lacked the proper mp3 drivers. However, Gnome-MPlayer and other music players I tried had no such problem. No matter what I added or tweaked, it wouldn't work, and I eventually had to uninstall it. Weird thing is, this program is one of the highest rated in Software Center for the audio category so it could just be a quirk. Peppermint was very stable in general operation with just one system freeze – which I'll blame on Mint's Update Manager since it was in the middle of operations when it gave up the ghost and locked me out (but recovered on reboot). I've had this happen in Mint and other Ubuntu variants that used the Update Manager, so I won't blame it on Peppermint’s developers.

Overall, I'd rate Peppermint as a good beginner's introduction to Ubuntu based variants, especially users defecting from limited tablets or previous Cloud experiences that didn't pan out. However, more experienced users may find it a little light (although starting from scratch and adding what you want isn't always bad – Ubuntu has made a living off of that). As a final grade, I'd give Peppermint Three 3½ out of 5. As an installed system, it's great, but, in live mode or areas where Internet connectivity is an issue, the Cloud based programs can be a bear to live with.