I've avoided trying out alternative Linux distributions over the last year because I'd never get any work done if I was constantly tempted to migrate over to a new desktop environment or platform. In particular, I've avoided Linux Mint, a dependable distribution that I've supported for the last seven years. When news of MATE and Cinnamon came on the heels of the initial versions of Gnome 3 and Unity, I tried both and was impressed but hesitant. MATE, as expected, was nothing new and though Cinnamon held a lot of promise I settled on lightweight LXDE and modern KDE as my desktop choices instead.
After spending the last six months working extensively with Windows 8 and juggling my MacOSX and Windows 7 workstations, I needed a break. I heard that developments for Cinnamon were coming in fast and furious and since it's the holiday season, it seemed apt to try a little bit of Linux Mint with a dash of Cinnamon.
The Bottomline? Exceptional and highly recommended.
I have no issues with Windows 8's highly controversial Start screen. I made peace with my irrational dislike of Gnome 3's suffocating shell and Unity's screen estate grabbing Launcher and amazingly inefficient Dash. This generation may very well prefer touch-friendly and smartphone-like desktop interfaces, but I'm a traditional desktop user through and through (with a classic ALT+F2 command window thrown in). I've had enough of OSX's Launchpad and wince at the sight of the Dock. It's with this mindset that I downloaded Linux Mint and burned a LiveCD so I can get the full experience of a rejuvenated Cinnamon release.
After booting up to a Live desktop on my Lenovo Ideapad Z360, I ran Linux Mint+Cinnamon through its paces. The end result was a ridiculous urge to switch from KDE to Cinnamon permanently. Cinnamon doesn't try to imitate Windows 7 and (thankfully) MacOSX. There are shades of Gnome 2 and XFCE thrown in, but it doesn't pretend to be as lightweight as LXDE. As a fan of lightweight desktop environments, it's surprisingly a good thing. Although the DVD-ROM drive churned quite a bit as I ran Linux Mint, I never felt any lag except when I ran the bundled Mozilla Firefox.
I'll take liberties with the names of Cinnamon's screen features since they haven't received as much press as Unity, but the primary areas that are impressive are the Linux Mint menu and the Panel's default notification tray. Both are functional without being clunky. They look slick without being pretentious. As a quick example, the shutdown, standby, and lock buttons appear on the menu's quick access panel by default. In comparison, you'd have to click Windows+I in Windows 8 to even get the option while Ubuntu Unity's Dash is absolutely useless for shutting down the system. I suddenly realized that although the KDE Kickoff menu was sophisticated and professional, it wasn't nearly as practical as Cinnamon's implementation. Moreover, the Linux Mint Cinnamon menu was certainly more impressive than LXDE and XFCE's somewhat simple list of applications.
The notification tray gets some serious functionality in Cinnamon. Traditional tasks such as disconnecting devices and desktop messages from the notification tray are standard in openSUSE, Windows, and Ubuntu, but Cinnamon adds customization and troubleshooting options. When openSUSE's KDE 4.x came out, the system tray was slick as butter but didn't have features such as Looking Glass and quick access to Applets, Themes, and an option to lock or unlock the Panel for editing. Now, all Linux distributions can have this feature just by adding a package or two but Linux Mint Cinnamon includes it as default - a welcome and functional addition too.
Now, I know it may not seem like a big deal to have quick access to Themes, Applets, and Panels from the notification tray. I certainly don't use any of the above in my Lubuntu system. But having the options accessible reminds you that you have the choice to make your desktop look better. openSUSE KDE, admittedly one my favorite desktop environments, suffers from overloaded widgets and applets that I never use. Cinnamon wisely focuses on themes and panel settings instead - customizations that don't bog your system's performance.
Linux Mint 14 Review: Mint with a Touch of Cinnamon Part 2 - Cinnamon vs. LXDE, Unity, KDE, Windows 7/8, and MacOSX
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