And, for apparently the first time, I wonder. Does Linux Mint refer to the plant/ingredient, connecting obviously with Cinnamon desktop, the green theme, and inviting variations called Linux Peppermint and Linux Spearmint? Or does it originate from being Linux, in Mint condition?
Perhaps, we can all pretend it’s the second one, and instead of *I use Mint, btw," our catchphrase can be, “I mint Linux, btw.”
Long story… I was writing articles/tutorials for linuxforums.org for a while and I eventually decided to publish them myself, so I needed a .com and I thought of a name. Mint is cold, it’s short, it’s fresh, it’s easy to type and to remember and in English it even means “cool”, “good condition”, “perfect” etc… I also liked the way Linux was associated with the poles, the penguins, the ice… the way a pristine kernel was called “vanilla”… and so Mint was kind of close to all of that. Great name, no particular meaning… just a series of nice subjective associations I guess.
Clem do you like Mint?
It’s my favorite non-alcoholic drink. If you ever go to Paris on a sunny day do order a “Diabolo Menthe” :wink:
I also love the smell of Mint and the flavor (especially with lamb)
And, for apparently the first time, I wonder. Does Linux Mint refer to the plant/ingredient, connecting obviously with Cinnamon desktop, the green theme, and inviting variations called Linux Peppermint and Linux Spearmint? Or does it originate from being Linux, in Mint condition?
Perhaps, we can all pretend it’s the second one, and instead of *I use Mint, btw," our catchphrase can be, “I mint Linux, btw.”
Your comment made me curious and I tried looking for an answer. I found this forum post from 2008 asking basically the same thing. https://forums.linuxmint.com/viewtopic.php?t=17953
The founder Clem answered:
Thanks for doing the research!
Pretty sure I’ve seen the mint leaf used before and the color green is used in the logo and theming.