Suggestions to Improve Linux Mint: Screenshot Tool, Wine Integration, Gaming, UI, Disk Management, and Networking

[ericsoudin]

1️⃣ Screenshot Tool Improvement

Add the ability to send the capture directly to the clipboard (like on Windows) to quickly paste it into a chat or document.

Integrate more features:

Timed capture (delay)

Shape selection (rectangle, window, full screen)

Ability to capture an entire page

Annotation tools immediately after the capture

2️⃣ Simplified Wine Integration

Include Wine by default in the installation.

Allow right-clicking on a .exe file to have the option Open with Wine or Install with Wine automatically, without using the command line.

Take inspiration from Zorin OS for this simplicity.

3️⃣ Gaming Optimization

Improve the integration of Proton, Lutris, and other gaming tools.

Highlight game compatibility right from the installation, while maintaining the stability of the distribution.

4️⃣ Interface and Right-Click Customization

Add more advanced customization options so that the interface can resemble Windows 11 or Zorin OS via a simple setting.

Improve the desktop right-click context menu to make it more complete and practical (direct personalization options, quick file management, etc.).

5️⃣ Simplified Disk Management

Detect and automatically mount internal/external drives at startup, without manual commands or third-party software.

Do not automatically display mounted drives on the desktop, but ensure they are immediately accessible in the file manager.

6️⃣ Network and Sharing Improvement

Make it easier to connect to network shares (NAS, Freebox, network drives) directly from the file explorer, like in Windows 11.

Improve compatibility with the SMB protocol and enable automatic detection of devices on the local network.

Thank you for your work and your attention, and congratulations to the entire Linux Mint team for the quality of the distribution!

[Axel-Erfurt]

Include Wine by default in the installation - No, nobody needs that in Mint!

Detect and automatically mount internal/external drives at startup - That is already possible if you want it

[Axel-Erfurt]

I did not say that “no one needs Wine”.
No one needs Mint with preinstalled wine.
There are other that offer that, use one of them.

[Fantu]

More than anything, I would say that we should avoid pushing the use of wine too much. I have seen bad reviews (I don't know if they were made to try to worsen the experience on Linux or just due to the YouTuber's incompetence) of other Ubuntu derivatives with wine pre-installed which made extensive use of installing Windows software despite there also being native ones for Linux, and this is a bad thing because it causes the user to run into more bugs, less integration, and perhaps even greater use of resources.
Using wine can be useful but it needs to be well integrated, perhaps with easy configuration of different prefixes (in many cases necessary) and make sure to inform the user well to use wine only if really necessary and the applications are also native linux use the native versions instead.

[ericsoudin]

Hello,

I can see there’s no point in continuing this discussion.
You remain too closed-minded, holding on to clichés and prejudices, even though other distributions like Zorin OS clearly show that a well-implemented integration of Wine works perfectly fine without the issues you mention.

That’s fine. I will simply move away from Linux Mint to another distribution that is more suitable for new users and, most importantly, less closed-minded.

Have a nice day.

[Fantu]

I'm not saying it shouldn't be done, but I wanted to point this out:
Using wine can be useful but it needs to be well integrated, perhaps with easy configuration of different prefixes (in many cases necessary) and make sure to inform the user well to use wine only if really necessary and the applications are also native linux use the native versions instead.

Because perhaps those who do not have many years of experience as a sysadmin or even just simple assistance to private users cannot realize how harmful it can be for the majority of novice users.
You have to try it yourself to see a novice user who with wine installe by default (probably also on a single prefix), a lot of Windows software that almost everything could do without, and has many problems and a terrible experience, while on the other hand seeing similar users who perhaps have difficulties and complain but manage to achieve excellent results with only native software and who, after some time, find themselves so comfortable and with fewer problems than with Windows that no longer use Windows (I usually left in dual boot). While there have been rare cases in which I have then installed (with any settings and adjustments) some rare Windows software with Wine where it was really needed.

[cplittlfield]

Saying that “no one needs Wine” is too categorical and, frankly, a bit selfish. Speaking on behalf of all users without actually asking them ignores the fact that part of the community genuinely needs it.

Speaking on behalf of users for whom Wine messes up their systems, I would agree that it should not come pre-installed on Linux Mint. If you are having trouble installing Wine on your system, then that should tell you something about how tricky using Wine can be. If you can come up with code for Wine that doesn't break anyone's systems and that runs all Windows apps flawlessly, then I will personally go visit Clem and make him install Wine on Linux Mint by default. 😄

Please try to listen to the voices of experience, before feeling personally shut down. No one is attacking you personally; people are just pointing out reasons that your idea isn't right for the situation.

[JosephMcc]

#7: If you want it to be just like Windows or Zorin OS, why not just use one of those? There's nothing wrong with that.

[ericsoudin]

I understand your point about Linux Mint focusing on stability and a consistent user experience.
However, suggesting that users who need Wine should simply “install it themselves” overlooks the fact that many newcomers to Linux are not yet comfortable with the terminal or package management.

One of the main reasons people hesitate to leave Windows is the fear of losing access to essential software.
If Wine were included by default — even in a lightweight, ready-to-use form — it would remove a major barrier and make Linux Mint far more accessible to a wider audience.

Other distributions have successfully integrated Wine without sacrificing stability. Adding it as a default tool wouldn’t compromise Mint’s philosophy, but rather reinforce its reputation as the most beginner-friendly Linux distribution.

[cplittlfield]

One of the main reasons people hesitate to leave Windows is the fear of losing access to essential software.

And one of the main reasons people don't want Wine installed by default is that it can mess up people's systems.

Does this make sense at all to you? I don't know why I couldn't get Wine to work on my computer, but it wouldn't, and that was after lots of attempts to get things working, and with lots of help from knowledgeable people on the Mint forums. Since I am a fairly tech-savvy person, it was merely a protracted frustration and inconvenience, but I pity the newbie who goes through what I went through with Wine.

Once installed, Wine is difficult to purge from a system. I finally had to restore my system by completely re-installing Linux Mint from my live session thumb drive.

[ericsoudin]

Et du coup vous partez du principe que vous avez des soucis donc tout le monde en aura toute façon vous êtes égoïste je dirais toujours vous voulez faire genre qu'on est open source mais quand on fait des propositions qui peut aider la communauté même s'il y a quelques petits soucis un peu à droite et à gauche qui peut être résolu vous avez préféré plus rendre la vie compliquée toute façon vous êtes même pas capable de faire un système Linux mint qui est plutôt très stable qui a pas de bug

Sans que tous les 40 secondes il y a beaucoup de fonctionnalités qui manquent vous êtes même pas capable de venir l'améliorer même zorin os vous assure passé au niveau des pilotes nvidia non mais là quand même faut le faire et vous tournez tous sur la même structure une Ubuntu vous avez même pas ajouter les PPA et vous venez faire des morales de leçons en disant ça et ça c'est pas compatible ou c'est ça peut être très instable bah heureusement qu'il y a vraiment des alternatives qui existent à part vous hein parce que franchement j'étais le premier à recommander aux gens Linux mint mais là je crois que je vais vous fuir

[cplittlfield]

Je n'ai que cité un seul exemple des types de problêmes qui peuvent troubler un utilisateur nouveau. Le fait que c'était mon propre expérience n'est pas le point. Wine, c'est notamment dificil à installer y utiliser. C'est clair que vous ne comprenez point ce que vous suggérez.

Allez-en, s'il est votre plaisir. J'ai essayé d'expliquer mon point de vue aussi simplement que possible. Si cela donne offense, c'est la vie.

[ericsoudin]

Désolé je suis pas du tout d'accord avec vous j'ai utilisé énormément de dispro Linux Windows Mac OS Android j'en ai ici je sais même pas combien wine sur zorin os fonctionne merveilleusement bien je l'ai essayé tout à l'heure encore une fois j'avais rien à coder rien à installer supplémentaire tout s'est fait automatique et pourtant le système il est ultra stable c'est juste que Linux mint c'est pas un bon système vous êtes enfermé comme microsoft.

Tester le et vous allez voir ce que je dis n'est pas une bêtise mais même ça vous allez pas avouer qu'il est très stable