Linux Mint Differences

Linux Mint is built on Ubuntu, so everything in the previous lessons works: apt, sudo, ufw, systemctl, /etc/passwd, chmod, all of it. What's different is the desktop and where the graphical tools live. This page is the translation table.

CyberPatriot Mint images use the MATE desktop. Mint also ships Cinnamon and Xfce editions; the menus are laid out a little differently but the tool names are the same.

Desktop and menu

The menu is in the bottom-left corner, like the Windows Start button. Terminal is in the menu under Accessories, or right-click the desktop → Open in Terminal. Ctrl+Alt+T works too.

The graphical text editor is xed, not gedit:

sudo xed /etc/login.defs

Control Center

Mint has no Settings app in the Ubuntu sense. Instead: Menu → Control Center (on the left side of the menu). It's closer to the Windows Control Panel, with icons for each tool. The Administration section of the menu lists the security-relevant ones directly.

Task	Ubuntu	Mint (MATE)
Manage accounts	Settings → Users	Control Center → Users and Groups
Set a password	Settings → Users → Password	Users and Groups → select user → Change next to Password → Set password by hand
Updates	Software Updater	Control Center → Update Manager
Update settings	Software & Updates	Update Manager → Edit → Preferences (Options and Automation tabs)
Software sources	Software & Updates → tabs	Update Manager → Edit → Software Sources
Firewall GUI	Firewall Configuration (gufw)	Same. Install with sudo apt install gufw.
Text editor	gedit	xed

Users and Groups also has a Manage Groups button for group membership, including the sudo group.

Update Manager

Open it from Control Center. It lists available updates with checkboxes, all selected by default. Click Install Updates and authenticate. It may ask to update itself first; let it.

Edit → Preferences → Options sets how often to check. Automation turns on automatic installs. Edit → Software Sources controls which repositories you trust, same idea as Ubuntu's Software & Updates tabs.

Root has no password

Mint, like Ubuntu, leaves the root account with no password. su to root fails; sudo -i works using your own password. Don't set a root password unless the README asks for it.

Commands are the same

Everything from the earlier lessons:

sudo ufw enable
sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade
systemctl list-unit-files --type=service
sudo groupadd astronomical
sudo gpasswd -a ggalilei astronomical
getent group astronomical
sudo groupdel cybernetics
groups nsoong
chmod o-r hello2.txt
sudo chown alice file.txt
sudo chgrp staff file.txt

Try it

On a Mint image:

1. Open Control Center and find Users and Groups. List the accounts.
2. Open Update Manager and check the Preferences tabs.
3. Install gufw from the terminal, open Firewall Configuration, and turn the firewall on. Then confirm from the terminal with sudo ufw status.
4. Add users ggalilei and csagan to a new astronomical group and verify with getent.

Next

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