5 Reasons Ubuntu Cinnamon Is Better Than Other Ubuntu Versions

Ubuntu Cinnamon became an official Ubuntu release in 2023. It gives you Ubuntu but with the Cinnamon desktop environment instead of GNOME.

Cinnamon isn't exactly the most groundbreaking interface, but not every Linux user wants to pursue something new and innovative. There are many reasons to choose Ubuntu Cinnamon over other Ubuntu versions.

1. Cinnamon looks a lot like Windows

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Cinnamon has what many consider a traditional user interface. It's the desktop model that Windows has used for decades. There's a taskbar at the bottom, a menu at the bottom left to launch apps, and a system tray on the bottom right next to the clock.

You can create folders on the desktop or spread files across the screen or use the area to store application icons. The layout is so familiar that computer users without technical expertise might not realize they're running anything other than Windows (at least until the software is installed). And many tech-savvy people still appreciate that they get the benefits of Linux without having to completely change the way they use their computers.

2. Cinnamon is minimalistic but modern

Cinnamon is a smaller project than the GNOME and KDE versions of Ubuntu, but it's not the only option in this respect. Xubuntu's Desktop Xfce and Lubuntu's LXQt are also lightweight, which is the kind of Linux distribution you can run on an Intel Atom processor. Ubuntu MATE is similarly light on system resources. So why use Cinnamon?

Xubuntu and Lubuntu can both look like desktops from bygone eras. Despite the stable updates, it's nothing particularly different from a decade or two ago.

Likewise, MATE is a conservation effort to preserve the desktop experience, Gnome 2, which was left behind after the release of Gnome 3 in 2011. Therefore, part of MATE's point of view is unchanged. Newbies may not remember Gnome 2, but long-time users want things to remain largely the same.

Cinnamon doesn't lead the way in terms of innovation, but it still has some modern flourishes. Its themes, icons and other design touches are suitable for a desktop that tries not to look completely outdated.

3. Desktop does not change often

If you switch from Windows to Ubuntu Cinnamon, you don't need to change your workflow much. The same is true if you move from one version of Cinnamon to the next. Cinnamon is a relatively conservative desktop interface, meaning that many things have not changed or changed not much.

If you last used Cinnamon 10 years ago, things will largely remain as you remember, even if the theme seems a bit newer.

This is less likely to happen with regular Ubuntu. While the core model remains consistent, GNOME frequently tweaks or completely improves part of the user interface. Canonical does its best to minimize these changes, creating a consistent and predictable experience for Ubuntu users, which is part of the reason the Ubuntu desktop can feel dated to those looking for something new.

If GNOME changes too much, Plasma is too complicated, and you don't want something out of date like Xubuntu or Lubuntu, Cinnamon might be the choice you're looking for.

4. The interface is pretty cohesive

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The default Ubuntu can be like a collection of extensions. Canonical contributes by providing safe and reliable software with updated drivers and security patches. But the team's design efforts mostly consist of maintaining GNOME-modified extensions, themes, and icon sets.

Cinnamon is its own complete desktop. Although based on old GNOME technologies, it has been an independent project for many years. While Cinnamon doesn't come with its own tailored suite of applications, you can at least expect the desktop interface to look like a cohesive whole.

You may even find Cinnamon looks more cohesive than the other versions. Plasma has a design team, but there are so many moving parts that it's hard to get everything right. KDE also has a huge software portfolio with a huge codebase supported, so there's a lot that still hasn't received modern design updates.

5. Gnome doesn't have GNOME shell

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Many people love GNOME applications but are not fans of the default GNOME interface. After all, Dash to Dock is one of the most popular GNOME extensions. But if you don't want to mess around with extensions, you can try Ubuntu Cinnamon instead.

Ubuntu Cinnamon comes with many of the same GNOME applications you would use on the standard version of Ubuntu. Other things are also easy to install on Ubuntu Cinnamon because the app store is the same. The experience certain GNOME extensions give you isn't all that different from Cinnamon, so why not go with an interface that requires less system resources? It will be faster, even on powerful hardware.

Apart from themes, application selection is the main difference between Ubuntu Cinnamon and Linux Mint.

Marvin Fry

Update 24 July 2023