An anarchist’s practical guide to Linux Mint

Practical autonomy begins with your tools. The machine on your desk should serve you, not a corporation. Linux Mint offers a path to reclaim that relationship.

The tools we use should serve us, not the other way around.

The Clean Break

Dual-booting keeps the old chains within reach. A clean installation is a declaration of independence. Back up your files, install Mint, copy them into your home folder—a space that is entirely yours. The applications you thought were irreplaceable are increasingly available through the browser anyway. You are not losing access; you are gaining control.

Making It Work

Linux handles text beautifully, but the world runs on Microsoft standards. Install the core fonts with one terminal command. For macOS typefaces, a Git repository places them at your fingertips. Visual consistency without the telemetry.

For office work, ONLYOFFICE offers polished compatibility with Word and Excel. WPS Office provides a familiar ribbon layout. LibreOffice is the gold standard for privacy and open formats.

Firefox and Thunderbird come preinstalled—tools that respect your autonomy from the first boot.

Creative Freedom

The myth of open source sacrifice is dead. GIMP for photo editing, Inkscape for vector graphics, Krita for digital painting, Kdenlive for video—all professional-grade, all free in the deeper sense: owned by communities, not corporations.

The Ecosystem

Linux Mint comes with Flatpak and Flathub pre-configured. No terminal required—open the Software Manager, search, install with a click. A vast catalog of applications at your fingertips.

Drivers are rarely an issue. Most printers just work. Hardware drivers are baked into the Linux kernel. That old laptop deemed “too old” for Windows 11 will likely fly on Mint. Planned obsolescence ends here.

Gaming has transformed. Steam’s Proton runs nearly the entire library. Lutris and Heroic open up other platforms. Performance is often better without Windows’ background bloat.

Installation

Download the ISO from linuxmint.com and verify its checksum. Use BalenaEtcher to flash it onto a USB stick. Boot from the USB, select “Start Linux Mint,” and test the live system. When ready, double-click “Install Linux Mint,” follow the prompts, choose “Erase disk and install,” enable encryption, create your user. Restart, remove the USB. You are free.

After Installation

Log in. Open the Software Manager. Install what you need. Your machine is now truly yours—filled with tools you own, not rent.

Where to Go Next

Explore AlternativeTo.net for proprietary alternatives, Flathub.org for applications, ProtonDB.com for game compatibility. But the most important step is already taken: you have reclaimed your machine.

⚑ No gods, no masters, no EULAs ⚑