Linux Mint just made the terminal easier to ignore than ever
Linux Mint just made the terminal easier to ignore than ever
https://www.makeuseof.com/linux-mint-made-terminal-easier-to-ignore/
Publish Date: 2026-01-30 17:00:00
Source Domain: www.makeuseof.com
“Just use Linux” isn’t helpful advice, but Linux Mint’s latest update might change that for many people. Linux Mint 22.3 Zena is on a mission to make the terminal optional, and honestly, they’re nailing it.
For years, the biggest barriers to Linux adoption have been the terminal. Over time, Linux distros like Debian and Mint have taken it upon themselves to simplify and create user interfaces that don’t force the use of terminals. With Zena, Linux Mint takes that philosophy further than ever.
Small changes, but they remove friction that normal users always hit
The headline feature in Zena is a pair of brand-new system utilities that handle tasks you’d previously need the terminal for.
First up is the revamped System Information tool. It’s the Linux Mint equivalent of Windows’ Device Manager or third-party tools like CPU-Z. It’s not just a cosmetic upgrade of the old System Reports tool either; it now includes dedicated sections for USB devices, GPU information, PCI components, and BIOS details.
This makes troubleshooting hardware issues on Linux much easier. Previously, it meant knowing which terminal commands to run. Now, you can just open the System Information tool and see everything laid out in clean, clickable tabs.
The second new addition is the System Administration tool. It’s fairly basic at the moment—lets you configure GRUB boot menu settings through a GUI. This lets you adjust boot timeout, hide the boot menu entirely, or add kernel boot parameters without manually editing /etc/default/grub in a test editor.
For most users, editing GRUB was always a technical challenge, despite the actual simplicity of the task. Now, it’s just checkboxes and dropdown menus.
On top of that, the tool is still in development. The boot menu section is just the beginning. If the developers follow the roadmap of distros like MX Linux, we could see features like boot…
