Purveyors of historic issues of
Linux Format
may be able to correct this, but as far as our research can tell, the first mention of Linux Mint in our magazine came in the Distrowatch column of LXF094, when Mint 2.2 was released.
Even back then Mint was notable for its out of the box experience, bundling codecs, Java and Flash plug-ins and wireless firmware, saving users from having to shoehorn those on there using fragile instructions from a random forum post.
That experience remains central to Mint, and though wireless hardware is well supported on most distros (and no one needs Flash any more), it still shines. Right from the Welcome screen in fact, which will invite you to set up backups using Timeshift, switch keyboard layouts, or send and receive files from another machine using Warpinator. Oh and there are minimise buttons on windows in Cinnamon –a trend fast disappearing on other desktops, but one which makes many a user feel at home.