Windows Wannabe on a Linux Kernel
Pros: Custom packages make everything feel integrated
Cons: Anything not integrated doesn't feel welcome, and the general feel was too similar to Windows
I've tried two different versions of this on two different machines. I tried the LXDE x64 version on an Athlon 64 x2 with 2 GB of ram, and it was so slow that I uninstalled it in favour of Debian. I recently installed the Debian Edition on my main rig. The installer can't install across two or more disks, so I was forced to install to my SSD, then partition and configure a /home partition on my HDD manually. After I changed mirrors to avoid the ridiculously slow download times provided by their main server, and downloaded the slew of updates, I started using the OS for my daily routines as I would Windows. I found that the packages provided by the repos were integrated nicely, but if I strayed to outside software, it didn't fit with the rest of the system. Also, having three monitors + SLI, installing nVidia drivers was a pain. I prefer the last Ubuntu release I used (11.04 + GNOME 3) to Mint, because it felt more like a Linux system, and not like a Windows clone based on a Linux kernel. I wouldn't use the OS again, but I would recommend it to someone wanting something easy to use, without paying for Windows.
) and, to me, Mint is stunning. The defualt theme is Mint-Z which uses a silveryish gray with shades of transparency for eye candy. It's not overdone and looks clean yet modern.