MINT Operating System

Mint surfing the web with Netsurf with CT63/CTPCI ATI combo.

MiNT (standing for Mint Is Now TOS) is a lean multitasking Operating System for TOS computers derived from MultiTOS, which was distributed by Atari Corporation with the Falcons. MiNT runs on ST to the latest ColdFire, but a high-end machine is required for best performance. Modern variations of MiNT are the primary operating system for high TOS clones or accelerated Atari machines

Current development

MiNT continues as Open Source and being developed by a bunch of Atari enthusiast.

FreeMINT

To distinguish between the MiNT which Atari distribute, this updated MINT is distributed as FreeMINT. Current public release of FreeMINT is version 1.18 (Jan 2017). There are controlled release versions 1.19 available from the daily build repository.

SpareMINT

SpareMINT is a RPM based FreeMint distribution. This gives MINT many UNIX like capabilities including Apache Webserver, Samba, FTP and many more excellent UNIX ports. It was created in the late 90s early 2000s but sadly has not seen a lot of updates since then, but is waiting to be revived.

EasyMINT

An simple way to install SpareMint will be to use EasyMint. EasyMiNT is a GEM based installer for MiNT/Sparemint. With EasyMiNT you're only a few mouseclicks away from a real MiNT system. EasyMiNT is for the beginner, who don't want to edit scripts or use cryptic command line tools.

Structure

FreeMint consist of two parts - the multitasking kernel and the AES (Application Environment Services). The AES part can be the internal ROM, the new XaAES (jointly developed by FreeMint developers) or the new MyAES.

Hints

• Some hints on installing EasyMint
• Faster Mint Boot up Make your MINT boot up faster
• Crtl + M restore mouse cursor on screen

External links

• FreeMiNT's project website
• FreeMINT Portal (not updated any more)
• SpareMINT Portal FreeMINT distribution with many UNIX ports.
• EasyMint The SpareMint Installer. (site not there - Jan 2024)
• Mint Installation Guide Documents a manual method of installing MINT plus many trick & tips on running Mint effectively
• MyAes The goal of MyAES is to provide a free, fast, reliable and modern AES for the Atari.
• XaAES is a graphical user interface for FreeMiNT, and is the natural successor to Atari's MultiTOS.
• Wikipedia link

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