i have been using ubuntu 12.04 for quite sometime and was happy until i decided to upgrade to 12.10 which IMO does not match even upto 12.04.. I like gnome and its intuitiveness, so was looking for another linux distro when linux Mint came to my mind. I have been reading on it and came to know that LM is based on Ubuntu.
My question is, if LM is based on Ubuntu, does that mean I get to use any or all of the ubuntu packages on LMint also? Or are there any restrictions imposed by LM on the packages?
Also, would I be able to use the Ubuntu Software Center on Linux Mint? I see they have a different software center, which to me looks like a form of Synaptic Package Manager. I kind of like Ubuntu's SC.
Please also guide me to get the key difference, from a packages point of view, between these two distros. I use Ubuntu for programming so LAMP, sublime text, etc.. are required, then i use Lightread for RSS, etc. I would like to have these in Linux Mint also.
Thanks!