I need advice. I'm trying a copy of Mint and
want to move my apps from Ubuntu to Mint.
1. I do not have internet access. (Believe it or not) so any use of aptget or
re-install is out.
2. I've been told to burn usr, bin, sbin folders and copy to the Mint.
Anyone offer a clear description of app storage locations and moving them
between distros?

I appreciate the info but perhaps I need to explain my situation better. When I
was running Ubuntu I had internet connection and installed several packages from
the repository(s),such as Abiword, Gambas and others, that I would like to have
available in the new Mint installation. I need to know where apps are stored, if
I can simply copy them over, or if there is another way...
I have an Ubuntu partition and a Mint partition on one drive, but I really want
to move my apps from the Ubuntu to a different Mint only drive.

If you haven't cleared the apt cache (by doing a sudo apt-get clean, for
instance) then the downloaded package debs are stored in
/var/cache/apt/archive (on 10.04, at least). You should be able to copy
them over and run them on your Mint system, but be aware that there may
be unsatisfied dependencies which could cause problems.

If, however, you have cleared the cache, then this is going to prove
very problematic as the package will have installed its files all over
the place. You can go into Synaptic, right click on an installed
package and, under properties, get a list of all the installed files and
where they were installed. You could use this information to transfer
the package over, but I wouldn't recommend it unless you're a true
masochist.

Most of the installation binaries (.deb files) are in
/var/cache/apt/archives. Some may be in /home/Downloads if you downloaded
them outside of the repositories. Do a search for ".deb" to find them all.

Look into aptoncd. It is in the repos and it allows you to backup your deb
files to CD and then after Mint is installed you can simply install them
from CD.

It may sound obvious but here is my take. repositories are labled based
on release or distro for a reason. (dependencies).

I have mint on one of my machines and to be honest, I don't like it. By
no means am I saying don't try it, you may like it a bunch.

I tried Kbuntu about 6mos ago and today give me KDE any day. They say
you can run most KDE applications in the Gnome desktop but I don't see
it. Many of the applications don't run quite as well if one is made for
one desktop it runs best in that desktop. I am sure the same goes for
porting to a different distro but can't guarantee that statement. Try
Mint and then add what you will after you are sure you like it. I would
devote some hard drive to Mint and make sure when installing it under
advanced you don't install the grub with the installer unless you don't
want to be able to remove it without learning how.

It is my experience that KDE apps run well with Gnome and vice versa.
Running Lubuntu ,Gnome and KDE apps run equally well.

It can depend on the application. Most work fine, but sometimes they look
ugly and do not integrate well with other parts. Sometimes it can lead to
big problems. Try running Nautilus in KDE and you will see what I mean.

I guess I am not savy enough to even know what is being discussed here. I can't
locate any .deb files on my Ubuntu partition. APTONCD will run in Mint but I
can't seem to get anything to actually go into the "queue" to be burnt to CD. I
like the look of both Ubuntu and Mint and don't know KDE from GNOME......I guess
as in everything else I am not viable if not constantly attached to the
internet. Rural lifestyle is attractive unless you want to be up to date.

I'm no expert either but the .deb files are there in your distro. They
are well hidden, but look for them in /var/cache/apt/archives. Unless
you have deleted the installation files, either accidentally or on
purpose that's where they are always stored. I checked my Mint machine
and they are in the same place there and I'm sure in Ubuntu and
Kubuntu. They aren't "hidden" so you should be able to see them
easily.