Developer | Clément Lefèbvre, [1] Linux Mint Teams and community [2] |
---|---|
OS family | Linux (Unix-like) |
Working state | Current |
Source model | Open source |
Initial release | 27 August 2006 |
Latest release | |
Repository | www |
Available in | Multilingual [5] |
Update method | |
Package manager | |
Platforms | x86-64 and x86 |
Kernel type | Monolithic (Linux) |
Userland | GNU |
Default user interface | |
License | Mainly GPL and other free software licenses, minor additions of proprietary software |
Official website | www |
Linux Mint is a community-developed Linux distribution. It is based on Ubuntu and designed for x86-64 based computers; another variant is based on Debian which is named Linux Mint Debian Edition (LMDE) and has both 64-bit and IA-32 support. The Linux Mint project started in 2006 and it has since become one of the most popular Linux operating systems for desktop PCs. [7] [8]
It comes bundled with a variety of free and open-source applications. [9] [10] [11] Linux Mint has its own desktop environment, called Cinnamon, [b] although it also offers Xfce and MATE as alternatives by default. [12] The latest release is Linux Mint 22 "Wilma", released on July 25, 2024; as an LTS release, it will be supported until 2029.
Linux Mint began in 2006 with a beta release, 1.0, code-named 'Ada', [13] based on Kubuntu and using its KDE interface. Linux Mint 2.0 'Barbara' was the first version to use Ubuntu as its codebase and its GNOME interface. It had few users until the release of Linux Mint 3.0, 'Cassandra'. [14] [15] Linux Mint 2.0 was based on Ubuntu 6.10,[ citation needed ] using Ubuntu's package repositories and using it as a codebase. It then followed its own codebase, building each release from the previous one, but continuing to use the package repositories of the latest Ubuntu release. This made the two systems' bases almost identical, guaranteeing full compatibility between them, rather than requiring Mint to be a fork.[ citation needed ]
Initially, there were two Linux Mint releases per year, timed to be approximately one month after Ubuntu releases (which in turn are about one month after GNOME releases and two months after X Window System releases). In 2008, Linux Mint adopted the same release cycle as Ubuntu and dropped its minor version number before releasing version 5 'Elyssa', and every fourth release was labeled a long-term support (LTS) version, [16] indicating that it was supported (with updates) for longer than traditional releases. [17] The same year, in an effort to increase compatibility between the two systems, Linux Mint decided to abandon its codebase and starting with Linux Mint 6 'Felicia' each release was based completely on the latest Ubuntu release, built directly from it, and made available approximately one month after the corresponding Ubuntu release (usually in May or November).[ citation needed ]
In 2010, Linux Mint released Linux Mint Debian Edition (LMDE). Unlike the other Ubuntu-based editions (Ubuntu Mint), LMDE was originally a rolling release based directly on Debian and not tied to Ubuntu packages or its release schedule. [15] It was announced on May 27, 2015, that the Linux Mint team would no longer support the original rolling release version of LMDE after January 1, 2016. [18] LMDE 2 'Betsy' was a long-term support release based on Debian Jessie. [19] When LMDE 2 was released, it was announced that all LMDE users would be automatically upgraded to new versions of MintTools software and new desktop environments before they were released into the main edition of Linux Mint. [20]
In 2014 the successor to 17 Qiana was announced to be 17.1 Rebecca; the development team said that from a technical point of view Linux Mint was no longer tied to the Ubuntu schedule, so it could be released at any time, although the six-month cycle provided rhythm, leading to a late November 2014 target. [21]
On February 20, 2016, the Linux Mint website was breached by unknown hackers who briefly replaced download links for a version of Linux Mint with a modified version containing malware. The hackers also breached the database of the website's user forum. [22] [23] Linux Mint immediately took its server offline and implemented enhanced security configurations for their website and forum. [24]
Beginning with the release of Linux Mint 18 (Sarah), the OEM version, [c] and the No Codecs version [d] was discontinued in order to reduce the number of ISO images that needed to be maintained. [27]
Starting with Linux Mint 20 only 64-bit architecture is supported. [28] [29] This is because Canonical decided to drop 32-bit support from Ubuntu 20.04, which is the base from which Linux Mint 20 is derived. [30] The Debian-based LMDE continues to support 32-bit processors.
Linux Mint primarily uses free and open-source software. Before version 18, some proprietary software, such as device drivers, Adobe Flash Player and codecs for MP3 and DVD-Video playback, were bundled with the OS. [31] [32] [33] Starting with version 18, the installer provides an option to install third-party, proprietary software. [11]
Linux Mint comes bundled with a wide range of application software, including LibreOffice, Firefox, Thunderbird, HexChat, Pidgin, Transmission, and VLC media player. Additional programs can be downloaded using the package manager, adding a PPA, or adding a source to the sources file in the /etc/apt/
directory. Linux Mint allows networking ports to be closed using its firewall, with customized port selection available. The default Linux Mint desktop environments, Cinnamon and MATE, support many languages. [34] [35] Linux Mint can also run many programs designed for Microsoft Windows (such as Microsoft Office), using the Wine compatibility layer.
Linux Mint is available with a number of desktop environments to choose from, including the default Cinnamon desktop, MATE and Xfce. Other desktop environments can be installed via APT, Synaptic, or via the custom Mint Software Manager.
Linux Mint implements Mandatory Access Control with AppArmor to enhance security by default, and restricts the default network-facing processes.
Linux Mint [36] actively develops software for its operating system. Most of the development is done in Python and the source code is available on GitHub. [37]
The Cinnamon desktop environment is a fork of GNOME Shell with Mint Gnome Shell Extensions (MGSE) on top. It was released as an add-on for Linux Mint 12 and has been available as a default desktop environment since Linux Mint 13. [38]
Hypnotix is the IPTV software developed by the Mint team. The first prototype was released in 2020 following positive reaction to the announcement of the team that it could develop an IPTV application. [39]
Linux Mint has multiple editions based on Ubuntu, with various desktop environments available. [12] It also has a Debian-based edition. [43]
As of Linux Mint 13, there are two main editions developed by the core development team and using Ubuntu as a base. One includes Linux Mint's own Cinnamon as the desktop environment while the other uses MATE. There is also a version with the Xfce desktop environment by default. Since the release of version 19 (Tara) in June 2018, the three editions are released simultaneously. [44]
Beginning with the release of Linux Mint 19, the KDE edition was officially discontinued; however, the KDE 17.x and 18.x releases were supported until 2019 and 2021, respectively. [40]
In addition to its regular ISO images, Linux Mint sometimes provides an "edge" ISO image for its latest release. This image ships with newer components such as the kernel to be able to support the most modern hardware chipsets and devices. [45]
The Linux Mint Debian Edition (LMDE) uses Debian Stable as the software source base rather than Ubuntu. [46] LMDE was originally based directly on Debian's Testing branch, but is designed to provide the same functionality and look and feel as the Ubuntu-based editions. [47] LMDE has its own package repositories. [48]
The original LMDE (now often referred to as LMDE 1) had a semi-rolling release development model, which periodically introduced 'Update Packs' (tested snapshots of Debian Testing). [47] Installing an Update Pack allowed the user to keep LMDE 1 current, without having to reinstall the system every six months as with standard Mint. [49] LMDE 2 (a.k.a. Betsy) was in 2015 [50] and is based on Debian Jessie, and received automatic updates to the latest versions of MintTools and the installed desktop environment before they were released into the main Mint edition. [19] [20] LMDE 2 was available with both the MATE and Cinnamon desktop environments. [47] Unlike the Debian version it was based on, LMDE 2 remained based on sysvinit but with a 'functional logind' from systemd. [51] [52]
LMDE 3 (a.k.a. Cindy) completed the switch from sysvinit to systemd. [53] It was based on Debian Stretch, and released in 2018, [54] shipping as a single edition with Cinnamon. [40] The latest version of LMDE, version 6 (Faye), based on Debian Bookworm, [55] was released in 2023. [56]
Individual users and companies using the operating system act as donors, [57] sponsors [58] and partners [59] of the distribution. Linux Mint relies on user feedback to make decisions and orient its development. The official blog often features discussions where users are asked to voice their opinion about the latest features or decisions implemented for upcoming releases. Ideas can be submitted, commented upon and rated by users via the Linux Mint Community Website. [60]
The community of Linux Mint users use Launchpad to participate in the translation of the operating system and in reporting bugs. [61]
Most development is done in Python [ citation needed ] and organized online using GitHub.[ citation needed ]
Linux Mint does not communicate specific release dates as new versions are published 'when ready', meaning that they can be released early when the distribution is ahead of schedule or late when critical bugs are found. [62] New releases are announced, with much other material, on the Linux Mint blog. [63]
Every version of Linux Mint is given a version number and code-named with a feminine first name ending in 'a' and beginning with a letter of the alphabet that increased with every major revision. [15] Version 18 broke from the pattern with the name 'Sarah'. [64]
In 2014, with the release of Linux Mint 17, [65] the team adopted a new release strategy, with all future versions planned to use an LTS version of Ubuntu as a base, until 2016. [66] [67]
In 2016 [68] [ unreliable source? ], the Linux Mint team released the X-Apps, [69] a collection of applications that aims to work across different GTK-based desktop environments such as but not limited to Cinnamon, Budgie, Unity, MATE, and XFCE; most of these applications have a traditional user interface (UI), for example, using a menu bar instead of a header-bar. [70] [71] According to the team, the integration of many applications as tied to specific environments and that was the case of a growing number of GNOME applications.
As of 2024, [update] the Linux Mint team is in the process of transitioning development for X-Apps applications from being part of the Linux Mint development process to being a completely independent project. [72] Most of them are forks of GNOME Core Applications.
In a 2012 online poll at Lifehacker, Linux Mint was voted the second best Linux distribution, after Ubuntu, with almost 16% of the votes. [73] In October 2012 (Issue 162), Linux Format named Linux Mint the best distro for 2012. [74] In May 2013, David Hayward of TechRadar praised Linux Mint for focusing on desktop users. [75] In July 2013 (Issue 128), Linux User & Developer gave Linux Mint 15 "Olivia" a score of 5/5, stating "We haven't found a single problem with the distro... we're more than satisfied with the smooth, user-friendly experience that Linux Mint 15, and Cinnamon 1.8, provides for it to be our main distro for at least another 6 months". [76]
In 2016, reviews of Linux Mint 18 "Sarah" were somewhat mixed, with several that were quite favorable [77] [78] [79] [80] and others critical of several specific new problems, with multiple reviews complaining about the lack of multimedia/codec support by default. [81] [82] Multimedia codecs that had previously been included in the standard Mint distribution were no longer included in "Sarah", but could be loaded with a graphical application that one Ars Technica reviewer said should be obvious for new users. [78]
ZDNet Contributing Editor Steven J. Vaughan-Nichols, reviewing Linux Mint 19 and LM 19.1 in the articles "The Linux Mint desktop continues to lead the rest" in July 2018 [83] and "The better-than-ever Linux desktop" in December 2018, [84] noted Mint's quality, stability, security and user-friendliness compared to other popular distributions. ZDNet's review of Linux Mint 19.2 said: "After looking at many Linux desktops year in and out, Linux Mint is the best of the breed. It's easy to learn (even if you've never used Linux before), powerful, and with its traditional windows, icons, menus, and pointers (WIMP) interface, it's simple to use." [85]
In 2024, Linux Mint 22 was released which received mostly positive reviews. Steven Vaughan-Nichol, senior contributing editor at ZD Net praised Mint's propensity to remain the same in terms of functionality. [86] The Register points the to the fact that unverified Flatpak packages are now off by default and users need to explicitly enable the option to make them visible. This move has reduced the number of packages in Flathub. [87]
Old version, not maintained Old version, still maintained Latest version Latest preview version Future release | ||||||||
Version | Codename | Edition | Codebase | Compatible repository | Desktop environment | Release date | LTS | Support end |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1.0 | Ada | Main | Kubuntu 5.10 (Breezy Badger) | KDE | 27 August 2006 | — | Unknown | |
2.0 | Barbara | Ubuntu 6.10 (Edgy Eft) | GNOME | 13 November 2006 | April 2008 | |||
2.1 | Bea | 20 December 2006 | ||||||
2.2 | Bianca | 20 February 2007 | ||||||
Light | 29 March 2007 | |||||||
KDE CE | Kubuntu 6.10 | KDE | 20 April 2007 | |||||
3.0 | Cassandra | Main | Bianca 2.2 | Ubuntu 7.04 (Feisty Fawn) | GNOME | 30 May 2007 | October 2008 | |
Light | 15 June 2007 | |||||||
KDE CE | Kubuntu 7.04 | KDE | 14 August 2007 | |||||
MiniKDE CE | ||||||||
Xfce CE | Cassandra 3.0 | Xubuntu 7.04 | Xfce | 7 August 2007 | ||||
3.1 | Celena | Main | Bianca 2.2 | Ubuntu 7.04 (Feisty Fawn) | GNOME | 24 September 2007 | October 2008 | |
Light | 1 October 2007 | |||||||
4.0 | Daryna | Main | Celena 3.1 | Ubuntu 7.10 (Gutsy Gibbon) | 15 October 2007 | April 2009 | ||
Light | ||||||||
KDE CE | Cassandra 3.0 | Kubuntu 7.10 | KDE | 3 March 2008 | ||||
5 | Elyssa | Main | Daryna 4.0 | Ubuntu 8.04 (Hardy Heron) | GNOME | 8 June 2008 | Yes | April 2011 |
Light | ||||||||
x64 | Ubuntu 8.04 (Hardy Heron) | 18 October 2008 | ||||||
KDE CE | Daryna 4.0 | Kubuntu 8.04 | KDE | 15 September 2008 | ||||
Xfce CE | Xubuntu 8.04 | Xfce | 8 September 2008 | |||||
Fluxbox CE | Ubuntu 8.04 (Hardy Heron) | Fluxbox | 21 October 2008 | |||||
6 | Felicia | Main | Ubuntu 8.10 (Intrepid Ibex) | GNOME | 15 December 2008 | No | April 2010 | |
Universal (Light) | ||||||||
x64 | 6 February 2009 | |||||||
KDE CE | Elyssa 5 | Kubuntu 8.10 | KDE | 8 April 2009 | ||||
Xfce CE | Xubuntu 8.10 | Xubuntu 8.10 | Xfce | 24 February 2009 | ||||
Fluxbox CE | Ubuntu 8.10 | Fluxbox | 7 April 2009 | |||||
7 | Gloria | Main | Ubuntu 9.04 (Jaunty Jackalope) | GNOME | 26 May 2009 | No | October 2010 | |
Universal (Light) | ||||||||
x64 | 24 June 2009 | |||||||
KDE CE | Kubuntu 9.04 | KDE | 3 August 2009 | |||||
Xfce CE | Xubuntu 9.04 | Xfce | 13 September 2009 | |||||
8 | Helena | Main | Ubuntu 9.10 (Karmic Koala) | GNOME | 28 November 2009 | No | April 2011 | |
Universal (Light) | ||||||||
Gnome x64 | 14 December 2009 | |||||||
KDE | Kubuntu 9.10 | KDE | 6 February 2010 | |||||
KDE x64 | 12 February 2010 | |||||||
Fluxbox | Helena Main | Ubuntu 9.10 (Karmic Koala) | Fluxbox | |||||
Xfce | Xubuntu 9.10 | Xfce | 31 March 2010 | |||||
LXDE | Helena Main | Ubuntu 9.10 (Karmic Koala) | LXDE | |||||
9 | Isadora | Main | Ubuntu 10.04 (Lucid Lynx) | GNOME | 18 May 2010 | Yes | April 2013 | |
Gnome x64 | ||||||||
LXDE | Lubuntu 10.04 | LXDE | 18 July 2010 | |||||
KDE | Kubuntu 10.04 | KDE | 27 July 2010 | |||||
KDE x64 | ||||||||
Xfce | Xubuntu 10.04 | Xfce | 24 August 2010 | |||||
Fluxbox | Lubuntu 10.04 | Fluxbox | 6 September 2010 | |||||
10 | Julia | Main | Ubuntu 10.10 (Maverick Meerkat) | GNOME | 12 November 2010 | No | April 2012 | |
Gnome x64 | ||||||||
KDE | Kubuntu 10.10 | KDE | 23 February 2011 | |||||
KDE x64 | ||||||||
LXDE | Lubuntu 10.10 | LXDE | 16 March 2011 | |||||
11 | Katya | Main | Ubuntu 11.04 (Natty Narwhal) | GNOME | 26 May 2011 | No | October 2012 | |
Gnome x64 | ||||||||
LXDE | Lubuntu 11.04 | LXDE | 16 August 2011 | |||||
12 | Lisa | Main | Ubuntu 11.10 (Oneiric Ocelot) | GNOME 3 with MGSE [e] | 26 November 2011 | No | April 2013 | |
KDE | Kubuntu 11.10 | KDE | 2 February 2012 | |||||
LXDE | Lubuntu 11.10 | LXDE | 9 March 2012 | |||||
13 | Maya | Cinnamon MATE Xfce KDE | Ubuntu 12.04 (Precise Pangolin) | Cinnamon MATE | 23 May 2012 | Yes | April 2017 | |
Xubuntu 12.04 | Xfce | 21 July 2012 | ||||||
Kubuntu 12.04 | KDE | 23 July 2012 | ||||||
14 | Nadia | Ubuntu 12.10 (Quantal Quetzal) | Cinnamon MATE | 20 November 2012 | No | May 2014 | ||
Xubuntu 12.10 | Xfce | 21 December 2012 | ||||||
Kubuntu 12.10 | KDE | 23 December 2012 | ||||||
15 | Olivia | Ubuntu 13.04 (Raring Ringtail) | Cinnamon MATE | 29 May 2013 [88] | No | January 2014 | ||
Xfce | 12 July 2013 [89] | |||||||
KDE | 21 July 2013 [90] | |||||||
16 | Petra | Ubuntu 13.10 (Saucy Salamander) | Cinnamon MATE | 30 November 2013 [91] [92] | No | July 2014 | ||
Xfce KDE | 22 December 2013 | |||||||
17 | Qiana | Ubuntu 14.04 (Trusty Tahr) | Cinnamon MATE | 31 May 2014 | Yes | April 2019 | ||
KDE | 23 June 2014 | |||||||
Xfce | 26 June 2014 | |||||||
17.1 | Rebecca | Cinnamon MATE | 29 November 2014 [21] | |||||
KDE | 8 January 2015 | |||||||
Xfce | 11 January 2015 | |||||||
17.2 | Rafaela | Cinnamon MATE | 30 June 2015 | |||||
KDE Xfce | 7 August 2015 | |||||||
17.3 | Rosa | Cinnamon MATE | 4 December 2015 | |||||
KDE Xfce | 9 January 2016 | |||||||
18 | Sarah | Ubuntu 16.04 (Xenial Xerus) | Cinnamon MATE | 30 June 2016 | Yes | April 2021 | ||
KDE | 9 September 2016 | |||||||
Xfce | 2 August 2016 | |||||||
18.1 | Serena | Cinnamon MATE | 4 January 2017 | |||||
KDE Xfce | 27 January 2017 | |||||||
18.2 | Sonya | Cinnamon MATE KDE Xfce | 2 July 2017 | |||||
18.3 | Sylvia | Cinnamon MATE | 27 November 2017 | |||||
KDE Xfce | 15 December 2017 | |||||||
19 | Tara [93] | Cinnamon MATE Xfce | Ubuntu 18.04 LTS (Bionic Beaver) | Cinnamon MATE Xfce | 29 June 2018 | Yes | April 2023 | |
19.1 | Tessa [94] | 19 December 2018 | ||||||
19.2 | Tina | 2 August 2019 | ||||||
19.3 | Tricia | 15 December 2019 | ||||||
20 | Ulyana [95] | Ubuntu 20.04 LTS (Focal Fossa) Supports only amd64 (64-bit) | 27 June 2020 | Yes | April 2025 | |||
20.1 | Ulyssa [96] | 8 January 2021 | ||||||
20.2 | Uma [97] | 8 July 2021 | ||||||
20.3 | Una [98] | 7 January 2022 | ||||||
21 | Vanessa [99] | Ubuntu 22.04 LTS (Jammy Jellyfish) Supports only amd64 (64-bit) | 31 July 2022 | Yes | April 2027 | |||
21.1 | Vera [100] | 20 December 2022 | ||||||
21.2 | Victoria [101] | 16 July 2023 | ||||||
21.3 | Virginia [102] | 12 January 2024 | ||||||
22 | Wilma [103] | Ubuntu 24.04 LTS (Noble Numbat) Supports only amd64 (64-bit) | 25 July 2024 | Yes | June 2029 [104] |
Old version, not maintained Old version, still maintained Latest version Latest preview version Future release | ||||||||
Version | Codename | ISO edition [f] | Debian base | Desktop environment | Release date | Support end | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | — | 201403 | Wheezy (Debian 7.0) | Cinnamon MATE Supports both amd64 and i386 | 2 March 2014 [105] | 1 January 2017 [106] | ||
2 | Betsy | 201603 | Jessie (Debian 8.0) | 10 April 2016 [107] | 1 January 2019 [108] | |||
201701 | 13 March 2017 [109] | |||||||
3 | Cindy | 201808 | Stretch (Debian 9.0) [110] | Cinnamon Supports both amd64 and i386 | 31 August 2018 [111] | 1 July 2020 [112] | ||
4 | Debbie | — | Buster (Debian 10.0) [113] [114] | 20 March 2020 [115] | August 2022 [116] | |||
5 | Elsie [98] | — | Bullseye (Debian 11.0) [117] | 20 March 2022 [118] | 1 July 2024 [119] | |||
6 | Faye [120] | — | Bookworm (Debian 12.0) | 27 September 2023 [121] | TBA |
Manufacturers can pre-install Linux Mint on their computers using the OEM installation images.
LMDE 3 will reach EOL (End-Of-Life) on July 1st 2020.
Debian, also known as Debian GNU/Linux, is a free and open source Linux distribution, developed by the Debian Project, which was established by Ian Murdock in August 1993. Debian is the basis for many other distributions, such as Ubuntu, Linux Mint, Tails, Proxmox, Kali Linux, Pardus, TrueNAS SCALE, and Astra Linux.
A Linux distribution is an operating system that includes the Linux kernel for its kernel functionality. Although the name does not imply product distribution per se, a distro, if distributed on its own, is often obtained via a website intended specifically for the purpose. Distros have been designed for a wide variety of systems ranging from personal computers to servers and from embedded devices to supercomputers.
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A light-weight Linux distribution a Linux distribution that uses lower memory and processor-speed requirements than a more "feature-rich" Linux distribution. The lower demands on hardware ideally result in a more responsive machine, and allow devices with fewer system resources to be used productively. The lower memory and processor-speed requirements are achieved by avoiding software bloat, i.e. by leaving out features that are perceived to have little or no practical use or advantage, or for which there is no or low demand.
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