Linux Mint 14 Almost Ready

Linux Mint 14 is nearing final with the announcement of its release candidate yesterday. Available in 32 and 64-bit with your choice of MATE or Cinnamon, this release "comes with updated software and brings refinements and new features to make your desktop even more comfortable to use."

Version 14 is based on Ubuntu 12.10 and ships with Linux 3.5, GCC 4.7.2, and Xorg X Server 1.13.0. The new features list includes items such as the upgrade to MATE 1.4 which "not only strengthens the quality and stability of the desktop but it goes beyond GNOME 2 by fixing bugs which were in GNOME 2 for years and by providing new features which were previously missing."

Cinnamon has reached version 1.6 and is said to be more stable than its predecessors. In addition, 1.6 features a new window Quick-List, a Notification Applet, and "the Alt-Tab window switcher is now configurable." Cinnamon now comes decked out with its very own file manager. Nemo is an improved Nautilus and is said to offer "a lot of new features." It goes without saying that Mint 14 (RC) ships with lots of new artwork, including a new icon theme, and it is said that GTK3 apps look positively native.

The Software Manager got its share of attention for this release too. "It no longer uses aptdaemon (which was responsible for crashing or freezing the application under certain conditions) but its very own apt client. It now also come with full debconf support so you no longer need to use Synaptic for debconf enabled packages (such as the Microsoft Fonts, or Wine)." It also now runs as root, so it will no longer ask for your password at every install and the list of applications updates after install or removal to reflect the changes.

The Mint team has recently decided to abandon the effort to keep images small enough for the 700MB CDs, so folks will need DVD or USB. For those testing the release candidate, 32-bit applications won't install until the workaround is applied. This little bug will be fixed in the final, of course.

See the release announcement for a full list of download mirrors and torrent location. The notes offer a few more tidbits and the full What's New lists all the newest changes.