Linux Mint Debian 201109 Released

Linux Mint can be a bit difficult to keep up with these days. One is based on Ubuntu, another on Debian. The newest Debian-based version comes with GNOME or Xfce while the Ubuntu-based counterpart is available in GNOME or LXDE. 32- and 64-bit versions are available for both. Today brought a new release: Linux Mint 201109 Debian (GNOME & Xfce).

Mint 201109 Debian boasts all the same features as Ubuntu Mint (released in May 2011). The installer has received some improvements in things like the keyboard variants, locale, bug fixes, and UUID in fstab. Support has been added for Update Packs with a custom Update Manager and staged repositories for it. Also new this release is GTK2/GTK3 theme compatibility and fresh-squeezed software. Some of the known issues are a lack of boot splash, broken PDF printer, a few packages still not ported, and minor cosmetics issues in GRUB.

Mint Debian is considered a rolling release and the introduction of Update Packs was in effort to stem any negative effects from updating from Debian Testing, such as catastrophic breakage. The Update Packs are collections of Debian updates that have been run and tested for a short period of time before being sent to Mint's Debian Latest. It's a safety measure for users that prefer to avoid risky updates.

Linux Mint 201109 Debian Xfce, Update and Software Manager

The live DVD ships with some decent starter software such as LibreOffice, the GIMP, Firefox, and several music and video players. This is almost irrelevant as Mint offers a vast selection of additional software and is compatible with upstream codebases.

I've mentioned before how much respect and admiration I have for the Mint project. They offer an amazing product with lots of added value. They listen to their users and code their fingers to the bone.   They also run their project with what appears to be complete transparency. My only question is: where's the KDE version!?

See the announcement for download information.