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Linux Mint 20.3 'Una' gets a Beta release

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For those of you who love the taste, Linux Mint has a new Beta version available for testing the next major release. Linux Mint 20.3 'Una' is available with multiple desktop environments. With the ability to download with Cinnamon, MATE and Xfce out of the box, there's plenty to like about it.

Pictured - Linux Mint 20.3 'Una' Cinnamon Edition

The look and feel of Linux Mint has been tweaked with this release to have larger titlebar buttons, rounded corners and an overall "cleaner" theme with better dark mode support. Accent colouring to grab your attention in places was also adjusted, and removed from some places. There's also the ability for some applications to have a dark theme while the desktop keeps its lighter theme. Only a few applications currently support this mixed theming.

Other changes include:

  • Searching in the Sticky Notes app.
  • A new Document Manager called Thingy.
  • Hypnotix IPTV player gained a search feature.
  • Multi-calendar events support in the Cinnamon Calendar.
  • Workspace switcher applet: Option to disable scrolling.
  • Notification applet: Option to hide the counter.
  • Window list applet: Option to remove labels.
  • Xreader PDF reader received better support for manga.

With this release you're getting Kernel 5.4, a packaging base of Ubuntu 20.04, Flatpak 1.12, linux-firmware 1.187 and depending on what edition you go for there's Cinnamon 5.2, MATE 1.26 and Xfce 4.16.

Once stable and released proper, Linux Mint 20.3 will be supported until 2025.

The announcements can be seen on the Mint Blog.

Article taken from GamingOnLinux.com.
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Purple Library Guy Dec 15, 2021
So they're going to windows with rounded corners. That's nice, I've always rather liked windows with rounded corners. Partly because the tendency for computer stuff to want to look all sharp and technological just because it's computer stuff makes me weary. I never liked Swedish Modern in furniture, I don't see why I should have to look at it all day on my screen. Partly because windows with rounded corners make it easier for me to tell whether my window is maximized properly or if it's actually going off the edge of the screen a bit or something--like, when the corners are square I can't tell if that's actually the corner of the window there at the corner of the screen.
slaapliedje Dec 16, 2021
Quoting: CatKiller
QuoteWith this release you're getting Kernel 5.4, a packaging base of Ubuntu 20.04
That seems really weird. Most Ubuntu 20.04 users are going to be on 5.11 already because of Hardware Enablement. If you're going to go through the effort to make a new downstream release based on that, why wouldn't you pick up the newer supported kernel from upstream?
I kind of thought Mint stopped using the Ubuntu kernel some time back because Ubuntu had done something that no one agreed with (can't recall the details) so they offer the Ubuntu kernels, but install their own?

But that would be my guess of why they are using 5.4. Too many people concentrate on what version of the kernel the distribution uses without realizing how much the distributions patch qnd change their ker els to support new hardware, and tweak features. It is not a 1:1 to kernel.org.
tuubi Dec 16, 2021
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Quoting: slaapliedje
Quoting: CatKiller
QuoteWith this release you're getting Kernel 5.4, a packaging base of Ubuntu 20.04
That seems really weird. Most Ubuntu 20.04 users are going to be on 5.11 already because of Hardware Enablement. If you're going to go through the effort to make a new downstream release based on that, why wouldn't you pick up the newer supported kernel from upstream?
I kind of thought Mint stopped using the Ubuntu kernel some time back because Ubuntu had done something that no one agreed with (can't recall the details) so they offer the Ubuntu kernels, but install their own?
No, they're Ubuntu kernels still.
emphy Dec 17, 2021
Quoting: CatKiller
QuoteWith this release you're getting Kernel 5.4, a packaging base of Ubuntu 20.04
That seems really weird. Most Ubuntu 20.04 users are going to be on 5.11 already because of Hardware Enablement. If you're going to go through the effort to make a new downstream release based on that, why wouldn't you pick up the newer supported kernel from upstream?

That kernel has been causing quite a few annoyances on my xubuntu install, from touchpad drivers stopping to function up to an 10sec shutdown time increase.

I've been able to fix everything, but it's adding up to the annoyances (snap, slow software manager, sleep problems, etc) the more recent so-called lts release has been adding on a system what was doing fine in 18.04. Funnily enough, linux mint, based on the same ubuntu version, has none of those problems.


Last edited by emphy on 17 December 2021 at 8:52 am UTC
14 Dec 17, 2021
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If it wasn't for the AUR, the kids' computers would be on Mint. It feels great. I used to run it on my own main rig years ago. But I'm the tinkering type who keeps a computer as a pet, so I needed to break out into a rolling distro.
slaapliedje Dec 17, 2021
Quoting: emphy
Quoting: CatKiller
QuoteWith this release you're getting Kernel 5.4, a packaging base of Ubuntu 20.04
That seems really weird. Most Ubuntu 20.04 users are going to be on 5.11 already because of Hardware Enablement. If you're going to go through the effort to make a new downstream release based on that, why wouldn't you pick up the newer supported kernel from upstream?

That kernel has been causing quite a few annoyances on my xubuntu install, from touchpad drivers stopping to function up to an 10sec shutdown time increase.

I've been able to fix everything, but it's adding up to the annoyances (snap, slow software manager, sleep problems, etc) the more recent so-called lts release has been adding on a system what was doing fine in 18.04. Funnily enough, linux mint, based on the same ubuntu version, has none of those problems.
Well, could be worse... Ordered a System76 Pangolin. Booted it up, and it came with Pop_OS! 21.04 (21.10 came out while it was in transit). Well the initial setup prompted for a username and password... and the keyboard didn't work. The only key I could get to do anything was Fn+F2, which would turn off the LCD...

Hooked up a USB keyboard to type that in, then after a reboot it worked fine. Very odd!

But I think 21.04 came with 5.15. Updated to 21.10, and I think it still uses 5.15.
tuubi Dec 17, 2021
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Quoting: slaapliedjeBut I think 21.04 came with 5.15. Updated to 21.10, and I think it still uses 5.15.
Linux 5.15 is the current stable kernel release and it only came out on the 31st of October. 21.04 had Linux 5.11 according to distrowatch.
slaapliedje Dec 17, 2021
Quoting: tuubi
Quoting: slaapliedjeBut I think 21.04 came with 5.15. Updated to 21.10, and I think it still uses 5.15.
Linux 5.15 is the current stable kernel release and it only came out on the 31st of October. 21.04 had Linux 5.11 according to distrowatch.
I'm guessing they had a new image installed when it shipped. But it definitely had 5.15.
tuubi Jan 8, 2022
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Mint 20.3 is out of beta now, in case someone is waiting for it.
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