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PayPalThe Linux Mint team have given a roadmap update, after previously suggesting they would be looking at longer development times to get things right.
In a new blog post Linux Mint lead Clement Lefebvre noted they've come to a few main decisions for the health of the project overall including:
- Linux Mint will adopt a longer development lifecycle.
- The next release is planned for Christmas 2026.
- Linux Mint will use the same installer as LMDE (i.e. “live-installer”).
There's still quite a few details they need to work out including how long they want their own development cycle to be, if they will freeze minor releases or do some kind of "backported/semi-rolling" and if they will do any Alpha releases. As said by Lefebvre they have a simple mission to "fix bugs and improve the desktop", they want to keep setting the bar higher for each new release. It's all about getting that flexibility they need without rushing decisions.
For the next release, Mint 23 "Alfa" (code-name not final), Lefebvre said it's shaping up nicely with:
- Ubuntu 26.04 LTS as the package base
- Linux kernel 7.0
- Cinnamon 6.7-unstable (including the new Wayland screensaver, which we want to test early rather than later in the cycle)
- CJS 140
- Live-installer (ported from LMDE to replace Ubiquity; supports OEM installations, BIOS/EFI, SecureBoot, and LVM/LUKS)
The installer is currently receiving a lot of attention, and then they'll be moving onto focus on desktops, toolkits, and applications next.
Article taken from GamingOnLinux.com.
About the author - Liam Dawe
I am the owner of GamingOnLinux. After discovering Linux back in the days of Mandrake in 2003, I constantly checked on the progress of Linux until Ubuntu appeared on the scene and it helped me to really love it. You can reach me easily by emailing GamingOnLinux directly.
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7 comments
I really enjoy using Mint because it's stable and very user-friendly, and I also welcome the fact that planning and stability are being prioritised by the developers. Will Mint's extended release cycles have an impact on me as a gamer?
0 Likes
In the context of gaming, I think Linux matured enough, so you don't desperately need all the latest goodies as soon as possible anymore. Although I personally prefer a rolling distribution, I don't see leap distros as outdated on arrival anymore (I mean only for gaming). So slower releases are fine.
5 Likes
Quoting: WanderdueneI really enjoy using Mint because it's stable and very user-friendly, and I also welcome the fact that planning and stability are being prioritised by the developers. Will Mint's extended release cycles have an impact on me as a gamer?Probably not, but I can't be certain.
If you've a bunch a games on your wishlist that currently are badly supported by Linux gaming.
Then it might slow down your timeline when you might be comfortably able to play these games.
3 Likes
Mint is reliable and easy. If they need time, give them time.
And if you are impatient you can use another distribution with bleeding edge Cinnamon or use XanMod kernel, distrobox and flatpaks to have a reliable system and some bleeding edge packages.
Hope they can deliver one of the best LTS ever. 😀
And if you are impatient you can use another distribution with bleeding edge Cinnamon or use XanMod kernel, distrobox and flatpaks to have a reliable system and some bleeding edge packages.
Hope they can deliver one of the best LTS ever. 😀
1 Likes
I just realized this is good news for me.
I maintain a Mint system for somebody else from a large distance.
The more stability, the better.
I maintain a Mint system for somebody else from a large distance.
The more stability, the better.
3 Likes
PlayingOnLinuxphone 5 hours ago
Quoting: WanderdueneWill Mint's extended release cycles have an impact on me as a gamer?Yes and no ... it depends on your use case. Few days ago I helped someone switching to Linux and that person was using a VR headset and a flight simulator controller. For the special controller there is support in mainline kernal since February this year. So without an up to date kernel it does not work out of the box. For VR on the other hand it is better to have the latest drivers. A friend told me it broke more often on Mint than on Arch.
There are indeed reasons to chose Arch over Mint and you may have other special reasons that speak against Mint. Also you will have to wait little bit longer to get newest Mesa improvements as +30% raytracing performance for AMD cards etc. But every year those huge improvements will become less, so you will be affected less in upcoming versions of Mint.
For gaming in general it doesn't matter. Any game that runs on Arch should also run on Mint. If you value the overall user experience in Mint over other distros, it is probably the best option for you, even if you do not have newest drivers. Personally I am on Debian and backport drivers. I am also still waiting for raytracing improvements, but it does not really affect my non raytracing gaming experience (and I cannot even play most games with raytracing anyway).
5 Likes
Caldathras 1 hour ago
Well, two points I can make about it as it relates to myself:
(1) I don't run on the latest and greatest hardware, so most of the benefits that one would look for in a bleeding-edge rolling distro wouldn't be of use to me anyway.
(2) For the most part, I don't play recent AAA games that would depend on me having the latest and greatest hardware. From recent games I do look at, I choose the ones that provide a broader range of hardware support than your typical AAA game manages to do these days. I am content to run on lower resolutions, especially if it will improve the performance of the game.
As a result, Linux Mint meets my needs. A longer release cycle doesn't concern me as it means greater stability and less time spent on troubleshooting O/S upgrades. Thus, more time to play actual games...
(1) I don't run on the latest and greatest hardware, so most of the benefits that one would look for in a bleeding-edge rolling distro wouldn't be of use to me anyway.
(2) For the most part, I don't play recent AAA games that would depend on me having the latest and greatest hardware. From recent games I do look at, I choose the ones that provide a broader range of hardware support than your typical AAA game manages to do these days. I am content to run on lower resolutions, especially if it will improve the performance of the game.
As a result, Linux Mint meets my needs. A longer release cycle doesn't concern me as it means greater stability and less time spent on troubleshooting O/S upgrades. Thus, more time to play actual games...
0 Likes
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