r/linux • u/Two-Of-Nine • 16h ago

Distro News Linux Mint abandoning point releases, will switch to yearly release cycle with release of Mint 27 for December.

https://blog.linuxmint.com/?p=5086
191 Upvotes

96% Upvoted

24 comments sorted by

44

u/No_Neighborhood_8896 16h ago

Will it ensure updates between versions to be perfect? Or will we see what we see with Zorin and others where every release will almost surely require a new install?

6

u/KnowZeroX 14h ago

I've upgraded a Mint pc from like version 17 up to 22 with little issues. The only pc I've ever had upgrade issues was on PPAs. Of course to be fair, I don't upgrade same day it comes out and wait a few months or a year so likely all the problems were long addressed.

8

u/friendlyreminder_ 3h ago

They're lengthening the update time from 6 months to 1 year.

It'll also still be based on Ubuntu LTS so the underlying distro doesn't change between updates until they switch LTS releases, like they're doing this December with switching to 24.04 to 26.04.

Their updates are still mostly just Cinnamon packages added to Ubuntu LTS. The only significant updates are the ones where the LTS version changes.

2

u/petrujenac 13h ago

Remember: only rolling releases beak. Something with "unstable too".

31

u/0riginal-Syn 16h ago

Honestly, it makes sense for them. The base is Ubuntu already, and this gives them time to focus on their Xapps and Cinnamon, which beyond the Flatpak vs Snap are their main difference makers. The point releases of the base Ubuntu LTS will be the main thing to keep up with, but that can be done without point releases themselves. They tend to lag behind Ubuntu anyway on major LTS version releases anyway. This won't change that much, beyond some perception.

8

u/KnowZeroX 14h ago

Point releases were effectively Cinnamon and xapps updates and recently kernel updates but now they moved that out.

As for the ubuntu point releases, its just packaged updates you get anyways when you run software manager

3

u/0riginal-Syn 13h ago

Yep, that is why I do not see this as a big change for the end users of Mint. If you come from a rolling or faster updating distro, it would be a big change, but for a distro like Mint, not so much.

I do not say this as a bad thing as it all depends on what the user base wants. For what Mint is and the target user, it works perfectly.

15

u/novafunc 15h ago

It's nice to see the release number is now based on the year.

5

u/mok000 8h ago

Clem writes Mint 27 will be based on Ubuntu 26.04. I wonder what version Mint 28 will be based on? Ubuntu 27.04 will not be an LTS release, so will it also be based on Ubuntu 26.04, and only incorporate modifications to Cinnamon and Xapps? Or perhaps Mint will switch to Debian Testing as the base for annual updates?

3

u/TheRealMisterd 8h ago

The real questions

2

u/0riginal-Syn 4h ago

Likely 26.04 still which is how they have handled it to date. I do not see them moving to Debian Testing.

1

u/friendlyreminder_ 3h ago

It won't be based on Ubuntu 27.04 as that's not an LTS release. It'll still be Ubuntu 26.04. Ubuntu releases an LTS every 2 years in line with Debian. Mint has never used a non-LTS release as far as I'm aware.

4

u/[deleted] 16h ago

[deleted]

-1

u/SirGlass 16h ago

Meanwhile, running on an outdated Stable Ubuntu base,

Fixed it, that is a feature not a bug. If you want to have a fairly up-to-date distro MINT is not the distro for you its a stable distro

3

u/jknvv13 11h ago

Using old versions of packages ≠ Stable.

Run Linux Mint on newer hardware causes a lot of problems.

No new firmware packages, wireless, scheduler, power, etc.

4

u/shroddy 10h ago

And do not forget the missing security updates...

3

u/Mopeybloke 8h ago

LOL. They're moving away from Gnome Calendar.

Anyway, happy for that and for them.

9

u/MrNegativ1ty 16h ago

Is mint Wayland still unstable for day to day or is it good to use now

23

u/C0rn3j 15h ago

It is still not released.

5

u/Dramatic_Mastodon_93 10h ago

lmao that's crazy

4

u/AmarildoJr 7h ago

Send patches. Otherwise it's not crazy for a team of a couple handful of devs to not have it ready yet.

•

u/Dramatic_Mastodon_93 55m ago

I’m not the one recommending Mint to every single beginner out there. 

-3

u/LinuxMint1964 5h ago

Gnome and KDE don't have that problem.

3

u/Emotional_Solid6538 5h ago

Bigger teams and Gnome have corporate funding

3

u/0riginal-Syn 4h ago

Big difference in Team from a few full-time devs and maybe 10-20 regular contributors vs dozens of full-time paid devs and hundreds of active contributors for each Gnome and KDE. Not to mention the sheer amount of funding Gnome and KDE get along with corporate backing. I don't even use Mint or Cinnamon, but I respect what they do. Especially as a core team member of a smaller distro.

14

u/novafunc 15h ago

It's no longer considered experimental in the next release, 27.

3

u/Cagliari77 16h ago

When you say unstable, what was happening exactly? Drivers not working etc. after updates or something else?

7

u/novafunc 15h ago

It's marked experimental in 22 and is just actually incomplete.

1

u/Big-Report3344 10h ago

they just pushed a pretty big wayland update to the experimental session a few weeks ago but it's still missing some features

0

u/LinuxMint1964 5h ago

About time to be honest to go by the year. Still though many years and still no stable Wayland, and honestly with the support team Mint has, no excuse for this.

2

u/0riginal-Syn 4h ago

Support team Mint has? They have a small team relative to other distros. Granted part of that is offset by shared codebase with Ubuntu, but it is small. Especially on the Cinnamon side where they are having to build something more specific since it is the upstream.