Linux Mint introduces Cinnamon 6.4 with a redesigned default appearance

The lead developer of the Linux Mint project, Clement Lefebvre, has shared an update regarding the progress made in August and the future plans for the project. The key points are as follows:

Visual Improvements in Cinnamon 6.4

Recognizing the longstanding issue with the visual appeal of the Cinnamon desktop environment beyond the boundaries of Linux Mint, the team has decided to unveil a significantly improved default theme with the upcoming Cinnamon 6.4 release.

This step is part of a broader strategy to ensure an aesthetically pleasing interface across various distributions. Many distributions tend to overlook their themes, leaving Cinnamon with default configurations that, let’s be honest, are not the most attractive.

Sunsetting of LMDE 5

LMDE (Linux Mint Debian Edition) 5 “Elsie” was released on March 20, 2022, and officially reached the end of its life on July 1 this year. Consequently, it will no longer receive any further updates. Users are strongly advised to upgrade to LMDE 6 “Faye” to access ongoing support and the latest features.

If you’re uncertain about the upgrade process, don’t fret; we are here to assist you. Follow our comprehensive guide, “How to Transition from LMDE 5 to LMDE 6,” to navigate through the upgrade effortlessly.

Modernizing APT Tools and Libraries

A significant initiative in the forthcoming Mint 22.1 release involves a complete revamp of the APT dependencies to enhance and simplify the essential tools and libraries crucial for the operating system.

This entails consolidating outdated utilities like GDebi and apturl into a unified application titled Captain, and transforming aptdaemon into a library known as Aptkit.

These modifications aim to eradicate minor but persistent issues from prior releases, refining the functionality and dependability of Mint’s package management system.

Enhanced Server Infrastructure

Thanks to the generosity of the community donations and continuous support, the Mint project has successfully upgraded its repository servers. These servers now offer a bandwidth capacity of 10gbps, a tenfold enhancement compared to their previous capability.

This upgrade has effectively removed bottlenecks during substantial updates, particularly noticeable during the simultaneous updating of large packages like Firefox or Chromium. These enhancements ensure users receive prompt updates without any delays, thus enriching the overall user experience.

Surmounting Upgrade Hurdles

The transition from Mint 21.3 to 22 presented challenges due to package conflicts arising from upstream alterations in Ubuntu 24.04, specifically concerning the Samba and LibreOffice packages.

These challenges were intricately linked to the broader transition of Debian unstable packages being frozen for the Ubuntu release, compounded by the delayed release of Ubuntu 24.04 to address a critical concern known as the XZ backdoor.

The Mint team has been diligently working to resolve these conflicts and has rigorously retested the upgrade pathway multiple times since their last update. Clem has confirmed that the upgrade pathway is now operational and underscores the importance of creating system snapshots and backing up data before initiating upgrades.

For more intricate insights, refer to the Linux Mint Project’s detailed report on August.