LMDE 201204
I’d like to thank all the people who tested the RC release and sent us feedback. We identified 68 bugs in this release and we’re currently down to 19 bugs left.
Amongst the bugs that were fixed, some affected the way we build our ISO images and the ability for the CD or USB stick to properly boot on computers which mount order changes during the boot sequence. Consequently, the final release of LMDE 201204 and future releases of Linux Mint should work on more configurations and systems where they previously failed to boot.
GDM3 also went under review during this RC release. Its lack of configuration and the fact that users couldn’t select their language were identified as important regressions. A discussion is ongoing within the MATE project at the moment to decide whether GDM2 should be forked by MATE or simply re-packaged within Linux Mint, and whether the codebase for it should be version 2.20 (which is feature-rich, graphically configurable and theme-able) or 2.32 (which provides a better interface). We’re also considering replacing GDM3 in LMDE and Linux Mint 13.
Linux Mint 13
Linux Mint 13 will be named “Maya” and should be available at the end of May 2012.
The codename was chosen a long time ago, after my daughter’s name who was named Maya in reference to:
In India, people might also know “Maya” as the “Illusion“.
Note: The choice for this codename has nothing to do with the Mayan Calendar or the notorious cataclysmic interpretations for 2012 (by then we’ll be looking at Linux Mint 14 and a different codename).
Linux Mint 13 should feature separate editions for MATE and Cinnamon. Whether one of these and which of these two editions will be considered the “default” wasn’t decided yet.
Upcoming partnerships
CompuLab
Since December 2011, we’ve been working on a close partnership with CompuLab.
The manufacturer produces a unique computer unit called the fitPC3, which comes pre-installed with a custom-made version of Linux Mint 12 featuring MATE 1.2 and XBMC.
Linux Mint and CompuLab are working together on improving this system and providing the unit with a great operating system. CompuLab also help Linux Mint by sharing a margin of their sales on an upcoming model called the “mintBox” (which will be a branded version of the FitPC3 with a Linux Mint logo) and by providing our development team with computer units and equipment.
We’re delighted with our relationship with CompuLab and with the units they produce. We’ll post a review of the “mintBox” and announce it as soon as it becomes available.
Yahoo
Yahoo is joining the list of search engines installed by default and participating in sharing revenue with Linux Mint, after an agreement was signed with DDC for the following regions: USA, Canada, Germany, UK, Ireland, France, Spain and Italy.
The Yahoo search engine will be the default engine in LMDE and could become the default in Linux Mint 13 (depending on ongoing talks with Google).
The partnership with DuckDuckGo will continue going forward and both search engines will be installed by default.
Other partnerships
Partnerships are also being discussed with Google and ThinkPenguin at the moment.
Linux Mint 10 reached “End Of Life”
Linux Mint 10 reached “end of life”. The release is likely to continue to work for a few years, but it isn’t officially supported anymore and won’t receive any more updates.
Linux Mint 11 will be supported until October 2012.
Linux Mint 9 and Linux Mint 12 will be supported until April 2013.
The upcoming Linux Mint 13 will be supported until April 2017.
