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It’s been a little more than two weeks and you’re probably wondering where exactly is the stable release of Linux Mint 6 Felicia.

I was away for two weeks in Florida (great country by the way, I had never been to the US before) and I only got back last week. Then something came up and we got an opportunity to move closer to where our house will be built in the future, so I’m now moving house and I’m looking at between 1 and 2 weeks without an Internet connection…

Of course this is all a bit personal but as you may know Linux Mint isn’t maintained by a company hiring paid full-time employees, it’s still something the team does in their spare time and as you can see it can get impacted by personal events.

We’re now in December and Linux Mint traditionally release in the end of November, so although we don’t stick to a fixed schedule we’re considering ourselves a bit late. Having said that I’ve already started analysing the feedback the community gave since the release of RC1 and it looks like the quality of the RC release was very good. It’s missing Wubi support and there probably will be a few bug fixes between RC1 and the stable release but I’m confident both release will be quite similar and there’s still a possibility RC1 users might not need to upgrade (in other words, if most changes affect the CD itself, RC1 could be considered fit for usage).

Until I get broadband again, I’ll be setting up a temporary office for myself where I can work on Linux Mint and I can be connected to the Internet. Hopefully that will be enough to wrap things up for Linux Mint 6 and maybe even to develop the upgrade tool we mentioned before.

At home I received new equipment, a new desktop, some KVM switches and a 24″ screen for the sole purpose of working on both Main and x64 editions at the same time. Due to the trip to Florida and now to moving houses I’m not only getting late in releasing Mint 6, I’m also missing an opportunity to release Main and x64 editions at the same time, but don’t be mistaken, this is still my ambition and I’m confident both architectures will receive the same level of attention.

Another piece of good news is that we’ve worked hard before I left and a lot of people continued to work hard while I was away… so things should be moving fast in the months coming. I’ve seen the team upload a few CE ISOs and I don’t know if you remember my call for setting up a podcast team a few weeks back? Well someone stepped up and a team formed around him. Our new podcast is called “mintCast”, hosted by Charles Olsen and the very first episode is ready to be downloaded right here: http://www.mintcast.org/

Again I would like to apologize for the delay and the lack of news. Things happened quite fast and both this trip and moving to a new house were actually decided at the last minute. It had to happen in November and of course this was the worst timing ever for me and for Linux Mint 6.

Note: I might not answer emails for a little while as my number #1 priority is to get to a stable release for Mint 6. Things should get back to normal in about 2 weeks… πŸ˜‰ I’ll keep everyone posted as to how things go.

Edit #1: All the furnitures are in place, the phone line is working and the DSL ordered. It’ll be another 10 days before broadband is ready but I got a 3G dongle so I can connect to the net in the meantime. It’s not ideal, but it means I can start working again. I catalogued all the bugs the community reported and I’m now in the process of reproducing/fixing them.

85 comments

  1. Thanks for the update, the community was really beginning to wonder what had happened. I think you’ve done a great job with RC1… I’m sure we can be content with it for a few more weeks. I know it would be nice to get a final verdict, but as this is managed entirely by you, we really can’t complain. Keep up the good work and try to keep us posted.
    Thanks!

  2. It’s alright. I understand. Moving isn’t ever fun. I have been through several moves, and working two jobs, you haven’t much time to do anything. I try to help out in the Mint community, but it’s hard with a family also. Thanks for your hard work Clem!

  3. Thanks Clem, for all your hard work and dedication to mint. I’m glad you enjoyed your time in Florida… I enjoyed my time in Europe tremendously always exciting to visit another country. I Hope the KDE version will be also soon to follow the main release and I hope it will have 4.2 in it πŸ™‚

    Again thanks!!!! Clem and Team for the most awesome Linux Ever πŸ™‚

  4. No Problem Clem, we all will be happy when the Final Felicia is released. But I know how many Stress it is to move in a new house, so take you time. (I think only regular LITTLE news about the progress will be very welcome)

  5. welcome back clem πŸ™‚ i donot envy you with the house move i have just did that myself….family and life comes first my friend..

  6. Thank You for Your work Clem, I’m glad that Linux Mint is made by people such as You. I’m waiting for the x64 version, and few weeks waiting won’t change a thing for me. Thank You once again.

  7. I’m felicitously if you finishing Mint 6 but family first πŸ™‚ and happy guys are better programmers I think.
    Mint is a private initiative and so everybody should understanding and wait patiently for this nice super distro’. And for all they are not to be able – Take the RC1! Runs fast and stable (afaik). You do it great Clem – Thank you and the other guys.

  8. Clem, I like mintBackup and all, but what about a tool like this in it’s place: http://www.le-web.org/back-in-time/, it is more or less like MAC’s timeclock feature, allowing a user to go back in time on his/her’s profile. This would be a nifty feature to incorporate. I will look to see if there is a thread also for Feicia for suggestions on the forums. Thanks again for the hard work!

  9. i understand the holiday season is always stressful for anyone. and adding a move and traveling is stressful as well. I’m willing to wait 3 to 4 months for the final release of 6. rushing things is never good and i’d rather see a good solid release than a mess of crap put together quickly. and with mint 5 being so great and i have no complants really about the mint 5 im excited to see mint 6 out but i do say lets not rush it. clem get to it whenever.

  10. Clem well i’m happy for that you have finally been to the US, one country you should consider visiting is South Africa in 2010. Ok, good for u man. Hope everyone will be patient. Love mint 6 and can’t wait for the stable release whenever it is available for download. Thanks Clem and the Mint team. Gr8t work! Inkomu vakulukumba!!!

  11. i love mint 6,I have RC1 installed in my system already and works just fine 4 me. could anyone brief me on how to format a memory stick. thanks Clem and Linux MINT FELICIA TEAM. 8)

  12. Take your time, we have all the time in the world, this RC1 is already a nice present, family first.

    All the best…

  13. I’ve been using Felicia RC for already 2 weeks and haven’t met a single bug so far. I’m perfectly happy with it as it is. It seems wonderfully stable. Take your time for the final release ;). I miss the old apt-get option in mintInstall though. It might seem worthless for some but for me it was a nice little tool. Could you find a place somwhere in the new version? Thanks and welcome back.

  14. Dannie Swaim said it first.
    We can be patient.
    Quality is what counts.
    First and foremost for family, then…
    Good luck.
    Fragus

  15. Thanks for what you’re doing, mate. We can wait as long as it takes you to get settled.
    You’re doing a great job

  16. Started with Mint 4 on my daughters computer because this was the only distro that would connect to my wireless router. I am typing this on a Dell Inspiron 1200 with a 1.3 gigahertz celeron processor and 1.5 gigs of ram. Mint 5 installed without a hitch. Great Work!!!!! I am looking forward to Mint 6 final verison.

  17. Well from where i sit you guys are doing one hell of a job. The last release of Mint was fantastic and i only had to fiddle around a bit to get one printer working. I have converted all of my internal systems to run mint ( even on the laptop that was not linux friendly LOL). I look forward to the new release but this one still far exceeds my needs so I can wait and wish you all the best in the coming weeks. ( PS windows gets to run in a box because I still require Front page , now if any one has a good solution for that , I am all Ears)

  18. yeah, family forever:) I’ve got one question, maybe the answer is in this page, but I’ve just woken up. The final, 6th version can be installed with wubi?

  19. Clem, look after yourself and your family. You only get one go with your kids. They are gone before you know it.

    As for LM6; I can wait. Don’t rush it as bad press won’t be worth it. Get it right, I say.

    All the best.

    John

  20. Hey Clem,

    I am a brand new user of Linux, and chose Mint due to it’s eyecandy. But there are so many other awesome features! I briefly tried SUSE, but it just can’t stand up to Mint, despite being part of a company! You guys do the best job. The new features in Felicia are great, and will really help new users like me who miss a firewall. I agree with “aechols aka dasunsrule32” though, an equivalent of System Restore would be great! I am a 14 year old in Australia, and you have inspired me to develop for Linux later in my life, but with exams, I don’t have much time. I do promote Mint to classmates, though. Keep up the amazing work!

    Regards,

    Evan Taylor

  21. while we’re waiting.. i say dont rush it.. we dont mind the wait if it means more stability and better features.

    i wish you all the best Clem πŸ™‚

    take care

  22. Thanks for the news, Clem! Family is priority, without saying! We will patiently wait for the new RC or, possibly, stable release))

    All the best, Clem, and thanks again for the great distro! I am switch to it several PCs, all my friends looks happy with MINT) Moreover, as I see, MINT is much easy for most of them than XP and other linux distros. They were really impressed)))

  23. RC1 is good enough. NO HURRY! Family first of all! Have a nice time! Mind your back during the moving in process. πŸ™‚

  24. Glad you enjoyed Florida. Lived there for several years before moving to the Philippines for retirement. As another poster said, place your family first. LM is such a joy to use,upgrades seem a little far-fetched. Patiently waiting for Mint 6.

  25. Hello Clem,
    I’ve installed MINT recently and insta loved it. To make it more user friendly why can’t you put scripts which automates some task. Lets say for example:
    I’ve connected USB drive and message was something like: Drive hasnt been unmounted properly but if you still want to mount it you have to force it with -f option… and then i had to write command in terminal to force it. Why can’t you just write a script for it and give user an option to execute it with one mouse click ;).

  26. Honestly, take your time. Im more than satisfied with Linux Mint 5 and RC1 on my lenovo s10. Family first has always been my motto and Im pretty sure the Mint community feels the same way.

  27. Clem,
    Welcome to America! Florida is good and warm, so I hope you got some good rest and I know the kids loved it. Next time come up to Georgia, and I will show you some pretty sites!!!!Thanks for the newest Mint. I love it, love it. Trying to get my wife to put it on her laptop, but she is afraid (says it would be hard to change over to). She doesn’t know how cool and easy Mint is. Favorite new item-Giver. Great idea to include it.

    Good luck with the moving thing-that isn’t as easy as Mint πŸ™‚

  28. Clem,
    Welcome and always welcome to our country! Its great that you are spending good family time! Just wanted to say thanks to you and the community for producing one of the best alternatives to Mac and Ms. I have been using Linux for about 5 yrs, but with Elyssa Ubuntu 8.04, it has been an honor and thrill to show off in front of other techies:) I look forward to 6.0!

    Don’t stop with Florida – spend more time over here in the USA and visit all of the Linux groups – we would love to meet you!

    Thanks again for all your hard work,

    Sy1

  29. oh !!!!!!!!
    We can’t wait upto two week that release mint 6 !
    very intense in anticipant The end two week subsist
    realley the mint very very good distribution of linux
    thanks

  30. Clement,

    The circumstances are perfectly understandable. You’ve got to look out for yourself and those you love. But I long for the day when Mint utilizes KDE 4 and 64-bit processing in one distro! πŸ™‚

  31. Un par de semanas mΓ‘s por un excelente sistema? Creo que podemos esperar! He bajado y probado su RC1 y estΓ‘ genial.

    Buen trabajo!

  32. Thanks for the update. I’ll be quite happy to have Mint 6 whenever it might be finished and ready for us non-testers. As others have commented, no need to rush, better to have it right than right now. That said, is there a goal for an approximate release date we can look forward to?

    And what is the upgrade tool you’ve been mentioning? Will it be something that makes it easier to upgrade from Mint 5 to Mint 6, or from 6 to future versions? Either way, I’ll be happy to have it when it is done.

  33. In My Opinion Mint6rc1 is already better than many other formal releases and so is already my main distro, performing well and shaping up be ‘the free Linux breakthrough’ so please don’t rush getting it better for more public release. So far, you and the team have got your priorities right, so please don’t respond to pressures and blow it !
    RC1 is already dynamite in my book and it’s difficult to pick any one feature that has achieved this, but there’s no denying that the new Minstall, whilst also retaining Synaptic and Software Portals is great !

  34. Been away but downloading Mint 6 RC as we speak…really cool work up to 5 really looking fwd to trying both RC and the final release!

  35. Hi Clem,

    It’s nice to here from you again.
    Yes, you deserved a good rest.

    Requests:

    mintMenu and mintNanny (please) in Brazilian Portuguese.

    To fix Brasero or provide its new version 0.8.3.

    If I shake the mouse, the scrensaver remains locked.

    (here we have another ways that we can go back to the desktop)

    Cheers
    Roberto

  36. Hi,

    Mr. Husse:

    One thing more…

    A New Entry (releases and announcements) for
    mintCast (podcast) woud be nice. mintcast releases
    and the link to…

    Add the mintcast releases into your newsletters
    (well, here it’s up you to consider the suggestion)

    Cheers
    Roberto

  37. Linux Mint is a great distro, and I am content to wait for the next release. Don’t rush yourself, things happen that need to be handled, and just about everyone understands that. No worries!

    Petey Petey

  38. Clem your real life must always come first. We are all behind you on that. You and the team are awesome as always. Thank you so very much and congratz on your new home… God bless! πŸ™‚

  39. Roberto, requests should be addressed in the forums, so they can be easily gathered by Clem and his team. Let’s keep it simple for them so they can work more efficient. It’s better for all of us. πŸ™‚

    Clem, it’s good news to hear you’re back on track. I’m not running something this big but I do have to keep an eagle eye on an official CMS support site for my country and I know how difficult life can be with work, family and this IT stuff we’re passionate about. Thank you for continuing your work and improvements on Linux Mint and I hope settling down will happen as smooth as you need so you can handle both family and your work on Linux Mint. πŸ™‚ It’s obvious you care about both.

    Take care!
    Nick

  40. Hey Clem,

    I’m glad you have enjoyed your trip to the US. Hopefully, you’ll make it to the West Coast, and possibly to Seattle at some point. πŸ™‚

    As others have said, I will now echo…family and life comes first. Take care of your business, and we will all be waiting with baited breath for the new Release!

    Thanks again for all you have done. I am a proud Mint user. πŸ™‚

  41. Hai Clem !

    Its really amazing (Linux Mint) and we r waiting for the FELICIA.Plz, Release the Stable version as soon as possible.

    Thank you for ur support to LINUX.

  42. Clem,

    I could have saved you a considerable amount of time if I’d known. I live in Florida and could have gone to all of the places you did rather easily and taken digital photos and forwarded them to you! πŸ˜‰

    Seriously, I’m glad you were able to get away, and especially glad you enjoyed your stay here. No apology is necessary at all in my opinion, especially considering the stability I’m enjoying with RC1 as a result of your efforts.

    Thanks…and good-luck in your relocation. Be careful of the associated stress and continue to pause, and reflect on the joy of your family. Simple treasures/pleasures!

  43. Thanks for the update Clem. Just as everyone else I’m glad to hear you had a nice vacation, and I hope you and your family enjoy your new home.

  44. @ Roberto
    I did not even know that the podcast has come so far.
    We can make an announcement in the forum (and the newsletter) about the latest podcast
    Maybe pm me when a new podcast is teleased

  45. I’m glad you enjoyed your trip to Florida (I live in Palm Coast, FL). I look forward to the availability of LM6 at a time that meets you and your family’s schedule. The best is worth waiting for. I hope you enjoy the holidays in your new home.

  46. I have tried many distros and all versions of micro$. Linux Mint is the absolute best I have ever used. It finds all my hardware (Even my HP printer, which the suckass HP driver/software couldn’t find in XP.)and the wireless on my laptop,which no Linux distro was able to make work. So,I say take a break! Enjoy the success. And the admiration of a grateful world. Thanks and don’t forget to donate! This is good stuff people!

  47. Do you think 6.0 will be available in time for me to burn copies for Christmas? I want to give them as gifts to all my friends and family. I have alot of people asking to try Linux out and this is the one I’ve been telling everyone about. Thanks for all the hard work.

  48. I must say, thank you for giving us a reason as to why it was late. I hate it when developers disappear and come back and just say “sorry, btw 2 more weeks.” I’m glad to hear you had a nice vacation with your family, and you promise to give your focus on Linux Mint as well. We can be patient. Due to previous releases and your great work, we understand and have no problem waiting for another fantastic release. Hope you have a good moving experience! Thank you for everything!

    -SiR

  49. I could care less about Ubuntu and their scheduled releases..In my opinion, quality takes time and if things need to take longer, regardless of reason, in order to be right then let it take as long as necessary! I love the quality of Mint and while sometimes it feels like I can’t wait for a new release, I really can because the quality of Mint is what makes it better than all the rest! Good job and good luck Clem!

  50. Clem, congratulations on this high quality RC1 release! Linux Mint is just so much better than Ubuntu out of the box. Perfect for someone like me with very little time to configure my system.

    Thanks for the good work!

  51. HOW TO FORMAT A USB MEMORY STICK IN LINUX. TIRED OF HAVING TO RESTART THE SYSTEM AND BOOT WINDOWS TO SUCH A SIMPLE THING. PLEASE CLEMENT CONSIDER THIS SERIOUSLY. IN THE FINAL RELEASE OF MINT 6 I’M HOPING TO FIND THIS. PLS DON’T DISAPPOINT ME. OR SOMEONE HELP ME…PLSSSSSSSS (FRANCE)

  52. i know there’s a way to formmating a usb key, but it has got to do with commands of which i don’t know. a little interface tool would do. I agree with fabien. thanks Clem. Nice work…

  53. Fabien, why don’t U use Gparted, AKA Gnome Partition Editor?) U can find it in the main programs menu: press Mint-start button, choose Administration, roll down mouse wheel – oh, that’s it, Gparted, or Gnome Partition Editor, U need to run for formatting your pendrive. Of course, U must plug ur device before. Next, choose flashdrive in a program window and do what U want to do))) Format it in a FAT32 or another FS, make partitions etc. Warning!!! Please, be very carefull, don’t format ur harddrive instead!!! Good luck!

  54. Mint Linux is the only distro that is able to connect using plugin wireless cards & USB sticks. And thanks for fixing the issue of being able to install to SCSI drives…

    I am currently on Elyssa and run my parents 2 comps and aunts 1 comp on Mint. There was little initial resistance, Firefox and OpenOffice wowed.

    They still are puzzled as to why Mint / Linux does not need an Anti-Virus. LOL!

  55. For all the benefit we have using YOUR work, considering the costs of it for we final users [peanuts ;0)], hey guys, don’t we bother to wait as long as it will take.
    Furthermore, I have this good feeling the 6rc1 is close enough to its term we can easily wait a few more weeks without having to cry for breast feeding & some new milk. Am I wrong?
    I’ve been up on the 6rc1 since the day it’s done, and so far nothing big have occured I had to slap my face so dumb I should I’ve been.
    The distro works fluently and it’s a pleasure to be a part of this community.
    Keep the good work going on and keep in mind (I guess you do it very well anyway) that personal stuff always got the priority.
    Cause if you mess with your personal life, in the end, it might pretty much have strong and negative impact on your “electronic” life.
    Thanx 4 everything you’ve done so far.
    Best regards.
    Nemmeth

  56. We love you! πŸ˜€

    Get that move done and upload stable by 16th of december please, because thats when my new notbook arrives. πŸ˜›

    Dont brake any china! πŸ˜‰

  57. Enough, he’s has heard it. He understands that we understand that family comes first! Don’t give the moderators tough time having to read the same message by a millions of people saying. It’s enough. Let’s all be patient and wait for the stable release or simply go for the RC1 as Clem claimed it’s fine. CLem and the mint team. Thank you a lot. Keep the good work. the best things in life are FREE. LOVE U GUYS. God bless you all and your families. Anyone reading this Take care God bless. Enjoy your weekend & festive season! 8)

  58. YES! family comes first, thats why i say BIG BIG THX for Felicia (cause my niece is named Felicia too, love her ;))
    rc1 runs without any troubles in here, so take ur time, a final release is not needed so fast.

  59. Thanks Clem for the update! Like the others that commented before me – “Family Comes First!” It’s good to hear that your Florida trip went well and your new housing arrangements are working. Remember to take a few deep breaths and relax “when” you can…

  60. Why Linux Mint 20.2 is not updating everything is it due to a bug or something else since dec 21 2021. Only update i had was today was Linux mint kernel so please help us what is wrng with Linux mint 20.2 i did tried re set everything still same.

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