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The team is proud to announce the release of LMDE 201303 RC.

Screenshots


LMDE 201303 MATE Edition

LMDE 201303 Cinnamon Edition

Highlights

  • Update Pack 6
  • MATE 1.4
  • Cinnamon 1.6
  • Installer improvements (graphical timezone and keyboard selection, support for installation on multiple HDD, slideshow, webcam and face picture support)
  • Plymouth splash screen

If you’re new to LMDE, welcome to Linux Mint Debian!

Important links

LMDE in brief

  • Linux Mint Debian Edition (LMDE) is a semi-rolling distribution based on Debian Testing.
  • It’s available in both 32 and 64-bit as a live DVD with MATE or Cinnamon.
  • The purpose of LMDE is to look identical to the main edition and to provide the same functionality while using Debian as a base.

FAQ

1. Is LMDE compatible with Ubuntu-based Linux Mint editions?

No, it is not. LMDE is compatible with Debian, which isn’t compatible with Ubuntu.

2. Is LMDE fully compatible with Debian?

Yes, 100%. LMDE is compatible with repositories designed for Debian Testing.

3. What is a semi-rolling distribution?

Updates are constantly fed to Debian Testing, where users experience frequent regressions but also frequent bug fixes and improvements. LMDE receives “Update Packs” which are tested snapshots of Debian Testing. Users can experience a more stable system thanks to update packs, or switch their sources to follow Testing, or even Unstable, directly to get more frequent updates.

4. How does LMDE compare to the Ubuntu-based editions?

Pros:

  • You don’t need to ever re-install the system. New versions of software and updates are continuously brought to you.
  • It’s faster and more responsive than Ubuntu-based editions.

Cons:

  • LMDE requires a deeper knowledge and experience with Linux, dpkg and APT.
  • Debian is a less user-friendly/desktop-ready base than Ubuntu. Expect some rough edges.
  • No EFI, GPT or secureBoot support.

Additional notes:

  • About the installer: The live installer is developed from scratch with Debian in mind. It’s configurable and it can be re-used by other Debian-based distributions. We noticed a lack in live technologies and in live Debian installers, so we’re happy to take the lead on this. If you’re a developer and you’re interested in using it, have a look at its source repository and don’t hesitate to contact us so we can help you fork it and merge upcoming changes between our two projects.
  • About bugs: Please use this blog to report bugs.
  • Dedicated chat room: #linuxmint-debian is open to LMDE users on irc.spotchat.org.

Download links:

Torrents:

MD5 sums:

  • MATE 32-bit: 4ebcf5ae6268bec0b26a10143e4f7b55
  • MATE 64-bit: 90dcb75e716a791429eda16374c5ab31
  • Cinnamon 32-bit: f0153fa28ae5a4014962046fc66156a6
  • Cinnamon 64-bit: 82527fd02e6f0b8458c59488a2681396

MATE 32-bit:

MATE 64-bit:

Cinnamon 32-bit:

Cinnamon 64-bit:

Enjoy!

We look forward to receiving your feedback. Thank you for using Linux Mint and have a lot of fun testing the release candidate!

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In collaboration with CompuLab, we are starting the year with a 20% sale on the MintBox Basic, with a price reduced from $476 down to $379.

For more information on the mintBox please visit: http://blog.linuxmint.com/?p=2055

You can order the mintBox from CompuLab at: http://www.fit-pc.com/web/purchase/order-direct-mintbox/

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Gaming is booming and is one of the most inspiring, exciting and innovative form of art in the IT industry. 2012 was an impressive year. With a global market of $67 billion gaming studios hire the most talented developers, artists, writers, and professionals and provide a huge selection of quality games. The budget and production are so high it’s becoming easier to choose a good game than to find a good movie these days… but most of them work on Windows, Xbox 360 or Playstation 3.

Just as “killer-apps”, games are among the top reasons which prevent people from switching completely to Linux. In 2012, 15 games were scored 90% or higher on Metacritic. None of them were released on Linux.

A couple of things happened though and the future might look a little brighter for Linux gamers.

2012 was a big year for “Indie gaming”. Independent developers challenged major studios with games like Minecraft, The Walking Dead and Journey. The fact that a few developers could achieve so much, without resources, changed the perception of many. Then came the Humble Bundles which sent two strong signals: Linux users want games and they’re ready to pay for them.

At the end of last year, Valve and Canonical announced they were working together to bring Steam (which is estimated to have a 70% share of the digital distribution market for video games) to Linux. Their efforts paid off and the Steam client is now available and working fine in most distributions.

The screenshot below shows Steam running on Linux Mint 14:
Crusader Kings II
Valve is planning a new gaming console in 2013 based on Linux and the company is currently promoting its Linux client, even to its Windows users. Gaming media, blogs and magazines are covering the news and some of the major studios are considering porting their games to Linux.

If you like strategy games for instance, you’ll be happy to know Paradox Interactive already ported Crusader Kings II.
Crusader Kings II
Crusader Kings II was given a 8/10 by IGN and Gamespot and a 9/10 by Destructoid. It is one of the very good strategy games of 2012. Other popular games are likely to follow; some old ones like Counter Strike 1.6 or Half Life, or brand new ones like “The Cave”.

If you’re into gaming and you’d like to play on Linux Mint, don’t hesitate to get involved and to send Valve your feedback:

We’d also like to hear from you on how you’d like us to improve or facilitate things for you in regards to gaming on Linux Mint.

Note: Most popular games are commercial and developed by major studios, so if they come to Linux they’re likely to become available through Steam. However, if you’re interested in HTML5 or online gaming or if you have ideas on how to further promote Indie gaming and Free Software games, please let us know. Many Windows games also run quite well using Wine. We like for things to work out of the box, but maybe we can help here as well. Don’t hesitate to comment if you’ve some experience to share with Wine or wine-related software.