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The team is proud to announce the release of Linux Mint 15 “Olivia” Xfce.

Linux Mint 15 Olivia

Xfce is a lightweight desktop environment which aims to be fast and low on system resources, while still being visually appealing and user friendly. This edition features all the improvements from the latest Linux Mint release on top of an Xfce 4.10 desktop.

New features at a glance:

For a complete overview and to see screenshots of the new features, visit: “What’s new in Linux Mint 15 Xfce“.

Important info:

  • PAE required for 32-bit ISOs
  • EFI support
  • Local repository and GNOME PPP

Make sure to read the “Release Notes” to be aware of important info or known issues related to this release.

System requirements:

  • x86 processor (Linux Mint 64-bit requires a 64-bit processor. Linux Mint 32-bit works on both 32-bit and 64-bit processors).
  • 384 MB RAM (1GB recommended for a comfortable usage).
  • 5 GB of disk space
  • Graphics card capable of 800×600 resolution
  • DVD drive or USB port

Upgrade instructions:

  • To upgrade from a previous version of Linux Mint follow these instructions.
  • To upgrade from the RC release, simply apply any level 1 and 2 updates (if any) available in the Update Manager.

Download:

Md5 sum:

  • 32-bit: 5d1a7305ac012c38ba153a2379ae8fa4
  • 64-bit: 5dce5c1b8bc671d4e4d7a9f386558d18

Torrents:

HTTP Mirrors for the 32-bit DVD ISO:

HTTP Mirrors for the 64-bit DVD ISO:

Enjoy!

We look forward to receiving your feedback. Thank you for using Linux Mint and have a lot of fun with this new release!

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When Linux Mint 15 Olivia was released, CompuLab changed their homepage on http://www.fit-pc.com to include this banner:

We’ve always had a fantastic relationship with the staff at CompuLab and we’re working hard on the new MintBox, but this was a surprise and I wanted to thank them for doing this. There’s a lot of respect and admiration going both ways and we’re very proud of what we’re doing together.

Talking about which, I can already share some exciting news about the MintBox 2..

  • Both CompuLab and Linux Mint reduced their margins (in our case we went from 10% to 5%)
  • CompuLab is working to enable European customers to order via Amazon.de (which means no more duty/customs tax and shipping costs included in the price)
  • The MintBox 2 will be based on the Intel i5 and feature more than 4 times the performance of the MintBox Pro, for roughly the same price

Here’s a quick comparison of the MintBox basic, the MintBox pro and the MintBox 2:

MintBox Basic MintBox Pro MintBox 2
CPU AMD T40 AMD T56 Intel i5
RAM 4GB 8GB 4GB
HDD 250GB 250GB 500GB
Ethernet Gigabit Gigabit Dual Gigabit
Warranty 1 year 1 year 5 years
Geekbench score 1077* 1615** 7541
Price $476*** + shipping, VAT, duty $549 + shipping, VAT, duty $599****

* Tested with 8GB RAM (the score on the official MintBox Basic should be slightly lower)

** Tested with 4GB RAM (the score on the official MintBox Pro should be slightly higher)

*** Original price (the MintBox Basic is now on sale at $379)

**** Amazon price (including shipping and fees).

The i5 CPU is a great compromise between performance and price, giving us 4 times the performance of the MintBox pro at roughly the same price. The i7 processor, in comparison, would have pushed the cost above $800 and only gave an additional 5% performance gain (8GB RAM + i7 CPU scored 7919 with the same benchmark).

The MintBox 2 will also feature dual Gigabit Ethernet, an upgraded 500GB HDD and a 5 years warranty.

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Sponsorships:

Linux Mint is proudly sponsored by:

Platinum Sponsors:
Blue Systems - Netrunner
Gold Sponsors:
Opera
VMware Cloud Hosting
Silver Sponsors:
Idera (formerly R1Soft)
Nothing in Particular Blog
ThinkPenguin.com
Bronze Sponsors:
Vault Networks *
AYKsolutions Server & Cloud Hosting
7L Networks Toronto Colocation *
Gutscheindrache.de Coupons		 Community Sponsors:

To become a sponsor or to see the full list of Linux Mint sponsors, please visit: http://www.linuxmint.com/sponsors.php

Donations:

A total of $6,245 was raised thanks to the generous contributions of 303 donors:

  • $151.78, The Incredibly Useful Company Limited
  • $150, Dieter G.
  • $126.48 (3rd donation), funkajja
  • $126.48, Josef S.
  • $110, Scott G.
  • $100 (3rd donation), Jackson T. B.
  • $100, Tom H.
  • $100, Veli Øzd.
  • $100, Personal Computer Services
  • $100, Paul P.
  • $100, David F.
  • $63.24, Erik L.
  • $63.24, Jean-paul M.
  • $60, Kenneth P.
  • $55, Mark C.
  • $51 (2nd donation), J D. G.
  • $50.59, Brandon W.
  • $50 (44th donation), Slavoljub aka “slw”
  • $50 (3rd donation), Marcus M.
  • $50, David K.
  • $50, All About Circuits
  • $50, Lizbeth
  • $50, David P.
  • $50, Carlos T.
  • $50, Mr.Zurkon
  • $50, Kenneth M.
  • $50, Blair S.
  • $50, Daniel L.
  • $50, Peter W.
  • $50, Andrew M.
  • $50, Robert G.
  • $50, Wendel E.
  • $40 (5th donation), Antonio M. M. aka “zantaz“
  • $40 (26th donation), Tsuguo S.
  • $40, American D. R.
  • $37.94 (39th donation), Olli K.
  • $37.94 (3rd donation), Matthias M.
  • $37.94, Bruno T.
  • $37.94, John B.
  • $35, Colin H.
  • $35, Raj R.
  • $33.33, Christoffer V.
  • $31.62 (3rd donation), LDW
  • $31.62, Brian C.
  • $31.62, Andrew R.
  • $31.62, Wolfgang H.
  • $31.62, Hans G.
  • $31.62, anonymous
  • $31.62, Paul S.
  • $30, Environmental cartoons
  • $30, Craig D.
  • $30, Rhakios
  • $30, Hiroshi K.
  • $30, Jesse J.
  • $30, John T.
  • $27.83, Michaël B. N. P.
  • $25.3 (2nd donation), Stefan B.
  • $25.3, David B.
  • $25.3, Tim O.
  • $25.3, Mark J. L.
  • $25.3, Massimiliano M.
  • $25.3, Harald S.
  • $25.3, Johannes F.
  • $25.3, Monread CRM Ltd.
  • $25.3, Michael V.
  • $25.3, Emil N. P.
  • $25.3, Oliver B.
  • $25 (20th donation), Ronald W.
  • $25 (4th donation), V. Mark Lehky aka “SiKing“
  • $25 (3rd donation), Geoff_P.
  • $25 (3rd donation), V Peace
  • $25 (2nd donation), Nicole H. in honor of jaspmatt
  • $25 (2nd donation), Juan B. G. M.
  • $25 (2nd donation), American D. R.
  • $25 (2nd donation), Kirill C.
  • $25, Clancy C.
  • $25, Alister B.
  • $25, Lennart J.
  • $25, Jordan S.
  • $25, Michael M.
  • $25, Peter R.
  • $25, S F.
  • $25, Peter P.
  • $25, David H.
  • $25, John C.
  • $25, Scott V.
  • $25, John H.
  • $25, Robert M.
  • $25, John P.
  • $25, Robert J. R.
  • $25, Post ReportingService, Inc
  • $25, Jim F.
  • $25, Justin C.
  • $25, Nicolas S.
  • $21, Kevin A.
  • $20 (8th donation), Jerry Jones
  • $20 (4th donation), Thomas M.
  • $20 (3rd donation), Bill
  • $20 (3rd donation), Utah B.
  • $20 (2nd donation), Singing F.
  • $20 (2nd donation), Robert S.
  • $20 (2nd donation), Andrew C.
  • $20, Igor S.
  • $20, Jim F.
  • $20, Maroun S.
  • $20, Murali A.
  • $20, William M.
  • $20, Dolores F.
  • $20, Eileen A.
  • $20, Mike H. aka “sloan”
  • $20, Paul B. aka “PaulBWatertownCT”
  • $20, Stan L.
  • $20, Goryaynov R.
  • $20, Gary G.
  • $20, Nick N.
  • $20, Alejandro F. M.
  • $20, Christopher M.
  • $20, Hugh A.
  • $20, Oscar A. B.
  • $20, Manuel Gonzalez.
  • $20, Roger B.
  • $20, Mark S.
  • $20, Ian S.
  • $20, David W.
  • $20, Fernando P. P.
  • $20, Peter B.
  • $18.97 (4th donation), Rufus
  • $18.97 (2nd donation), Thomas F.
  • $18.97, Jean-charles D. aka “Hawaii”
  • $18.97, Peter S.
  • $18.97, Mrs J. E. W.
  • $18.97, Thierry F.
  • $18.97, Dan F.
  • $18.97, Fabrice E.
  • $18.97, Matthias O.
  • $15.18 (19th donation), Jarkko K.
  • $15.18, Aaron B
  • $15 (4th donation), Michael W.
  • $15, Zach B.
  • $15, C L.
  • $15, Joseph L.
  • $15, Gerard C.
  • $15, John E.
  • $12.65 (4th donation), Siegfried H.
  • $12.65 (4th donation), Nicholas S.
  • $12.65 (3rd donation), Nicolas B.
  • $12.65 (3rd donation), Maarten E.
  • $12.65 (2nd donation), Gabriel T.
  • $12.65 (2nd donation), Veeti
  • $12.65 (2nd donation), David R.
  • $12.65, Roy S.
  • $12.65, Isidro P. A.
  • $12.65, Franjo B.
  • $12.65, Hans B.
  • $12.65, Alfons K.
  • $12.65, Carlo F. aka “peterpan405”
  • $12.65, Dorus A.
  • $12.65, Roman O.
  • $12.65, Roger M
  • $12.65, Roberto G.
  • $12.65, Govind C.
  • $12.65, Peter O.
  • $12.65, Roberto S. P.
  • $12.65, Rob S.
  • $12.65, Ludmil F.
  • $12.65, Bertrand S.
  • $12.65, Hans B.
  • $12.65, Hubert D.
  • $12.65, Steve S.
  • $12.65, Alejandro L. E.
  • $12.65, Karl H.
  • $12.65, Luis M. C. A. L. L. M. L.
  • $12.65, pepikJS
  • $12.65, Christian G. aka “cepharch”
  • $12.65, Oleksiy S.
  • $10 (27th donation), Tony C. aka “S. LaRocca”
  • $10 (5th donation), Fabio Ranquetat aka “Ranquetat“
  • $10 (4th donation), iPhone & iPad apps
  • $10 (3rd donation), Stephen B. aka “Fio Steve”
  • $10 (3rd donation), Charles P.
  • $10 (3rd donation), Salim Farah aka “Verix”
  • $10 (2nd donation), Thomas Z.
  • $10 (2nd donation), Maarten E.
  • $10 (2nd donation), Vladimir Kivernik
  • $10, Larry I.
  • $10, Javier Fish aka “javierfish”
  • $10, Daniel M.
  • $10, Anonymous
  • $10, Christopher B.
  • $10, Will L.
  • $10, Betsafe Bonus
  • $10, Donghyun KIM
  • $10, Bradley W.
  • $10, Razvan E.
  • $10, Howard P.
  • $10, Javier Guijarro aka “chejofan“
  • $10, Adam S.
  • $10, Stevan B.
  • $10, Keiko N.
  • $10, Markus N.
  • $10, Hussein E.
  • $10, David T.
  • $10, Ilan S. aka “Koed”
  • $10, Vladimir Svrkota
  • $10, Andrew W.
  • $10, Thilina Buddhika
  • $10, Frank Bird (Wales) aka “Budgie “
  • $10, Robert L.
  • $10, Mikhail I.
  • $10, Susumu M.
  • $10, John D. G.
  • $10, Harshad S.
  • $10, Deepak N. R.
  • $10, Kulistov V. aka “Q_List”
  • $10, Richard G.
  • $10, Dag E. L.
  • $10, William P.
  • $10, Chris L.
  • $10, 高松 和徳
  • $10, James R.
  • $10, Hormis K.
  • $10, Basil S.
  • $10, Benjamin G.
  • $7.59, J. E. aka “libre-software.net“
  • $6.32 (17th donation), Marco aka “Dictionary-Maker“
  • $6.32 (5th donation), Robert K.
  • $6.32 (3rd donation), Genet W.
  • $6.32 (2nd donation), Marco Zanatta aka “Reiki75”
  • $6.32 (2nd donation), David vantongerloo
  • $6.32, Wojciech C.
  • $6.32, Mimmo P.
  • $6.32, Juanma G.
  • $6.32, Andreas M.
  • $6.32, André L.
  • $6.32, Justo D. L. C. R.
  • $6.32, Luis D. aka “metralha761”
  • $6.32, Marco Zanatta aka “Reiki75”
  • $6.32, David vantongerloo
  • $6.32, Code reduc
  • $6.32, Patrick M.
  • $6.32, Julian D.
  • $6.32, Emile S.
  • $6 (2nd donation), Theis Hinz
  • $6, Ruhaizad D.
  • $5.06, Michael P.
  • $5 (4th donation), Jose M. D. A.
  • $5 (3rd donation), Özgür ILGIN
  • $5 (2nd donation), Vladimír V.
  • $5 (2nd donation), L M.
  • $5 (2nd donation), Wei-ju Wu
  • $5 (2nd donation), Carlos W.
  • $5, Csói B.
  • $5, Felipe A.
  • $5, Zakariya P.
  • $5, Gábor B.
  • $5, 73-Bill
  • $5, Jose A. Ruiz
  • $5, Dario C.
  • $5, Kevin M.
  • $5, James T.
  • $5, Gil W.
  • $5, Gerald C.
  • $5, Randolph K.
  • $5, Stephen W.
  • $5, Robbie D.
  • $5, Abel N. V.
  • $5, Joseph S. aka “RSP16”
  • $5, Christine P.
  • $5, Richard R.
  • $4.43, Mirko aka “nitrous”
  • $4.3, Thomas S.
  • $3.79, Alexander K.
  • $3.79, Tamas R.
  • $3 (2nd donation), Marc D.
  • $3, chicha pas cher
  • $3, Xin D.
  • $3, Eric T.
  • $2.55 (3rd donation), Athales.com Strasbourg
  • $2.53 (2nd donation), Ghiunhan Mamut aka “V3n3RiX“
  • $2.53, Andreas R.
  • $2.5, UB DataN00b
  • $16.84 from 14 smaller donations

If you want to help Linux Mint with a donation, please visit http://www.linuxmint.com/donors.php

Rankings:

  • Distrowatch (popularity ranking): 3787 (1st)
  • Alexa (website ranking): 7,446th

Events:

News and summary:

  • Many thanks to our sponsors, partners, donors and all the people who supported us this month and who allowed us to work on Linux Mint. As always you’ve been really generous and this is helping us a lot.
  • We were thrilled with the release of Linux Mint 15 “Olivia”. A huge amount of development went into it and it was fantastic to be able to finally put it all together and get it out. Many rough edges were fixed in the RC (I’d like to take the opportunity again to thank all the people who sent us their feedback during that time) and we were delighted with the end-result. Of course there’s a lot of reviews being published right now and we’ll gather them and react to them like we did for previous releases here on this blog, to analyse what worked well, what could have been done better and to give you some insight as to how things happened.
  • Although it was selected as default in Ubuntu 13.04, the 3.8.0-19 kernel used in Linux Mint 15 didn’t work as well as we’d have expected. Many people were unable to get the sound working through HDMI and some even experienced kernel panics and system freezes. A few workarounds were identified during the RC but the cause of the problem wasn’t clear to us so we spent time looking into this… we’ll vulgarize our findings on the Segfault blog and we’re likely to upgrade the kernel to 3.8.0-25 (up-to-date with upstream 3.8.13)  in the upcoming KDE and Xfce editions.
  • Development started on Cinnamon 2.0 already and I’m happy to confirm what people read on “Linux User & Developer”, it is becoming an independent desktop environment. Although it will continue to use GNOME libraries and technologies such as GTK and Clutter, it will no longer require the GNOME desktop environment to run in the background (gnome-settings-daemon and gnome-session in particular). This will make it easier for us to innovate further on Cinnamon but also to backport it to previous Mint releases and to provide it to other distributions, no matter what version of GNOME they’re using.
  • The KDE and Xfce editions of Linux Mint 15 are coming up. The KDE edition is already in QA. The Xfce edition should get there in the days to come.
  • Some backports were pushed towards LMDE and Linux Mint 13 Maya, including newer versions of Cinnamon and MDM.