The Linux Mint team announced the release of the Beta version of Linux Mint 20.2, which is an LTS release that will be supported until 2025. The new release comes with various new features and improvements. According to the announcement, users will be able to upgrade to the 20.2 beta from Linux Mint 20 and 20.1. Users will also be able to upgrade from the 20.2 beta to the stable release when released. The team also warned users to use this version only for testing and report the bugs to its Github page.
Update Manager
The beta version comes with a new update manager and notification system. The new update manager will show how many updates are available, how long they have been available for and the duration that the computer was on during that time. The Linux Mint team also stated that they didn’t want to follow how Windows or Max handles the update notifications, thus they can be annoying for users.
The new system will not show a notification for 2 days if it is dismissed and if the updates are applied, it is gone for a long time. The condition for the notification will be configurable by the users. The manager will show notifications for the update that has been available for more than 7 logged-in days or if it’s older than 15 calendar days by default. However, these values can be configured by the user. The Update Manager only counts security and kernel updates as being relevant for notifications. It also automates the Flatpak updates and removes unused Flatpak runtimes.
Sticky Notes
In the beta version, Sticky Notes becomes the default application for taking notes, instead of GNote. Sticky Notes is also developed in GTK3 and supports HiDPI. Sticky Notes allows users to create notes and place them on the desktop and quick access with the icon tray button. The application also allows users to customize the notes and the text and also comes with a backup mechanism. Users will be able to import their GNote notes to Sticky Notes.
Warpinator
Warpinator allows users to transfer files from computer to computes in a local network. With its new Android application, phone and tablet users can also share files. Warpinator features the ability to select which network interface you want to use.