- Linux Mint is a popular Linux operating system that is based on Ubuntu and designed to be easy to use and customize.
- The developers of Linux Mint released a series of previews for their upcoming release, 21.2 “Victoria,” which include bug fixes, improvements, and more information about the release.
- Linux Mint 21.2 “Victoria” is planned to be released in June 2023 and it will support the Cinnamon, MATE, and Xfce desktop environments as usual.
Linux Mint is a popular, community-driven Linux operating system that has been around since 2006. It is based on Ubuntu, and it is built to be easy to use and customize. In the monthly news update on the Linux Mint blog, the developer team shared some insights regarding the upcoming Mint release, version 21.2, codenamed “Victoria”.
What’s new, what’s fixed?
Linux Mint developers shared the progress and the upcoming features of Linux Mint 21.2 “Victoria”, which included bug fixes, improvements, and overall information about the upcoming release. The developers also explained in the comments that they are not planning to migrate to Wayland at the moment:
« As developers, we try to support it, just like any new technology, when possible. The tools we develop are also used in other distributions, some of which use Wayland. »
Linux Mint 21.2 “Victoria” will naturally come with bug fixes, so far we are aware of two big ones. Blueman was upgraded to version 2.3.5 and Cinnamon 5.6 received multiple bug fixes including fixing the squashed alt-tab selector in multi-monitor mode and cropped/flashing shadows on dialog windows.
Login Screen Improvements
- Slick Greeter was given support for multiple keyboard layouts. The indicator located on the top-right corner of the screen opens a menu that lets you switch between different keyboard layouts.
- Support for touchpads was also improved. The login screen automatically detects and enables tap-to-click.
- The layout used for Onboard, the on-screen keyboard is configurable.
- The keyboard navigation was improved so that the arrow keys can be used to edit the password which is being typed. A revealer icon appears when the password is clicked or edited, which can be used to toggle the visibility of the password.
- Slick-greeter also received support Wayland sessions, LXQT/Pademelon badges, and a scrollable session list.
Pix rebase
Pix, which was originally based on gThumb 3.2.8, was rebased on gThumb 3.12.2. The new gThumb UI uses header bars and buttons instead of toolbars and menubars, which may be less discoverable for newcomers but it looks very clean and is still quite intuitive.
Other changes
This rebase brings 168 new features or user-visible changes, most notably:
- Better performance, faster image loading, faster navigation
- Support for AVIF/HEIF and JXL formats
- Improved support for GIF, RAW, and TIFF images
- Improved zoom controls
- Support for larger thumbnail sizes: 512, 768, and 1024 pixels.
- Allow setting shortcuts to activate filters.
- Template editor to edit text values with special codes: script commands, rename templates, print header and footer, etc.
- Support for color profiles
- Improved video playback
- New image tools: special effects; curves.
- Color picker
- Search in multiple folders
- Customizable keyboard shortcuts
- Improved filters
- Meson build system
The changes which were specific to Pix were cherry-picked and re-applied. These include:
- A more intuitive default configuration
- Support for Cinnamon, MATE, Xfce
- Configurable dark-mode
- Support for Xapps favorites
Linux Mint 21.2 will include full support for high-efficiency image files called HEIF and AVIF. Additionally, Xreader now properly supports Adobe Illustrator documents.
The developers also shared the support coming from donations. Following the release of Linux Mint 21.1, 721 donors donated in a single month to support Linux Mint’s endeavors. It was also announced that with donations, Linux Mint is supported by 614 patrons, for $2,676 per month.
Linux Mint 21.2 “Victoria” release date
Linux Mint 21.2 “Victoria” is planned to be released at the end of June 2023. As usual, it will support the Cinnamon, MATE, and Xfce desktop environments and the Xfce edition will ship with the latest Xfce 4.18.
FAQ
What is the latest version of Linux Mint?
The latest version of Linux Mint is Linux Mint 21.1 "Vera" and it was released on 20 December 2022. The next version, Linux Mint 21.2 "Victoria" is planned to be released at the end of June 2023.
Is Linux Mint free?
Yes, Linux Mint is a completely free and open-source operating system, which means that it is available for anyone to use, modify and distribute without any cost.
Is Linux Mint lightweight?
Linux Mint is considered a lightweight operating system compared to other Linux distributions that are designed for enterprise use. It is designed to be user-friendly and provides a balance between performance and functionality.
Is Linux Mint good for old computers?
Linux Mint is a good option for users who have older computers and want a lightweight, stable, and secure system that can run smoothly on their hardware. Linux Mint provides two different desktop environments, Cinnamon and MATE, both of which are lightweight and can run smoothly on older hardware. Additionally, Linux Mint's Software Manager allows users to easily install and remove software, which means that users can choose to run only the software they need, and avoid running software that can slow down their system.
Can Linux Mint be installed on a virtual machine?
Yes, Linux Mint can be installed on a virtual machine. A virtual machine (VM) allows you to run an operating system within another operating system. This means that you can install Linux Mint on a virtual machine and run it on top of your current operating system, without the need to replace it or partition your hard drive. To install Linux Mint on VMWare, you can refer to our article: How to install a Linux Distro on VMware Workstation
Can I run Linux Mint on a USB stick?
Yes, you can run Linux Mint on a USB stick. You can create a live USB drive with Linux Mint, which allows you to boot the operating system from the USB stick and run it on any computer that supports booting from a USB drive. This is also known as a "Live USB" or "Live USB drive". It's worth noting that running Linux Mint from a USB drive can be slower than running it from a hard drive, and also the changes you make to the system while running it from USB will not be saved when you shut down the system unless you use a persistent mode.
Is Linux Mint still supported?
Linux Mint is still actively supported and developed and has a strong community that continues to work on improving the distribution and providing support to its users.