Following a month-long beta period Linux Mint Debian Edition (LMDE) 3 “Cindy” has been released. Unlike the standard Linux Mint releases, new software from the Mint team, such as new versions of Cinnamon, become available right away, whereas you usually have to wait for the point release of standard Mint releases to get new major updates.
Discussing the rationale behind maintaining LMDE, Clem Lefebvre, the head of the Linux Mint project, said:
“LMDE is a Linux Mint project and it stands for “Linux Mint Debian Edition”. Its main goal is for the Linux Mint team to see how viable our distribution would be and how much work would be necessary if Ubuntu was ever to disappear. LMDE aims to be as similar as possible to Linux Mint, but without using Ubuntu. The package base is provided by Debian instead.”
In addition to releasing the images for LMDE 3, the upgrade instructions for jumping from LMDE 2 to version 3 have been made available. It’s advisable to make a backup of your data and to prepare system snapshots before you do begin the upgrade and you should also take your time so your don’t accidentally do something wrong during the upgrade.
If you’re planning to use the new version of LMDE, be sure to read the release notes too so that you’re aware of any issues that exist.
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