In this holiday season, many developers take the opportunity to spend time with their people, but there are projects that continue. One of these projects is Linux Mint. Project leader Clem Lefebvre has announced the start of development of Linux Mint 19 and LMDE 3. The next versions of his stable projects.
Linux Mint 19 will be a version that needs more work than normal because it will be based on Ubuntu 18.04 Bionic Beaver, the next LTS version of Ubuntu. LMDE 3, meanwhile, will be based on the latest Debian versions, versions that are already available unlike Ubuntu 18.04.
The Linux Mint team has long chosen to choose the LTS versions of Ubuntu as the basis for their versions. Thus, Linux Mint 18, 18.2 and 18.3 are based on Ubuntu 16.04. The next version will be based on Ubuntu 18.04, the new LTS version and one of the versions that will have the most changes and work. We must not forget that Linux Mint uses Cinnamon as the default desktop and Ubuntu 18.04 will bring Gnome as the default desktop. The kernel change will also be a big leap as well as many other applications and functions that Linux Mint has and Ubuntu 18.04 will not have.
This development process will be long and with little progress, at least until the stable and final version of Ubuntu 18.04 LTS comes out. For the moment, we can say that we already have information about Linux Mint available in several languages, something not new but it is translation into 5 new languages previously not supported by Linux Mint.
Linux Mint 19 will not have a KDE version as we have said before, although previous versions will continue to receive updates and have support. Instead, LMDE 3 will be a rolling release distribution that is based on Debian and therefore, if we have the previous version, we will not need to install LMDE 3 but it will be enough to update the version we have.
In any case, it seems that until May 2018 we will not have the new versions of Linux Mint on our computersYes, in 2018 we will continue to have new versions of Linux Mint.
Why will they drop the KDE version in Mint 19? I'm between going to Ubuntu 18.04 LTS or Mint but I want it with KDE ...
You could then choose KDE Neon, which is based on the LTS versions of Ubuntu as well, currently based on 16.04 and the next version probably based on Ubuntu 18.04.
The thing about LMDE 3 is not entirely accurate. Unfortunately, unless there is a change that I do not know or at the last minute, LMDE 3 will not have a Mate version, so those who are using LMDE 2 Mate will end up being thrown away.
To update? Of course, the passage from LMDE1 to 2 was not as simple as the passage from 18.3 to 19.1 can be since it is a mere next and next; but it was necessary to change the sources (modify the file) and update via terminal. In its day, if there was both a Mate and Cinnamon version, now it seems that there is only going to be Cinnamon, only 64 bits? Will have to see.
May will be for Linux Mint 19, LMDE 3 I suppose it will be released in October or November since the Linux Mint team gives priority to the Ubuntu version and, it will be released with Cinnamon, Mate and Xfce, so LMDE 3 will be the last. And I'm glad Betsy has more life since I use it with Mate