Linux Mint is one of the easiest Linux distros to use out there, apart from popular ones like Ubuntu and Fedora. Its developers have released the newest version, Linux Mint 19.1 (codenamed Tessa). The new version will be supported until 2023. If you’re interested in giving the new version a whirl, head over to Linux Mint’s Download page and choose an edition and get going.
The new version is based on Ubuntu 18.04 LTS (Long Term Support), which is supported until April 2023. It comes with a list of new features and improvements. They include a new workflow and new panels. There are twelve new themes to choose from. The default file manager, Nemo, is now updated to be faster than before. Users can configure it to show thumbnails and file creation date for supported file types. XApps get internal improvements. Language Settings and the Input Methods are now two separate applications. Read the complete changelog here.
Linux Mint gets twelve new themes
Linux Mint is currently available in three editions: Cinnamon, MATE, and Xfce. The first edition, Cinnamon, runs Cinnamon 4.0 desktop environment and is the most popular of the three. It has been developed specifically for Linux Mint. In Linux Mint’s words, it’s “the most modern, innovative and full-featured desktop”. Go with this if it’s the first time you’re installing Linux on your computer.
MATE is a classic desktop environment based on GNOME 2. It was Linux Mint’s default desktop environment for five years in the 2000s. MATE is lighter, thus faster, and more stable. Choose this if you have used MATE before and like it. Xfce is an extremely lightweight desktop environment. It has fewer features than Cinnamon and MATE but is extremely light on system resources. Choose this edition if you have an old computer (with less than 1GB of RAM, that is). A notable Xfce equivalent in the Ubuntu world is Lubuntu.
Linux Mint would have been offered in a fourth edition called KDE had support for the desktop environment not been killed off last year. If you’re not sure whether to download the 32-bit or the 64-bit version of Linux Mint, go with 64-bit. According to Linux Mint, if your computer was manufactured after 2007, there’s a good chance it sports a 64-bit processor. Come on then, Linux fans, go ahead and give the new version of Linux Mint a shot.