A new version of the Linux Mint 21.3 distribution has quietly been released under the name 'Virginia' (or Virginia for fans of the old school) — likely the friendliest and most polished version currently available. The developers particularly highlight improvements in working with Secure Boot and various versions of BIOS and UEFI.
Additionally, several applications have seen enhancements (hypnotix, for instance, has integrated with yt-dlp), development on the Cinnamon desktop environment continues (new types of 'spices', as the extension modules are called, have been introduced, and work has begun on integration with Wayland), but the standout addition is undoubtedly the signature collection of high-quality wallpapers.
The release is based on Ubuntu 22.04 and is long-term support (LTS, until 2027), however, work is also being done to align the functionality of the main Linux Mint with its Debian version (LMDE), and the developers claim that significant progress has been made in this direction with 21.3, although the LMDE update will occur somewhat later. The goal is to achieve parity in functionality between both versions, ensuring that Linux Mint has a full 'Plan B' in case reliance on Ubuntu becomes unfeasible. Additionally, LMDE still allows installation of the distribution on 32-bit systems, which the mainstream Mint lost with Ubuntu's discontinuation of support for 32-bit builds.
The release is available in the traditional three variants (with Cinnamon, MATE, and Xfce by default). In line with tradition, Snap has been excluded from Linux Mint, and some key packages that underwent mandatory snapification in Ubuntu (like Chromium) have been reverted to the debian format.
Users of previous versions in the 21 series can upgrade through the standard mechanisms.
Source: linux.org.ru
