Linux Mint Forums

I switched from Ubuntu (Xubuntu 12) to LMDE under the assumption that since LMDE used rolling releases, packages would be more up-to-date. However, doing more research on the Debian release cycle brought me to the following understanding:

• Ubuntu pulls packages from Debian Unstable (sid) then tests and patches them for six months. This becomes an Ubuntu release.
• Deiban Testing (currently wheezy) contains packages older than those in sid, but newer than those in Stable. After it has been tested for several months, it is frozen and becomes Debian Stable.

The only thing that leaves me confused is how LMDE works. Since installing LMDE about a month ago, there have been almost no updates, and the updater has "Update Pack Info," which would lead me to believe that LMDE package updates are released all at once in update packs instead of as they come in. Is this the case? How often are update packs usually rolled out? Are packages for these packs retrieved from Debian Testing?

It rather looks as though you haven't yet read the LMDE FAQ, which appears as a sticky in the Tutorials/Howtos section of this forum. Of course it can't be guaranteed to answer every question you might have, but it seems like a good place to begin. There's plenty of stuff in there about how LMDE works, and how it relates to Debian.