So LMDE should do the same and have the same version of GTK than Linux Mint main. This will be achieved by reducing the number of UP
I understand the dilemma created by the upstream GTK3. Yet, I think regularly scheduled UPs are a valid request.
While LMDE security updates are pushed at a reliable pace, non GTK related bug fixes are not and backports are not. For example,
desktop sharing is broken. This needs to be fixed for all versions of Mint, not just LMDE. Waiting 6 months to a year for bug fixes like this is a challenge to most users.
Regular UPs need not be comprehensive or huge. Just issued at a dependable pace. Not to mention that smaller UPs mean less likely to cause breakage.
The lure of LMDE is the semi-rolling nature. A pure rolling release is very time consuming to many users other than the geeks. Not to forget routine breakage that only the geeks handle well. A fixed stable release does indeed grow stale in the fast-paced world of free/libre software. Semi-rolling seems like a great sweet spot.
Regarding the well-known staleness of Debian Stable and LMDE following stable, UPs remain necessary for bug fixes and backporting popular apps, such as LibreOffice, GIMP, etc. Firefox and Thunderbird basically fall into the category of security updates nowadays. I could live with LMDE following Stable or following Testing at a very conservative pace. I think most users could too. Yet when discussions of UPs arise, I think a primary focus is the slowness of which popular apps are backported. For LMDE users the UPs are the preferred way of getting updated packages.
While Cinnamon is much affected by the upstream GTK3, Mate does not have that limitation. Right now we would all welcome a small UP that includes Mate 1.8. Hopefully soon after LM 17 is officially released.
