Why no LMDE version of Mint based on Debian "stable"?

[Punchy71]

Greetings,
I like Linux Mint quite a bit (for now, anyway), and in theory I like Debian too, however, I have never successfully been able to install Debian myself. It's just too newbie/novice unfriendly as a whole. So I gave up on trying Debian years ago, so I don't know how easy it is to install, run and use on a daily basis nowadays. I see that the Mint community has a "LMDE" version of Mint based on Debian "testing". I do not understand why a newbie/novice friendly distro like Mint would be placed atop an unshaky, unstable base such as Debian "testing" and not placed on top of a more stable base like Debian "stable"? Can someone please explain to me why this was done?

Thanks

[xenopeek]

Ubuntu is based on Debian testing also (even unstable) so there isn't that much of a difference with the main edition of Linux Mint. Have a look at the life-cycle of a Debian release to understand what is what: http://debian-handbook.info/browse/stab ... cycle.html

Debian stable is an excellent choice for many scenarios, like for the computers on the International Space Station. But Debian testing is a fine choice for desktop users, balancing between usable stability and having more current versions of software. LMDE uses a practice called "update packs"; a set of updates collected from Debian testing at intervals of a few months, and tested as one set by the Linux Mint testing team and LMDE enthusiast users. These update packs mean updates come less frequently, and have gone through an additional cycle of integration testing before being rolled out to all LMDE users. This is intended to put stability a notch above barebones Debian testing.

All that said, yes from time to time the development team also considers Debian stable. There are only so many hours in a day though

[Bill_KY]

Since I have fairly extensive experience with various Debian versions and also LMDE let me comment. In my opinion switching LMDE over to Debian stable would not gain very much, if anything in terms of stability. The way the Mint team is handling its Debian Testing base seems highly effective. I have had no signs at all of any instabilities attributable to Testing probably because of the manner in which the Mint team vets upgrades before releasing them. In fact for people who just want to "install and go" it is hard to argue with LMDE.

If a person wants to be a bit more venturesome on a Debian foundation the latest antiX MX-14 is not a bad place to visit. Anticapitalista and friends have done some fine work. I like it and I run it along with Debian Testing and Slackware 14.1.

That said LMDE is the go-to distribution on this box and it manages GRUB2.