Couple suggestions/features for Mint Update
Posted: Thu Jan 13, 2011 10:09 pm
I've used Linux on and off in the past and had Mint 10 (Ubuntu ver) on my laptop for the last few months before making the jump to the Debian edition the other day. I like how seamless the transition was (interface, programs) and I really prefer the Mint Update to the ones in other distributions.
With that said, I have a couple of thoughts about additions to Mint Update since it is pretty much the main gateway to updates and the Mint team is in total control of it.
1. Right now the updates are pulling from the testing repositories and to use the stable and/or squeeze files, it requires a manual edit of your sources.list file. Are there any plans in the future to offer an easy option to switch between the two either via a button or option in a menu? The reason I am saying this is there may be times where you are deploying this and want to keep a stable version locked down (business, school, kids computer) and the control of updates is in total control of the admin. The testing repositories, while up to date, are obviously not as reliable.
2. In addition to the option to switch between the two, say you want to go from one stable release to the next. For example when Squeeze comes out and is stable and done, when the next version is final and done, will there be an option in Mint Update to seek out the next fully stable release (either on the mint or Debian servers) and make the upgrade to that? In the sources.list file for example, it would change from the squeeze repository to the name of the next repository automatically. Can still have the rolling release functionality and Mint Update will do all the work in moving to each stable release.
3. The next big thing is the software selection on the Debian edition. When comparing to Ubuntu/Mint 10, the benefits of the PPA launchpad repositories are the latest versions of the files. Chromium is stuck on 6 (8 on Ubuntu), VLC is 1.1.3 (Ubuntu is 1.1.5), OpenShot is an older release, and there are no dedicated repositories for LibreOffice but there is a PPA for Ubuntu.
Since Mint has its roots in Ubuntu, are there plans for utilization of the PPA repositories and modifying the received files to work in Debian? If that doesn't work, maybe packages.linuxmint.com can maintain up to date versions of the files that Debian does not. Keeping software up to date is key and definitely a benefit of the Linux Mint 10 version.
These are a few things that came to mind from trying this out for the first time. I'm excited about the possibilities of Mint Update and getting the Debian up to speed with the Ubuntu variant.
With that said, I have a couple of thoughts about additions to Mint Update since it is pretty much the main gateway to updates and the Mint team is in total control of it.
1. Right now the updates are pulling from the testing repositories and to use the stable and/or squeeze files, it requires a manual edit of your sources.list file. Are there any plans in the future to offer an easy option to switch between the two either via a button or option in a menu? The reason I am saying this is there may be times where you are deploying this and want to keep a stable version locked down (business, school, kids computer) and the control of updates is in total control of the admin. The testing repositories, while up to date, are obviously not as reliable.
2. In addition to the option to switch between the two, say you want to go from one stable release to the next. For example when Squeeze comes out and is stable and done, when the next version is final and done, will there be an option in Mint Update to seek out the next fully stable release (either on the mint or Debian servers) and make the upgrade to that? In the sources.list file for example, it would change from the squeeze repository to the name of the next repository automatically. Can still have the rolling release functionality and Mint Update will do all the work in moving to each stable release.
3. The next big thing is the software selection on the Debian edition. When comparing to Ubuntu/Mint 10, the benefits of the PPA launchpad repositories are the latest versions of the files. Chromium is stuck on 6 (8 on Ubuntu), VLC is 1.1.3 (Ubuntu is 1.1.5), OpenShot is an older release, and there are no dedicated repositories for LibreOffice but there is a PPA for Ubuntu.
Since Mint has its roots in Ubuntu, are there plans for utilization of the PPA repositories and modifying the received files to work in Debian? If that doesn't work, maybe packages.linuxmint.com can maintain up to date versions of the files that Debian does not. Keeping software up to date is key and definitely a benefit of the Linux Mint 10 version.
These are a few things that came to mind from trying this out for the first time. I'm excited about the possibilities of Mint Update and getting the Debian up to speed with the Ubuntu variant.