next major release?

[specmod0]

when will the next major release be? or ISO update?

[Carl]

when will the next major release be? or ISO update?

Depends what you mean by major? there's still the "other" editions of Linux Mint to come: KDE(1), XFCE(2), Fluxbox, LXDE, and then there's the update to the LMDE installer which is happening in December(3), other then that the next release of the gnome variant of Linux Mint will happen sometime after Ubuntu 11.04 "Natty Narwhall" which will be released on the 28th April 2011(4)

Also as a side note once an ISO has been approved and released it is usually not updated at all unless for some reason it's defective or there's one hell of a show stopping cracker of a bug

[randomizer]

But in the case of LMDE it is going to get updated, because if it doesn't then we'll get to a point where as soon as you install it you need to download more than an ISO's worth of updates out of the box.

[Epipsychidion]

Yeah, whilst I've been using LMDE now for a little while (evaluating so as to decide whether to swap to it). My biggest hope is that in the new installer the option to install to encrypted LVM volumes. Here's hoping!

[Carl]

But in the case of LMDE it is going to get updated, because if it doesn't then we'll get to a point where as soon as you install it you need to download more than an ISO's worth of updates out of the box.

That's a good point

I presume LMDE is a special case being on the "experimental" side...

[Aging Technogeek]

LMDE is an experimental release as well as a rolling release. Either of these situations would mean that LMDE will not necessarily follow the standard 6 month release cycle.

Rolling releases normally only have major new version releases every two or three years. They are kept up to date via the update mechanism for that release (for LMDE this is mintUpdate).

As an experimental release, LMDE was developed and is maintained in clem and ikey's "spare time" and there probably will not be even the possibility of a new release until after the last Mint 10 standard releases are all done - maybe not until after Mint 11 is released.

[rtrev]

Rolling releases normally only have major new version releases every two or three years. They are kept up to date via the update mechanism for that release (for LMDE this is mintUpdate).

I thought that the point of a rolling release is that we don't have any new version releases? It just keeps rolling along, without any arbitrary new versions being declared?

Of course they'd need to update the ISO periodically, for the reasons given above, but new "versions"? Perhaps I misunderstand what is meant by a rolling distribution.

[Aging Technogeek]

Even rolling release distros release new versions every so often. As apps are updated and dependencies change, it eventually becomes difficult to keep a rolling release up to date via upgrades to the existing OS, so a new version is released to make the updating simpler. This tends to happen every 2-3 years or less often.

[rtrev]

Even rolling release distros release new versions every so often. As apps are updated and dependencies change, it eventually becomes difficult to keep a rolling release up to date via upgrades to the existing OS, so a new version is released to make the updating simpler. This tends to happen every 2-3 years or less often.

Thanks, I didn't know that. So I gather that one could say that a rolling release is one for which a new version is only released when there's no way around it, as opposed to it being on some fixed schedule.

[gotjazz]

yeah well that doesn't mean there aren't updated isos so you don't have to pull in quite as many updates after installing.

Also didn't clem mention somewhere that there was going to be a new lmde iso in december? Been lookiung forward to that...

[rtrev]

yeah well that doesn't mean there aren't updated isos so you don't have to pull in quite as many updates after installing.

Seems like LMDE might be the perfect candidate for a minimal netinst CD. Each install downloads only the current packages.

Also didn't clem mention somewhere that there was going to be a new lmde iso in december? Been lookiung forward to that...

I'm not sure who said it, but I've repeatedly heard about a new December release which brings LMDE up to parity with all the other Mint versions in terms of features.

Personally, I think LMDE might be Mint's future, and deserves lots of TLC.

[gotjazz]

ah - at the bottom of http://blog.linuxmint.com/?p=1579

Coming up, we’re getting close to a stable release of Linux Mint 10 early November, a second LMDE release with the same features and an improved installer in December. Work also started on the other editions and we’ll have more news about them in the coming days.

[rtrev]

ah - at the bottom of http://blog.linuxmint.com/?p=1579

Coming up, we’re getting close to a stable release of Linux Mint 10 early November, a second LMDE release with the same features and an improved installer in December. Work also started on the other editions and we’ll have more news about them in the coming days.

Good find. Is it me, or is the wording of this a bit ambiguous? "a second LMDE release with the same features and an improved installer"

The same features as what? As Mint 10? Or as the current LMDE? I could read it either way. An improved installer is good, but I'm not even certain I'd want it to have the same features as Mint 10. Part of the reason LMDE is popular is that it feels lean and mean, because it doesn't have all of those "features." I particularly hope they can steer clear of ureadahead and plymouth. A nice "Loading, please wait.." looks so clean and nice after what I consider the amateurish look of plymouth.

Ah well, I'm sure Clem knows what he's doing!

[specmod0]

when the next ubuntu comes out with that new desktop.... a lot of people are going to be flooding over here..

[jesica]

yes Clem said he will bring out a new LMDE in December

[TBABill]

Thank goodness! I just reinstalled LMDE over the weekend...time to kill and wanted to give it another go...and it took a long time to download all those updates. I believe there were somewhere around 650 files. A new iso will surely help cut down on that, but as has been stated, once Ubuntu comes out with its next release there could be a flood of newcomers. 10.10 looks good but is so buggy that many are either back on 10.04 or moving onto other distros. Familiarity makes Mint a great first stop, plus it also has a great community.

I'm keeping my hopes up for the 64 bit release whenever Clem and team have it ready.