Ubuntu 12.04 LTS Desktop To Be Supported for Five Years

[Terryphi]

Will the next LTS Desktop version of Mint follow Ubuntu with support for five years? I hope so. Guaranteed Gnome 2 for five years would be great.

[barko]

Will the next LTS Desktop version of Mint follow Ubuntu with support for five years support? I hope so. Guaranteed Gnome 2 for five years would be great.

I doubt that. As much some of us want that the gnome 2 be still in active developtment, i believe gnome 2 is dead (such as we know it). Maybe the "Mate" fork of the gnome 2 will continue with some developtment (i hope so)...

[douglasawh]

Will the next LTS Desktop version of Mint follow Ubuntu with support for five years? I hope so. Guaranteed Gnome 2 for five years would be great.

Why do you GNOME2 will be in use in April? Did someone say that somewhere? I'm just waiting for Mint 12 myself. I have so many problems with the current version. I'm hoping the new version fixes the problems!

[Terryphi]

Will the next LTS Desktop version of Mint follow Ubuntu with support for five years? I hope so. Guaranteed Gnome 2 for five years would be great.

Why do you GNOME2 will be in use in April? Did someone say that somewhere? I'm just waiting for Mint 12 myself. I have so many problems with the current version. I'm hoping the new version fixes the problems!

Clem wrote on the Linux Mint Blog:

Linux Mint 12 “Lisa” will be released in November this year with continued support for Gnome 2 but also with the introduction of Gnome 3. The radical changes introduced by the Gnome project split the community. At the time of releasing Linux Mint 11 we decided it was too early to adopt Gnome 3. This time around, the decision isn’t as simple. Gnome 3.2 is more mature and we can see the potential of this new desktop and use it to implement something that can look and behave better than anything based on Gnome 2. Of course, we’re starting from scratch and this process will take time and span across multiple releases. Until then, it’s important we continue to support the traditional Gnome 2 desktop. We’re likely to release two separate editions, one for Gnome 2.32 and one for Gnome 3.2. We’re also working in cooperation with the MATE project (which is a fork of Gnome 2) at the moment to see if we can make both desktops compatible in an effort to let you run both Gnome 2 (or MATE) and Gnome 3 on the same system, either in Linux Mint 12, or for the future.

[craig10x]

Actually, since that post, Clem had replied to someone on one of the more recent anouncements that he is now working on extensions for gnome 3...i believe what he is trying to do is have gnome 3 for the "underbase" as it was with extensions that are now available in gnome 3.2 (which is the latest version of ubuntu 11.10) to modify it to the classic mint desktop....If this works out well, then we will have both of best worlds on mint 12...In that case, mint 12 will be gnome 3.2 with classic min desktop (not unity or shell)...

And this makes a lot more sense then trying to use forks of gnome 2 (like the mate project) or in some other way having to try to maintain both a gnome 2 base as well as adding in a gnome 3 base...it would simplify things greatly for both Clem and the mint users...

As far as the 5 year support question...since Mint 13 will be the same as the LTS Ubuntu release (12.04) then yes of course, it will have the same 5 years of support (hardware for first 2...security and bug fixes for the last 3 yrs)...

[proxima_centauri]

i believe what he is trying to do is have gnome 3 for the "underbase" as it was with extensions that are now available in gnome 3.2 (which is the latest version of ubuntu 11.10) to modify it to the classic mint desktop....If this works out well, then we will have both of best worlds on mint 12...In that case, mint 12 will be gnome 3.2 with classic min desktop (not unity or shell)...

To quickly clarify, the extensions Clem discussed are for gnome-shell.

[xenopeek]

5 year support is really welcome for a lot of people. Personally, I can't imagine being stuck with the same software for 5 years. But hey, installing is one of my hobbies

The latest mintCast episode had a great discussion on Linux Mint 12 development also. http://www.mintcast.org/2011/10/episode-87-in-which-we-announce-our-new-schedule/. Like proxima_centauri clarified, Clem is looking at using Gnome 3.2 Shell as a base and extend that to include the Linux Mint menu. But there should also be a Gnome 2 / Mate based Linux Mint 12. With Mate it is even possible to have Gnome 3.2 and Mate in the same base install, so only one Linux Mint 12 version would be needed and you could run Gnome 3.2 Shell or Mate for Gnome 2 as a session.

[MALsPa]

5 year support is really welcome for a lot of people. Personally, I can't imagine being stuck with the same software for 5 years.

I can see where it could be helpful. I had a spare machine that had Kubuntu Dapper on it. I didn't use it much but it wouldn't take newer distros when the kernels from something like 2.6.1x to 2.6.2x. Later kernels worked on it but that was a bit down the road. So I left Kubuntu Dapper on it, long after Dapper support ended. It was perfectly usable but was no longer getting updates; would have been nice to have had 5-year support in that situation.

But for my installations that I use all the time, I would still move Ubuntu to the next LTS every 2 years or so, I think. 5 years really is a long time!

[craig10x]

i follow what you are saying, guys...and i understand that since gnome 3.2 default is gnome shell of course, wouldn't the extensions enable Clem to customize the shell into the familiar linux mint desktop (which means panel on bottom with mint menu) and not have the "side docky" like gnome shell has as standard?

i assumed that is what Clem meant as it wouldn't make much sense to just add mint menu and still have the side docky as well...
of course, he could also have the option available to just use gnome 3 with it's standard shell (which means panel on top and side docky)....

and if he could do that...would you still really NEED to have gnome 2 fork such as "mate"?

PS: note to malspa...i was thinking of going that "route" myself...in other words, instead of re-installing every 6 months...go on a LTS cycle of just LTS editions every 2 years...not quite like have a rolling distro (lol) but at least it would mean less installs...and yet...i'd still get 100% of all updates for that two year period...
any programs i like to get newest applications for, i could always add some ppas (like for Chromium and Pidgin for example)...

[xenopeek]

and if he could do that...would you still really NEED to have gnome 2 fork such as "mate"?

Hopefully not, but the thinking seems to be "don't be too hasty." I.e., there might still be problems with Gnome 3.x, or people who either don't want to migrate from 2.x yet, or due to some incompatibility with some software can't yet. Once Gnome 3.x has been proven in the field, so to speak, I'm sure the Linux Mint base will be evaluated again. For version 12, both those who want to run Gnome 3.x and those who want to stay on Gnome 2.x should be well serviced with Linux Mint

[MALsPa]

PS: note to malspa...i was thinking of going that "route" myself...in other words, instead of re-installing every 6 months...go on a LTS cycle of just LTS editions every 2 years...not quite like have a rolling distro (lol) but at least it would mean less installs...and yet...i'd still get 100% of all updates for that two year period...
any programs i like to get newest applications for, i could always add some ppas (like for Chromium and Pidgin for example)...

Yeah, with Ubuntu and Mint, I've been sticking with LTS versions only for some time now, even though I do have Ubuntu 11.04 installed on one machine. Works out well. Just seems to me that following the 6-month release cycle is more hassle than it's worth.

[craig10x]

It sounds like for Mint 12 there is a good chance it will be combined into an edition in which you would have the choice of going into gnome 2 desktop through "mate" (with a mint desktop) or gnome 3 shell with it's standard layout of top panel and side "docky"...

However, Clem has also mentioned about working with gnome 3 extensions...so what i am not to clear about is...would it be likely there would be a classic mint desktop available on gnome 3 shell using extensions...or just the mint menu added to the standard gnome shell layout which has the side "docky"....
This is the part i am confused about...and hasn't really been explained by Clem...

Also...are those gnome 3.2 extensions reliable and smooth working?

[xenopeek]

However, Clem has also mentioned about working with gnome 3 extensions...so what i am not to clear about is...would it be likely there would be a classic mint desktop available on gnome 3 shell using extensions...or just the mint menu added to the standard gnome shell layout which has the side "docky"....
This is the part i am confused about...and hasn't really been explained by Clem...

Well, we'll get to see in a few weeks I highly doubt it is going to be something useless like adding just the Mint Menu button to Gnome Shell...

Also...are those gnome 3.2 extensions reliable and smooth working?

A lot of work is still needed. As I understand from Clem's comments on the blog, the Gnome 2 Mint software has to be rewritten from scratch for Gnome 3 Shell. There are a lot of extensions out there. GeneC, on the forums, has commented he is running Gnome 3 with extensions and it is running fine (in fact, he doesn't want to go back to Gnome 2 ).

[craig10x]

I think i can understand how GeneC feels, vincent....i've been running in live dvd of ubuntu 11.10 for a few days i have to tell you...gnome 3 underbase seems fabulous...better then gnome 2...it is very fast and smooth and almost like a whole new experience...I even got use to unity, believe it or not
It's actually not as bad as i thought i would be and actually quite usuable and has been improved a lot since 11.04's version of it...

However it certainly would be awesome if in Mint 12, you would have the option on running Gnome 3.2 WITH the Classic Mint Desktop together as a package

[Drogo]

I think the whole 5 year support thing is great. Shuttleworth says he's doing it to promote Ubuntu on corporate desktops, where fewer update roll-outs are preferred. I've been waiting for the next LTS of Ubuntu to be Minted up for ages!

I think a major selling point of Mint is the theming. Sure, it's got Flash etc, but it's the way the desktop layout and colours are really logical and consistent through the forks (LXDE etc). If Gnome 3 can be properly Minted (ie logically themed for consistency) there's no reason it won't work.

[KBD47]

I'll be curious to see how many non-business users go this route. I admit I'm considering going LTS next Spring, perhaps a dual-boot of Mint and Xubuntu LTS on my netbook, 5 years would probably be the life of, or longer than the life of my netbook. It is nice to have a computer set up the way you want it and be able to leave it that way.
KBD47

[truexfan81]

I'll be curious to see how many non-business users go this route. I admit I'm considering going LTS next Spring, perhaps a dual-boot of Mint and Xubuntu LTS on my netbook, 5 years would probably be the life of, or longer than the life of my netbook. It is nice to have a computer set up the way you want it and be able to leave it that way.
KBD47

It is nice to have a computer set up the way you want it and be able to leave it that way.

agreed, thats why i'm sticking with mint 9 until it reaches end of life, after that i will switch to whatever the next mint LTS release is

[w2ibc]

granted im on LM11. but in general i rather have LTS. I find LTS seem to be more stable then regular versions (maybe its just me idk) so a 5 year LTS is good I think.