What is the base of Mint?

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Mr. Alex

What is the base of Mint?

Post by Mr. Alex »

I know that Mint is based on Ubuntu. Ubuntu is based on unstable thread of Debian code and software. Right? So Mint is like beta version of code for Debian but a bit modified?
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JoeFootball
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Re: What is the base of Mint?

Post by JoeFootball »

Have a read of the feature article in last week's DistroWatch. It really opened my eyes for where Linux Mint came from and what it is.

Joe
DrHu

Re: What is the base of Mint?

Post by DrHu »

From that distrowatch article, this is the main point about how Mint is developed..
CL: Linux Mint isn't just based on Ubuntu, it's fully compatible with it. Unlike what Canonical does with Debian, we do not fork the Ubuntu repositories or break compatibility with our base distribution. We use two technologies to make the most of our package base while remaining independent in our choices and the changes we want to implement: APT pinning (which is well-known to Debian users) and adjustments (which is a technology of our own). When we want something to act differently than it does in Ubuntu we can either maintain the package ourselves or dynamically tell our system to adjust the changes we require. Our repositories are given a higher priority than the other ones, ensuring that Linux Mint users pick the versions we maintain rather than the ones coming from upstream.
  • Upstream, in this case means Ubuntu
So, obviously Mint is saying it is a custom version derived from Ubuntu, while still being compatible
  • One assumes both in binary and source code format, which is different than Ubuntu-->they are only source code compatible with their Debian base (Upstream development)
Calling it a beta version of Ubuntu, diminishes Mint's contribution to the Linux world
--if you also watch distrowatch (if that is important to watch), you will find Mint is just behind Ubuntu as the most popularly reported Linux distribution running
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