14 DAY TRIAL // Linux Mint project leader Clement Lefebvre announced a few moments ago the release date of the beta version for the upcoming Linux Mint 19 "Tara" operating system series.
The developer published the monthly news of the project for May 2018, announcing that Linux Mint 19 will enter beta stages on Monday, June 4, 2018, when users will be able to download the Linux Mint 19 Beta ISO images with Cinnamon, MATE, and Xfce desktop environments and participate in the beta testing program. The final release of Linux Mint 19 "Tara" is expected at the end of June.
"All 3 editions of Linux Mint 19 (Cinnamon, MATE, Xfce) are currently in QA. The various bugs which were found were fixed and we’re expecting them to pass QA tomorrow. We’re planning the BETA release for Monday the 4th," wrote Clement Lefebvre in the monthly newsletter. "The BETA phase for Mint 19 will be longer than usual, with a stable release planned for the end of June."
Linux Mint 19 will be based on Ubuntu 18.04 LTS
Linux Mint 19 "Tara" will be a major release based on the Ubuntu 18.04 LTS (Bionic Beaver) operating system, which means that it'll come with numerous new features and improvements. Among some major highlights, Clement Lefebvre mentions the Cinnamon 3.8 desktop environment with a lot of components ported to Python 3, and the MATE 1.20 desktop environment with HiDPI support out-of-the-box.
Other noteworthy changes of Linux Mint 19 "Tara" include the removal of the GKSU sudo front-end and its replacement with pkexec, a new theme engine based on GTK+ 3.22, as well as the ability to raise the volume over the 100 percent limit in Cinnamon. Also, Linux Mint 19 switches to Mint-Y as default system theme and icon set, and Clement Lefebvre promises that this release won't collect any of your personal information or system data like Ubuntu does.