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Linux Mint project leader Clement Lefebvre revealed today the codename and some of the changes to expect in the next Linux Mint release, 21.1, which is planned for Christmas.
Linux Mint 21.1 has been codenamed “Vera” and it’s the first point release to Linux Mint 21 “Vanessa”, which means that it will be based on Ubuntu 22.04 LTS (Jammy Jellyfish) and powered by Linux kernel 5.15 LTS, and the same internal components as upstream.
While the internals will be pretty much unchanged, Linux Mint 21.1 “Vera” will come with improvements to the Driver Manager and Software Source in-house built tools. Software Sources has been updated to make it easier to handle PPA keys.
On the other hand, Driver Manager received more changes, such as the ability to run in user mode so it won’t ask you for your password when launched, proper support for Debconf, which comes as good news for NVIDIA users when SecureBoot enabled, as well as the ability to purge the configuration of removed drivers.
On top of that, Driver Manager will have an improved user interface with redesigned offline support, a new screen when a live USB stick is detected, and easier installation of Broadcom wireless drivers.
Also coming to Linux Mint 21.1 “Vera” is a new ISO verification tool, implemented in the right-click context menu, to make it easier to verify the integrity and authenticity of ISO images. The ISO Image Writer utility has been updated as well to include a “Verify” button for launching the new ISO verification tool.
Last but not least, Linux Mint 21.1 won’t feature the Home, Computer, Trash, and Network icons on the desktop. Clement Lefebvre explains the decision behind this move due to the fact that the Computer, Trash, and Network icons aren’t used as often and they can be accessed from the file manager, and the Home icon is already available as a launcher on the panel and a favorite item in the applications menu.
As mentioned before, the Linux Mint team plans to release Linux Mint 21.1 “Vera” near the Christmas holidays. Of course, this means that the beta version should arrive in early December or late November for public testing.
Last updated 2 years ago
