The team is proud to announce the release of LMDE 201204.

This release features three of the best Linux desktops available at the moment: The traditional and functional MATE 1.2 desktop, the innovative and beautiful Cinnamon 1.4 and the lightweight and rock-solid Xfce 4.8.

Both the MATE/Cinnamon and Xfce editions use the MDM display manager. MDM will look familiar to many people, as it brings back GDM 2.20 and all its features: Remote login, configuration tools, fast-user switching, theme-ability, language selection…etc.

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Highlights

MATE 1.2

Cinnamon 1.4

Xfce 4.8

MDM

Yahoo

Kernel 3.2

Update Pack 4

Hybrid ISO images

If you’re new to LMDE, welcome to Linux Mint Debian!

Screenshots



LMDE 201204 with MATE 1.2 (default environment)

LMDE 201204 with Cinnamon 1.4 (installed by default and available from the login screen)

LMDE 201204 Xfce

Important info

Login and password for the live session

The Live session should log you in automatically. If it doesn’t, or if you need to login manually (for instance, to try out Cinnamon), you can use the following credentials:

For the username, type “mint”

For the password, if asked, just press Enter.

LMDE in brief

Linux Mint Debian Edition (LMDE) is a semi-rolling distribution based on Debian Testing.

It’s available in both 32 and 64-bit as a live DVD with MATE/Cinnamon or Xfce.

The purpose of LMDE is to look identical to the main edition and to provide the same functionality while using Debian as a base.

FAQ

1. Is LMDE compatible with Ubuntu-based Linux Mint editions?

No, it is not. LMDE is compatible with Debian, which isn’t compatible with Ubuntu.

2. Is LMDE fully compatible with Debian?

Yes, 100%. LMDE is compatible with repositories designed for Debian Testing.

3. What is a semi-rolling distribution?

Updates are constantly fed to Debian Testing, where users experience frequent regressions but also frequent bug fixes and improvements. LMDE receives “Update Packs” which are tested snapshots of Debian Testing. Users can experience a more stable system thanks to update packs, or switch their sources to follow Testing, or even Unstable, directly to get more frequent updates.

4. How does LMDE compare to the Ubuntu-based editions?

Pros:

You don’t need to ever re-install the system. New versions of software and updates are continuously brought to you.

It’s faster and more responsive than Ubuntu-based editions.

Cons:

Although it’s using Romeo for unstable packages, LMDE continuously changes as it receives updates and new software. Compared to a frozen version of Linux Mint which changes very little once it’s publicly released, it’s not as stable. Things are likely to break more often but fixes can also come quicker. For this reason, LMDE requires a deeper knowledge and experience with Linux, dpkg and APT.

Debian is a less user-friendly/desktop-ready base than Ubuntu. Expect some rough edges.

Additional notes:

About the installer: The live installer is developed from scratch with Debian in mind. It’s configurable and it can be re-used by other Debian-based distributions. We noticed a lack in live technologies and in live Debian installers, so we’re happy to take the lead on this. If you’re a developer and you’re interested in using it, have a look at its source repository and don’t hesitate to contact us so we can help you fork it and merge upcoming changes between our two projects.

The live installer is developed from scratch with Debian in mind. It’s configurable and it can be re-used by other Debian-based distributions. We noticed a lack in live technologies and in live Debian installers, so we’re happy to take the lead on this. If you’re a developer and you’re interested in using it, have a look at its source repository and don’t hesitate to contact us so we can help you fork it and merge upcoming changes between our two projects. About the media: It comes as a liveDVD. Locales work differently in Debian and the package base requires more space.

It comes as a liveDVD. Locales work differently in Debian and the package base requires more space. Dedicated chat room: #linuxmint-debian is open to LMDE users on irc.spotchat.org.

Download links:

Torrents:

MD5 sums:

MATE/Cinnamon 32-bit: 0bf23559edbf2070174b60131472d715

MATE/Cinnamon 64-bit: b0f14c53576804729a464aeba9ab9574

Xfce 32-bit: b28a77924a4c8c71caeb063feae52395

Xfce 64-bit: e60aa12974616d86cca6a565a794b6ea

MATE/Cinnamon 32-bit:

MATE/Cinnamon 64-bit:

Xfce 32-bit:

Xfce 64-bit:

Enjoy!

We look forward to receiving your feedback. Thank you for using Linux Mint and have a lot of fun with this new release!