Tuxedo OS is a Linux distro that is based on Ubuntu LTS, but running Plasma as the desktop environment. Tuxedo OS is somewhat unique in that it pulls the entire KDE stack from KDE Neon, making it a semi-rolling release distro. While the underlying base is stable Ubuntu, Plasma and the KDE apps are regularly updated, as are the kernel and graphics drivers. Unlike KDE Neon, however, the Tuxedo team does extra testing to ensure a smooth experience for users.

Roughly two months after the release of Plasma 6, the Tuxedo team’s testing and integration is complete and the distro now defaults to Plasma 6.

On 28 February 2024, the KDE project released Plasma 6, a rock-solid release with sensible changes. We have integrated Plasma 6 into TUXEDO OS for you over several weeks and tested it extensively so that it now acts as the updated desktop environment for TUXEDO OS.

As part of the upgrade, Wayland is now the default display server, instead of the aging X11. For users whose workflows are not yet compatible with Wayland, Tuxedo OS still includes X11 and users can easily select it at the login screen.

Users downloading and installing a fresh installation of Tuxedo OS will automatically have Plasma 6. Existing users will be prompted by a notification giving them the option to upgrade. For more detailed upgrade instructions, please see this article.

We reviewed Tuxedo OS as part of our Linux Distro Reviews series and found the OS to be the best KDE Plasma experience of any we had reviewed, both on Tuxedo and non-Tuxedo hardware. The distro’s unique approach of buliding on a stable base, while still offering a well-tested, up-to-date KDE experience is hard to beat. The fact that Tuxedo OS is part of the Ubuntu/Debian ecosystem also ensures users have the widest array of available software.

Individuals wanting a trouble-free KDE Plasma experience should give the latest Tuxedo OS a spin.

Why Two Flavors of Mint

Mainline Linux Mint and LMDE are both excellent distros. While Linux Mint collectively is often referred to as a ‘new user distro,’ in reality, Linux Mint is one of the few distros that is equally adept at serving the needs of new and experienced users.

The mainline Linux Mint is based on Ubuntu LTS. As of the time of writing, Linux Mint 21.x is based on Ubuntu 22.04 LTS. Within the next couple of weeks, however, Ubuntu 24.04 LTS will be released. It usually takes the Mint team a couple of months to rebase on the new Ubuntu release, meaning we should see Linux Mint 22 around June or July.

In contrast, LMDE—as the name implies—is based on Debian. As of the time of writing, LMDE 6 is based on the latest Debian 12 Bookworm. Like Ubuntu LTS, there is usually a Debian release every two years or so, with the newest version of LMDE following suit a couple of months later. LMDE 6 was released in September 2023, just a couple of months after Debian 12. LMDE 7 will be based on Debian 13, likely in mid-2025.

LMDE was originally conceived as a fallback plan for the Mint team in the event that something happened to Ubuntu. LMDE essentially gives the team an insurance policy, ensuring they will always be able to deliver the experience users have grown accustomed to.

In addition, making Cinnamon and the various X Apps work on LMDE services as a compatibility test, ensuring the various parts of the Mint ecosystem can be easily used on other distros.

Misconceptions

Before moving on to how the two version of Mint compare, let’s get a couple of misconceptions out of the way.

• LMDE is not a rolling release distro. When it was first launched, LMDE was a rolling release, but that is no longer the case. Nowadays, LMDE is based on Debian Stable.
• LMDE is not behind Debian Stable. Throughout a release’s lifecycle, Debian will release minor point updates that include a number of security and bug fixes, such as 12.1, 12.2, 12.3, etc. In reality, these only impact the ISO image you download and install. In contrast, LMDE 6 will remain LMDE 6 until LMDE 7 comes out. When installing LMDE 6, you will have the version that was released the day LMDE 6 was publicly released. However, as soon as you run your first system update, you will receive all the updates, security patches, and bug fixes that come from upstream Debian. In other words, as soon as you run the first system update, your LMDE 6 will be the equivalent of whatever the latest point release of Debian is—Debian 12.5 at the time of writing—just as would happen if you installed an older point release ISO of Debian and then updated it.

How the Two Compare

In point of fact, mainline Mint and LMDE are so similar that it’s easier to discuss the ways they are different. Bear in mind that I have extensively tested both versions on a Tuxedo Pulse laptop, designed specifically for Linux, as well as a 2019 HP with a problematic network card.

Kernel Manager and Driver Manager

Two of the hallmark features of mainline Mint are the Kernel Manager and Driver Manager, graphical tools to install and activate a different kernel, or to install hardware-specific drivers.

LMDE does not have either of these tools since both are based on underlying Ubuntu tools. As a result, accomplishing the same thing in LMDE requires using the Synaptic package manager or the Terminal.

Hardware Support

Debian made great strides toward closing the gap with Ubuntu’s hardware support by including non-free drivers in version 12. As a result, there’s never been a better time to use a Debian-based distro since it now works out-of-the-box with hardware that requires extra work with previous versions.

Despite this, Ubuntu still has a lead in hardware support. There are few, if any, distros that do more to make sure they work with various hardware than Ubuntu, and it shows.

I have found this to be the case in my testing. For example, in my home office I use an old HP inkjet printer that is immediately recognized over the network by both Linux Mint and LMDE. However, an HP laser printer that I frequently used is only recognized by Linux Mint. I have not been able to get LMDE to see it. With more effort, I’m sure I would eventually, but it’s telling that Linux Mint sees it OOTB.

Kernels, Graphics Drivers, and Apps

Ubuntu and Debian have very different philosophies about managing a release, differences that have a direct impact on the editions of Mint.

In the case of Debian, once a version is released, that version is essentially frozen in time. The only updates it will receive during its two-year cycle are security patches and some bug fixes. Everything else, including the kernel and graphics drivers, will remain on the same major version as the day of release, and will only be upgraded to a new version when the next Debian version is released.

In contrast, Ubuntu has its Hardware Enablement Stack (HWE), which updates the LTS version’s kernel and graphics drivers every six months. As a result, the LTS versions receive nice performance improvements throughout the life of the release. In addition, Ubuntu updates some applications throughout the life of an LTS, something Debian doesn’t do.

For example, at the time of writing, LMDE is running kernel 6.1.x and Mesa 22.3.6. When Linux Mint 21 was released, it was running kernel 5.15 and Mesa 20.05. By the time Mint 21.3 was released—still based on Ubuntu 22.04—kernel 6.5.x was available, and Mesa was upgraded to version 23.0.4.

Some of these differences can be mitigated to a degree. For example, using Flatpaks can help both distros—but especially LMDE—have the latest versions of apps. Similarly, using Debian backports, which are enabled in LMDE, can provide a newer kernel.

In the case of the Mesa graphics stack, however, there is simply no good way to update it on LMDE or the Debian Stable it is based on. Again, this can be mitigated to a degree by using Flatpak for any apps that would benefit from an updated graphics stack since Flatpak includes its own dependencies and is often up-to-date with the latest versions.

PPA Support

PPAs are a popular way to get specific software, or newer versions, within the Ubuntu ecosystem. For example, Ubuntu and Linux Mint users who want the absolute latest Mesa drivers can add the Kisak PPA to their system and have the latest, bleeding-edge version.

While some PPAs may work on Debian and LMDE, it’s not a recommended way to install software on a Debian-based system, and it can easily break your installation.

Support Period

The provided length of support is another difference between the two versions of Mint.

Being based on Ubuntu LTS, mainline Mint comes with five years of support. In contrast, LMDE provides roughly a year of support after the release of a new version. Since a new version is released approximately every two years, LMDE comes with roughly three years of support, although it can be less in some cases.

Which Should You Choose?

In many ways, choosing between Linux Mint and LMDE is difficult because the two distros are so similar. Here is a list of reasons that may factor into your decision.

Dislike of Ubuntu

Despite everything Ubuntu has done over the years to advance the Linux desktop, there are a vocal percentage of Linux users that have a strong dislike for Ubuntu. Some of this stems from Ubuntu’s parent Canonical pushing technologies and then unceremoniously abandoning; insisting on promoting Snaps, an alternative to Flatpak; or missteps Canonical made years ago, such as setting up an affiliate program with Amazon search.

In reality, this is the least important reason to discount mainline Linux Mint because the Mint team mitigates nearly all of Ubuntu’s bad decisions. Take Snap as an example. Mint includes the more accepted Flatpaks instead of Snaps and implements measures to ensure a user doesn’t accidentally install them.

That doesn’t mean the Mint team mitigates everything Canonical does. For example, installing the Microsoft fonts package on Linux Mint includes the ubuntu-advantage-tools as a dependency, meaning users will see a message promoting Ubuntu Pro in the Terminal. This can largely be mitigated by grabbing the Microsoft fonts installer from the Debian servers since that version has no such dependencies.

This example, however, highlights the relatively minor impact Ubuntu’s decisions have on Mint. Lead developer Clément (Clem) Lefèbvre has made clear his belief that—at least at this time—the advantages Ubuntu brings to the table far outweigh any disadvantages.

I’ve nothing bad to say about 22.04. I hope Ubuntu continues to be as good going forward and doesn’t neglect its APT package base. If we don’t have a reason to transition we won’t. Ubuntu is still the best APT package base out there in our opinion. LMDE is there as a potential solution, but it is not a goal in itself.

While dislike of Ubuntu—or commercial distros in general—may be the least important reason, it is still a valid reason for someone to choose LMDE over Linux Mint.

LMDE’s Fewer Updates

Because it is based on Debian, LMDE has far fewer updates than Linux Mint. For users who want to update as little as possible, LMDE would be the preferred option.

Entrenched In Debian’s Ecosystem

Some users are long-time Debian users and are well-entrenched in the Debian ecosystem. They may be running servers that are powered by Debian, or have other computers running the distro.

For individuals like these, and especially fans of Cinnamon, LMDE is a perfect compliment. Under the hood, LMDE is Debian, just with updated Cinnamon and X App included. Whereas, like all its other packages, it will use the same version of Cinnamon throughout its lifecycle, LMDE receives updates to Cinnamon and the X Apps every six months when a point release of mainline Mint is released.

Newer Hardware and Gaming

Because Linux Mint benefits from Ubuntu’s HWE stack, it is generally a much better choice for users with newer hardware, or for those who want to optimize their gaming experience, since newer kernels and Mesa drivers have a direct impact.

As stated above, it is possible to install a newer kernel in LMDE, but there is no good way to install a newer Mesa version. While this can be partially mitigated by using Flatpak, some games and gaming services don’t run as well as a Flatpak.

To illustrate the point, YouTuber and former professional gamer A1RM4X took mainline Mint, upgraded the kernel and Mesa stack, and found that performance was roughly on par with the best rolling release distros—a result that would be difficult to achieve with LMDE.

Mint Team’s Main Focus

Not to be underestimated is which distro is the Mint team’s main focus: Linux Mint. As Clem stated above, “LMDE is there as a potential solution, but it is not a goal in itself.”

While LMDE is an incredibly capable distro and one of my personal favorites, there are times when its “potential solution” status shines through.

For example, LMDE 6 has a bug in the network notification dialog. Whenever you join or disconnect from a network, a notification dialog displays. There is an option to ‘Never display this again,’ but it doesn’t work on LMDE 6. Despite this being reported for months, it has never been fixed since it’s an upstream Debian 12 bug. In fact, the fix only recently was provided on a third-party site which was announced on the Linux Mint Discord server. One can’t help but wonder if the Mint team might have offered a solution much faster if this bug was impacting the mainline edition, which 88.8% of Linux Mint users are on.

This is not meant in any way as a negative point against the Linux Mint team. As Clem said, LMDE “is not a goal in itself.” The team’s main focus is mainline Linux Mint. As a result, users who want the most supported experience should use the mainline edition, while those who want an outstanding distro that may require a bit more knowledge and self-sufficiency may find LMDE more to their liking.

What the Future Holds

Despite the Mint team’s commitment to Ubuntu as the base, the day may come when that is no longer an option. Ubuntu has been increasingly switching to Snaps over native packages, with 24.04 slated to replace Thunderbird and the CUPS printing stack with Snaps.

Clem has indicated that the team is watching this trend closely, as he stated in the July 2023 blog post.

Last but not least we’re keeping an eye on Ubuntu, their increased focus on Snap, the quality of their 24.04 package base and what this means for us going forward.

At this point, it’s safe to say that Linux Mint 22 will be based on Ubuntu 24.04. As long as Canonical doesn’t make any drastic changes, future versions of Linux Mint will likely continue to be based on Ubuntu LTS, and LMDE will remain a fallback plan.

The fact is, it’s easier to de-Snapify the occasional package from Ubuntu than bring all of Ubuntu’s advantages to Debian.

As Clem stated, however, the Mint team will be watching Ubuntu 24.04 closely, meaning we’ll have more long-term indications of the team’s plans once Mint 22 drops.

Two Solid Choices

At the end of the day, Linux Mint and LMDE are two of the finest Linux distros available, offering an outstanding experience for users of all experience levels.

As with most things in life, you should analyze what is important to you in a computing experience, consider the above points, and make the decision that’s best for your circumstances.

Either way…you can’t go wrong.

Final Note: What Do I Use?

For me personally, LMDE is my distro of choice. While mainline Linux Mint would easily be my second choice, there are things I like and prefer about LMDE. One of those is an Ubuntu-free experience. As mentioned above, the Mint team does an admirable job undoing most of Canonical’s bad decisions, but there are a couple that still impact my specific workflow.

In addition, I am a big fan of community distros, rather than corporate ones. In the case of LMDE, it is a community distro built on one of the oldest community distros in existence.

Finally, I appreciate the renowned stability and security of a Debian-based distro, while still receiving regular updates to the desktop environment and core apps.

All of this makes LMDE the perfect distro for me.

Pop!_OS (Pop or Pop OS from here on, because that spelling is horrible) is a popular distro based on Ubuntu and designed specifically for System76’s hardware. Like any distro, however, Pop can be installed on any computer compatible with Linux and used by countless people who have never owned a System76 laptop.

What Sets Pop OS Apart

What sets Pop apart from all the others in a world of Ubuntu derivatives and clones? In our Linux Distro Reviews series, Pop OS scored one of our highest scores thanks to several important features:

• Being based on Ubuntu gives Pop the best-in-class compatibility that Ubuntu provides.
• The distro is a semi-rolling release distro. While the core system and apps are based on Ubuntu, and therefore change little between major versions, the Linux kernel, Mesa graphics drivers, and select apps are updated regularly. This gives Pop OS an edge in performance and helps it be compatible with the most recent hardware.
• System76 removes Ubuntu’s Snaps from Pop, including the more commonly used Flatpak.

While those benefits are enough to make Pop OS stand out, the desktop experience is its true headliner feature.

The Current COSMIC Desktop Environment

Unlike other distros that use KDE Plasma, GNOME, Cinnamon, Xfce, or something else, Pop OS uses its own desktop environment (DE): COSMIC. To be clear, in its current incarnation, COSMIC is a heavily—with an emphasis on heavily—modified GNOME.

GNOME is the most widely used DE on Linux, although it has nearly as many detractors as fans. While beautiful, modern, and relatively stable, the DE is minimalist, eliminating basic things like a taskbar or dock, maximizing and minimizing windows, desktop icons, and more. All of these can be added via extensions, but the extensions break with each new version of GNOME and generally can result in less stability.

In contrast, while preserving much of GNOME’s modern look and feel, COSMIC maintains common desktop paradigms, making it easier for new users to adapt to. System76 achieves this through extensive use of extensions, modifying GNOME into something that can hardly be called GNOME anymore.

Even more impressive, COSMIC is the only true tiling desktop available on Linux. Like a dedicated tiling window manager, COSMIC includes automatic tiling features that can be activated or deactivated by the user.

Given the level of customization the Pop team has put into COSMIC, it’s easy to see why continuing to build on GNOME is not an ideal solution.

The Next Version of COSMIC

In late 2021, System76 devs shared their plans to create an all-new COSMIC, written entirely in Rust. This would give System76 the ability to be in full control of the DE’s development—rather than be dependent on GNOME—and continue evolving it ways that would otherwise not be possible.

Over the last couple of years, System76 has continued to reveal details about its COSMIC development, with the company nearing an alpha release. While the original alpha was planned for the end of March, the company delayed it to late May in the interest of releasing a more complete experience. Originally, the COSMIC alpha would only have included the DE itself, still relying on GNOME apps. Because development has proceeded much faster than the team anticipated, the company is now shooting for late May with an alpha that will include the DE and all the basic apps one would expect, such as a text editor, file manager, and more.

We won’t go into all the features that are included in the upcoming COSMIC, as there is already a plethora of articles and videos that cover COSMIC’s development. In addition, we will be doing a full, deep-dive review once it is available.

The purpose of this article is to predict how the Linux desktop space will be impacted by yet another DE entering the market.

Why COSMIC Is So Important

As stated earlier, Gnome is the most popular Linux DE. Gnome benefits from being the default DE for Ubuntu, Fedora, SUSE, and many other distros.

KDE Plasma comes in a close second, taking a diametrically opposite approach to Gnome. Plasma excels at being THE most powerful DE on any platform, offering a slew of customization options.

Xfce is usually considered the third-place choice, with Cinnamon coming in fourth. After Cinnamon, there are a number of options, including Budgie, Deepen, Pantheon, LXQT, and others.

COSMIC’s entry into the DE market represents a major shift in several ways:

• COSMIC does not use GTK or Qt. KDE Plasma and LXQT both use the Qt UI toolkit, while Gnome and nearly every other DE uses GTK. In contrast, being Rust-based, COSMIC uses Iced. This makes COSMIC one of the only DEs that is not at the mercy of decisions made by GTK developers or Qt.
• COSMIC does Gnome…but better. Gnome’s appeal is is its simplicity and reliability. Unfortunately, Gnome often takes its simplicity too far, eschewing basic desktop functionality that has been at the core of personal computing for decades, forcing users to install extensions to bring that functionality back.
• COSMIC’s Rust underpinnings promise to bring a level of performance and security other DEs, especially JavaScript-based ones like Gnome, may struggle to compete with.
• System76’s devs seem open to working with the larger community. In contrast, Gnome devs often have the reputation of being a bit prickly. There’s a reason that roughly half a dozen DEs that are all forked off of Gnome. Many projects like the benefits Gnome brings but want something that isn’t quite as limited.

The Fun Part: Predicting What Happens Next

If System76 is able to deliver on COSMIC’s promise, where does that leave the Linux DE space?

I’m going to go out on a limb and predict that 2024 will see Gnome drop from its spot as the most popular Linux DE.

To be fair, we don’t believe COSMIC will replace Gnome as the top DE. We do, however, believe that COSMIC will pull enough users away from Gnome to catapult KDE Plasma to the top spot. While COSMIC will likely take a fair amount of users away from Plasma as well, Plasma still offers a level of power and customization that COSMIC doesn’t provide…at least not yet.

Some of the lesser-used DEs, such as Budgie, will likely experience a loss of users as well. Budgie is already very similar to Gnome. In fact, it is possible to largely replicate Budgie’s workflow within Gnome using extensions. Once COSMIC arrives, essentially providing everything that Budgie—and its parent Gnome—can while also providing much more, users may opt for the all-in-one option that still provides the same general aesthetic and better performance.

As 2024 progresses, I believe the Linux DE rankings will look something like this:

• KDE Plasma
• Gnome
• COSMIC
• Xfce
• Cinnamon

Going into 2025, we believe it is entirely possible that COSMIC could eventually surpass Gnome and take the second spot, driven by wider adoption by distributions outside of Pop OS. For example, Fedora is already exploring launching a COSMIC Fedora Spin, and the DE is already on NixOS and Arch.

Overall, COSMIC’s entry represents one of the most exciting developments in the Linux DE space in years. System76’s laser focus on delivering a fast, stable, beautiful, and customizable option could result in the Goldilocks of Linux DEs.

StatCounter reports that Linux now has 4.03% of the desktop market, as of February 2024, up from 3.77% in January.

Linux made headlines in mid-2023 when it crossed the 3% mark for desktop market share for the first time in its history. The Linux kernel was originally released in 1991, meaning the operating system took just under 32 years to reach 3% desktop share.

The fact that Linux managed to gain another percentage point just eight months later underscores Linux’s rising popularity. As we highlighted last year, there are a number of factors boosting Linux adoption, including the popularity of the Steam Deck, Windows 11’s unpopularity, and Windows 10’s impending abandonment.

Given that Linux is free, open-source, private, secure, powerful, and efficient, it’s good to see if finally gaining the market share it deserves.

Those interested in making the switch to Linux can learn more in our Linux Distro Reviews series.

Wayland is a display protocol designed to replace X11. The majority of actively developed Linux desktop environments are in the process of adding Wayland support, with KDE and Gnome having made the most progress. Xfce has been working on its own efforts to adopt the protocol, with 4.20 slated to have preliminary support, according to the project’s wiki.

For Xfce 4.20, the plan is, to add preliminary support to Wayland to core components without losing X11 support. This doesn’t mean that by the next major release an Xfce session on Wayland will offer all existing features, but we hope it will be minimally usable. We also intend to continue refining our applications to work acceptably on Wayland (those that already work or can be made to work with low effort).

With KDE and Gnome both pushing to make Wayland the default as soon as possible, users whose workflows still rely on X11 will no doubt find comfort in Xfce’s plan to continue supporting X11 for the time being.

In Part 1 of this review, we looked at openSUSE’s background, its openQA-provided stability, outstanding installer, choice of desktop environments, and its security. All of these are significant advantages of the distro. Unfortunately, security is also where openSUSE’s disadvantages begin to shine through.

Disclaimer: Some will say the following points are too critical of openSUSE since it’s a more technical distro and not necessarily aimed at desktop users. Nonetheless, openSUSE’s own website says it is: “The makers’ choice for sysadmins, developers and desktop users.” Therefore, my final rating will reflect the distro’s ability to meet the needs of all three of those categories.

Too Much Security?

Security is only a good thing if it’s not so restrictive that people begin disabling features for the sake of convenience, and this is where openSUSE’s disadvantages begin to shine through.

Of all the distros that I have tried to date (Fedora, Manjaro, openSUSE, KDE Neon, Pop!_OS, Kubuntu, and Zorin OS), openSUSE’s security policies are by far the most restrictive. Want to adjust your network settings? You’ll need to enter your password. Want to install a Flatpak app? You’ll need to enter your password. Change your timezone? Enter your password.

What’s more, the default firewall settings are so strict that printer discovery doesn’t work out of the box. To be clear, every single other distro I’ve tried automatically discovers my HP printer on my network and lets me print without installing any additional drivers.

In contrast, openSUSE cannot even discover the printer without changing the firewall profile from the default ‘Public’ to ‘Home,’ or adding the mDNS service to the ‘Public’ profile. Even when making sure mDNS is enabled, openSUSE still requires “hplip” software/driver package installed.

Is it possible to overcome these issues? Yes. But many people, especially less technical users, give up before figuring out how to jump through all these hoops. In fact, a quick look at openSUSE’s Reddit will reveal that two common solutions to printing on openSUSE are a) disable the firewall altogether or b) “don’t print on openSUSE.” Seriously…I have seen that advice multiple times…”don’t print on openSUSE.”

The issues with printing on openSUSE are irritating enough that Linux creator Linus Torvalds famously dumped openSUSE and switched to Fedora because printing was just too hard to bother with. Fans of the distro will point out that it has gotten better since that day…but it’s still not good enough for the average desktop user.

Yast

Yast stands for Yet Another Setup Tool and is one of the defining characteristics of openSUSE. The tool is a throwback to the earlier days of Linux when such setup and configuration tools were more common.

There’s no denying that Yast is a powerful tool, one that is available as both a graphical and command-line package. For system admins, Yast provides a powerful way to administer openSUSE instances. There is almost nothing you can configure via the terminal that can’t be configured via Yast’s GUI, and it’s a tool I miss on other distros.

At the same time, however, like openSUSE’s other hallmark features, Yast is something of a two-edged sword. While it’s undeniably useful — and this is purely subjective — I’m not a fan of how it takes over functions normally handled by a distro’s built-in tools. For example, I run the KDE Plasma desktop, which has excellent built-in tools for printing and firewall management. Yast takes these tasks over, however. Gnome has similarly useful tools as part of the system settings.

As I said, I realize this is very subjective. Some users prefer to have one tool to manage such tasks, regardless of the desktop environment they use. Many users prefer to have one desktop-agnostic tool that never changes. I am not one of those users. I would prefer to use Plasma’s tools when they’re available and fall back to Yast when they’re not.

Btrfs and Snapper

One of openSUSE’s greatest features is its use of the btrfs filesystem and built-in Snapper support. Btrfs is a relatively new filesystem that provides automated system snapshots. This gives users the option to rollback to a previous snapshot from the boot menu in the event something goes wrong.

Tinkering with your system and mess something up? Not a problem, just rollback and it never happened. The same goes for an update that borks something. Just rollback and wait for the issue to be addressed. This is truly a must-have setup for a rolling release distro.

There are two downsides to keep in mind with btrfs (there’s that two-edged sword again):

Btrfs is one of the slower filesystems in use by Linux distros. The excellent DJ Ware, on YouTube, has done extensive benchmarks showing how much slower the filesystem is. While I’ve not done such extensive benchmarks myself, I do have an everyday data point.

When setting up the digiKam photo organizing software for the first time, the app scans your Pictures folder. On any distro using the older ext4 filesystem, it takes digikam anywhere from 4:57 to 5:17 to scan my 49GB of photos. In contrast, digiKam on openSUSE takes more than 7:50 to complete. This result, which I have been able to consistently reproduce, jives with DJ Ware’s benchmarks.

The other potential downside is in regard to data integrity. Given that it’s still a young filesystem, there are still an uncomfortable number of reports about btrfs filesystems becoming hopelessly corrupted. Without a doubt, openSUSE has the most mature implementation of btrfs, but your mileage may vary.

Patterns and Recommendations

One of the things that makes openSUSE so successful at providing stability with a rolling release is its use of Patterns and recommendations.

Patterns are collections of software that are related and share dependencies. For example, there’s a KDE Plasma Pattern, KDE Apps Pattern, Office Suite Pattern, Mobile Pattern, and more.

The power of patterns is that it allows openSUSE developers to update an entire collection of software rather than try to determine what is or is not installed on a machine. Similarly, openSUSE defaults to installing any and all recommended dependencies when installing an application, unlike almost every other distro, in the interest of making sure no app is installed with any missing features.

On paper, both of these seem like good ideas, and, to be clear, they are…to a point. Both of these features contribute greatly to openSUSE Tumbleweed being one of the most stable rolling-release distros.

Unfortunately, Patterns and recommendations also result in some unfortunate side effects. For example, if you delete an application that is included in one of the default Patterns, it will be reinstalled on the next update. You will need to manually block the package, or the entire Pattern, in order to prevent its reinstallation.

Random Papercuts

Slack Issues

In addition to the major things highlighted above, openSUSE running KDE has a bug that makes it almost impossible to add the workspaces I’m subscribed to. I can easily add three of them with no problem, but the fourth one always fails.

The only way I can get it added to the Slack client is to try importing that workspace along with three or four defunct workspaces. After trying this one or three dozen times, the troublesome workspace will finally get imported. From what I’ve been able to tell via research, the workspace string that gets passed from browser to Slack clients gets mangled.

At one point, I thought this was a KDE Plasma bug since it doesn’t happen on Gnome or Xfce. However, this only happens on openSUSE. It doesn’t happen on Manjaro KDE, Kubuntu, or KDE Neon. I have no idea what the problem is but, at least in my experience, it is a uniquely openSUSE issue.

Network Login

On multiple installs of openSUSE, I’ve had issues where I was constantly prompted to enter my root password and network password in order to stay connected. Wake the computer from sleep…enter my passwords. Needless to say, this got old quick.

Conclusion

openSUSE Tumbleweed is one of the most well-engineered distros on the market and offers a tremendous amount of features and abilities. Unfortunately, some of those features are a two-edged sword that cause as many problems as they solve.

openSUSE Tumbleweed is a distro I love to play with and would love to use as my daily driver. Unfortunately, the inconveniences quickly wears on my nerves in daily use, and I end up moving on.

That being said, for the right person, openSUSE is hands-down the best distro available.

Rating

For System Admins: 5 out of 5 stars

The combination of Yast and its enterprise connections makes openSUSE quite possibly the best distro for system admins.

For Developers: 4 out of 5 stars

On the one hand, having the latest and greatest packages can be a big help to developers. On the other hand, the papercuts and irritations may take unnecessary time away from development.

For Desktop Users: 3 out of 5 stars

Before writing about tech, I was a software developer for over a decade. I’ve created software for major universities, companies, and the commercial market. In spite of that high-tech background, openSUSE was just too irritating and difficult for me to use on a daily basis, and I would never recommend it to most everyday users. It would have to be a special breed of desktop user, one that wants to spend as much time managing their computer as using it before I could recommend it to them.

What Is LMDE?

As the name suggests, LMDE is Linux Mint based on Debian instead of Ubuntu. Mainline Linux Mint is one of the most popular Ubuntu-based distros, which we reviewed here. The Mint team goes to great lengths to mitigate some of Ubuntu’s more controversial decisions, such as removing snaps in favor of flatpaks. Mint also defaults to the project’s own Cinnamon desktop environment (DE), which is often praised as one of the easiest DEs for Windows users to switch to. Ultimately, Mint manages to build on Ubuntu’s ease of use and surpass it in many areas.

If mainline Mint is so successful, why create an alternative version of Mint that is based on Debian, the same distro that Ubuntu is based on? In short, LMDE is an insurance policy for the Mint team in the event that something happens to Ubuntu or, more likely, if Ubuntu becomes too difficult to work with.

Canonical’s (Ubuntu’s parent company) continued embrace of snaps could eventually be the straw that breaks the camel’s back. Firefox and Chromium are already only available in the Ubuntu App Center as snaps, meaning the Linux Mint team has to bundle a non-snap version of both apps. With the upcoming Ubuntu 24.04 release, Canonical is taking snaps further with plans to ship the CUPS printing service as a snap rather than a DEB package. As a result, the Mint team will need to package the DEB version of CUPS themselves, like they do with Firefox and Chromium.

Eventually, many believe Ubuntu’s move to snaps will make it prohibitive to continue using it as a base for mainline Mint. Project lead Clément (Clem) Lefèbvre hinted at the possibility in a recent blog post:

Last but not least we’re keeping an eye on Ubuntu, their increased focus on Snap, the quality of their 24.04 package base and what this means for us going forward.

In one of the replies to the post announcing the release of LMDE 6 (the latest version at the time of writing), Clem made clear that the team wants to continue using Ubuntu as a base as long as possible, thanks to the many advantages and features it brings to the table:

I’ve nothing bad to say about 22.04. I hope Ubuntu continues to be as good going forward and doesn’t neglect its APT package base. If we don’t have a reason to transition we won’t. Ubuntu is still the best APT package base out there in our opinion. LMDE is there as a potential solution, but it is not a goal in itself.

Only time will tell if Ubuntu remains a suitable base for mainline Mint, or if Canonical’s actions will force the team to abandon it in favor of making LMDE the mainline option.

LMDE Advantages

Although LMDE may be a backup option, the distro still comes with its own advantages.

• Speed. LMDE is generally considered to be slightly faster than mainline Mint thanks to the Debian base. The latest version is based on Debian 12 “Bookworm,” and benefits from that distro’s optimizations. Debian generally has fewer processes running in the background than Ubuntu, resulting in a slightly leaner distro.
• Cleaner. This advantage is somewhat ambiguous, but LMDE is a bit “cleaner” than mainline Mint, in terms of being free of Ubuntu. Just because the Mint team undoes some of the most controversial Ubuntu decisions doesn’t mean they are able to undo all of them. For example, if you try to install the MS Core Fonts on mainline Mint, Ubuntu has made its ubuntu-advantage-tools and other Ubuntu-specific packages a hard dependency, despite their having nothing to do with fonts. In contrast, LMDE simply installs the Microsoft Core Fonts without any unnecessary dependencies.
• Fewer Major Point Updates. Each major release of Linux Mint is updated every six months. For example, Linux Mint 21.3 is in the process of being released at the time of writing, the third major update to the Linux Mint 21 release. In contrast, there are no major point releases to LMDE. LMDE 6 was released at the end of September 2023, and it will remain LMDE 6 until LMDE 7 is released roughly two years later. That does not mean, however, that LMDE does not receive new features along with mainline Linux Mint (see below).
• Updated Cinnamon DE and Apps. While LMDE may not receive point release updates like mainline Mint, that doesn’t mean it stagnates for two years. Whenever there is a point release update to mainline Mint, the team ports those changes over to LMDE as well. For example, Mint 21.3 includes the all-new Cinnamon 6.0 with experimental Wayland support and updates to the X-Apps, the project’s in-house apps that it develops and maintains. LMDE 6 will receive those updates, bringing its front-end current with the latest mainline Mint. 
• Debian Stability. Debian is renowned for its stability, often being described as one of the most stable and reliable Linux distros available. While Ubuntu has come a long way toward rivaling Debian’s stability, it’s hard to argue that Debian still has an edge. LMDE benefits from this.
• A Community Distro. Linux Mint is already a community-driven distro, as opposed to a corporate-backed one. In the case of mainline Linux Mint, however, it is based on a corporate-driven distro in the form of Ubuntu. LMDE, on the other hand, is a community-driven distro that is based on one of the most respected community-driven distros in existence. This can be a major factor for users who prefer community-driven projects over corporate-backed ones.

LMDE Disadvantages

Despite its advantages, LMDE does have some disadvantages.

• No Device Manager or Kernel Tool. One of the things mainline Mint is known for is its Driver Manager and kernel tools, GUI tools that allow the user to easily install proprietary Nvidia drivers and manage Linux kernels. Neither of these tools is available for LMDE, making it a bit more difficult to manage these aspects, especially for newer users.
• Debian Base Can Become Stale. At the time of writing, LMDE’s Debian 12 Bookworm base is newer than the Ubuntu 22.04 LTS base of mainline Mint. As a result, many of the applications in the repos are newer for LMDE than mainline Mint. Once Linux Mint 22 comes out, based on Ubuntu 24.04, the situation will be reversed. What’s more, Ubuntu routinely updates the kernel, Mesa graphics drivers, and many popular apps every six months or so, while Debian does not. As a result, toward the end of its two-year life cycle, a Debian-based distro can feel a bit long in the tooth.
• Cinnamon Is The Only Preinstalled DE. Unlike Linux Mint, which is offered with Cinnamon, Xfce, or Mate as the DE, LMDE only comes with Cinnamon. Of course, a user is free to install whatever DE they want, but if a user wants Xfce or Mate, there is an extra complication that is not present with mainline Mint.
• No PPAs. Depending the use case, this may or may not be an issue for users, but it is important to note that Ubuntu PPAs do not work on LMDE. In theory, some PPAs may work, but they are few and far between. As a general rule, users should go into LMDE planning on not being able to use them.
• Notification Bug. One unusual bug in the current version of LMDE is that notifications do not respect the “Don’t show this message again” option. As a result, connecting to a WiFi network will always show a notification, regardless of how many times you ask it not to. Clem has indicated this is likely a bug in network-manager, inherited from Debian 12.

LMDE Misconceptions

One common misconception regarding LMDE is that it falls behind the version of Debian it is based on. For example, much like mainline Mint, Debian will release point upgrades to a major release. At the time of writing, Debian is currently on version 12.4, while LMDE is still just LMDE 6.

It’s important to note, however, that this does not mean LMDE is falling behind. The 12.4 Debian version refers mainly to the ISO images that are built for people to download. Rather than make people download 12.0 and then download a bunch of updates to bring it current, Debian’s maintainers occasionally rebuild their ISOs with all the latest updates included. These updated ISOs are the 12.1, 12.2, 12.3, and 12.4 releases.

In contrast, LMDE does not build new ISOs until the next major release of the distro, built on the next major release of Debian. So when a user downloads LMDE 6, they are essentially downloading Debian 12.0. Upon running the first update, however, they will bring their system current with the very latest Debian, in this case, 12.4 as of the time of writing.

Another misconception is that LMDE becomes stale just because it’s based on Debian. Like mainline Mint, LMDE includes Flatpak support by default. Between the Mint team regularly updating Cinnamon and the X-Apps, and Flatpak being available for most other apps, it’s entirely possible to have a rolling or semi-rolling front-end on top of the incredibly stable Debian backend.

It is also possible to use Debian backports for newer versions of some apps, as LMDE comes with the backports repos enabled by default.

Who Should Use LMDE?

LMDE is an excellent option for anyone who values stability, reliability, ease of use, and a community-driven experience. It’s especially ideal for anyone who appreciates mainline Linux Mint but would prefer to have an Ubuntu-free experience.

The distro is also good for Debian and Cinnamon fans who want a pre-configured Debian with the latest and greatest Cinnamon experience. A user could easily install Debian and choose Cinnamon as the DE, but the version of Cinnamon that comes with Debian will be whatever version was available at the time of that major Debian release, and it will remain that version until the next major release. In contrast, each version of LMDE will continue to receive updates to Cinnamon throughout its life cycle.

LMDE also smooths out some of Debian’s rough edges. Debian is a wonderful distro, but can sometimes be challenging for the newest of users. LMDE benefits from the same ease of use that Linux Mint has always been known for and smooths out some of those issues.

How I Use LMDE

Since reviewing Linux Mint last year, the distro has become my daily driver, although there were some things pertaining to the Ubuntu base that I was unhappy about. As a result, when LMDE 6 was released I switched over to it and have not looked back. I now run the distro on both of my machines and can’t imagine using something else.

I have extensively used openSUSE Tumbleweed, Fedora, Manjaro, KDE Neon, Pop!_OS, and Tuxedo OS, but LMDE offers a unique blend of a solid Debian base with the ease of use that comes with Cinnamon and the other tools the Linux Mint team provide.

With very few exceptions, I try to install flatpaks where possible, ensuring that my DE and apps are updated on a regular basis, while still benefiting from Debian’s stability. I have found this to be an incredible combination for writing, development, gaming, and general computing.

In short, LMDE has supplanted mainline Mint as my favorite Linux distro, and I foresee using it for many years to come.

Rating

5 out of 5 stars.

Download

https://linuxmint.com/download_lmde.php

Cinnamon is a desktop environment that is developed and maintained by the Linux Mint team and serves as the flagship DE of Linux Mint, as well as its sibling LMDE.

Cinnamon History

Cinnamon was forked from Gnome 3 and was initially released in 2011. Throughout the following couple of years, Cinnamon’s separation from Gnome became more pronounced, with modern Cinnamon a complete fork of Gnome.

The impetus behind Cinnamon’s creation was the controversial decisions made by the Gnome developers in the 3.x release. That release sparked the creation of several alternate DEs, as many users were unhappy with Gnome’s re-imagining of the desktop paradigm. Cinnamon, like many of the others, remains focused on a more traditional desktop design.

Unlike some of the other DEs that came during this time—such as Mate—Cinnamon has continued to evolve and modernize while staying true to its goal of providing a traditional computing experience.

GTK

Being forked from Gnome, it should come as no surprise that Cinnamon uses the same GTK toolkit as the more popular DE. This is in some ways both a blessing and a curse. GTK is the most widely used toolkit for Linux apps, so the vast majority of apps look completely native on Cinnamon.

On the other hand, GTK is largely maintained by the Gnome developers. Over the last few years, Gnome developers have received widespread criticism for making decisions regarding GTK that show little to no regard for other GTK-based DEs.

Fortunately, the Linux Mint/Cinnamon team has shown themselves adept at mitigating the more controversial decisions made by the Gnome/GTK developers.

Cinnamon Strengths

Cinnamon’s greatest strength is the balance it strikes between simplicity, customization, power, and stability. In the world of Linux DEs, users often have to choose between simplicity and customization, power and stability. For example, Gnome is well-known for being simple by default, but it lacks built-in customization. Similarly, by default, it is relatively stable but lacks power features. All of this can be changed by using third-party extensions, but this often comes at the expense of stability and simplicity.

On the other end of the spectrum is KDE Plasma, a desktop renowned for being the most powerful and customizable on any platform. That power and customization often come at the expense of simplicity and stability, however.

Cinnamon, on the other hand, almost bridges all four categories, offering a near-perfect blend of simplicity, customization, power, and stability. It has built-in support for theming and customization. It also supports extensions and applets that add additional features or refine existing ones. Unlike Gnome extensions, however, Cinnamon extensions and applets don’t break with every new version and tend to be extremely stable and reliable.

The result is a DE that can easily be customized to suit your workflow. For example, while Cinnamon’s default look is reminiscent of Windows 7, just a few clicks can convert it into something more akin to macOS (my preferred layout), Ubuntu’s modified Gnome, standard Gnome, or virtually anything else.

Performance

Cinnamon has sometimes been criticized for poor performance compared to Gnome, KDE, and especially Xfce. For the most part, these criticisms are outdated and don’t reflect Cinnamon’s current status.

Older versions of Cinnamon suffered from memory leaks, but these have been largely fixed in recent versions. What’s more, the developers have added an option for users to set a threshold for how much memory the DE can use.

Similarly, older versions of the DE did not disable compositing for full-screen windows, which could negatively impact gaming performance. Again, in recent versions, Cinnamon now sports the necessary feature.

The result is that Cinnamon now performs largely on par with any other DE, with any differences falling within the statistical margin for error.

Wayland Support

Another criticism levied against Cinnamon is that it does not support Wayland, the successor to the X11 window protocol. Gnome and KDE Plasma already support Wayland, with Xfce and others working on support.

For some time the Linux Mint developers were non-committal regarding their plans for Wayland, but they announced definitive plans in late 2023. Cinnamon 6.0, which ships with Linux Mint 21.3, will feature experimental Wayland support. The developers will continue to improve Wayland support over the coming year or two and have said they will only make it the default when it is stable and reliable enough for their user base.

The Goldilocks DE

Cinnamon is easily one of the most well-rounded DEs available on Linux, providing something of a Goldilocks experience with a near-perfect blend of features, performance, stability, reliability, and power. While it may not be the flashiest DE, it’s one of the most solid options for users who want to spend more time using their computer, rather than tweaking and troubleshooting.

While Linux Mint provides the flagship Cinnamon experience, the DE is available on a wide variety of distros, including Debian, Arch, openSUSE, Fedora, and more. Users—both old and new—looking to try something new should give the DE a spin.

What Is Tuxedo OS?

Tuxedo OS is based on Ubuntu LTS, the long-term support version of the world’s most popular Linux distro. This gives Tuxedo the benefit of one of the widest software repositories and the deepest hardware support of virtually any distro.

One common complaint with Ubuntu LTS is that the Linux kernel and software can become somewhat stale throughout the release’s two-year life cycle. This can be especially problematic for the newest hardware that older versions of the Linux kernel may not yet support. Tuxedo solves this by updating the kernel, the graphics stack, and some popular applications throughout the life of a release.

Tuxedo uses KDE Plasma for its desktop environment (DE), pulling the KDE stack directly from the KDE Neon repos. KDE Neon is the distro maintained by the KDE developers and receives updates to Plasma and KDE apps as soon as they are available. Tuxedo does a bit of additional testing but still updates the KDE stack within a couple of weeks of Neon. This extra QA helps smooth out Plasma’s rough edges.

Other than a custom color theme, which can be easily changed, Tuxedo OS makes no major changes to KDE Plasma. The distro also includes relatively few pre-installed applications beyond the basic suite of apps, leading to a relatively lean install.

Tuxedo hosts its own repos, mirroring the Ubuntu ones. As a general rule, system updates are pushed out every Monday, while security updates are pushed out as soon as they become available.

Like other popular distros based off of Ubuntu—such as Linux Mint—Tuxedo includes Flatpak and does not include Ubuntu’s snaps.

Installation

Tuxedo OS has an unusual two-step installation process. When booting off of a USB drive containing the installation ISO, users are first presented with a setup process for the installer. After going through several steps, the actual installer runs.

When the installer first runs it will ask if you want to proceed with full-disk encryption enabled. If you select Yes, the installer will proceed with a streamlined install process. If you choose No, you will still be given the option to select full-disk encryption later. Since Tuxedo is using the popular Calamares install application, the prompts will be familiar.

There is one oddity users should be aware of, however. If you select full-disk encryption at the first prompt, the installer will automatically partition your disk with a 2GB swap partition. If, however, you decline the first prompt and proceed with the installation, the installer will create an 8GB swap partition unless you opt to manually partition the disk.

As a result, if you want to minimize the size of your swap partition without manually partitioning, you should select Yes when the install initially asks if you want to install with full-disk encryption.

Tuxedo Control Center, Tomte and Performance

Tuxedo OS comes with the Tuxedo Control Center (TCC), giving users the ability to change profiles, control CPU performance, fan speeds, set up charging profiles, and more.

TCC’s full functionality is only compatible with Tuxedo’s own computers, but that doesn’t mean the utility doesn’t work on other devices. For example, non-Tuxedo hardware doesn’t benefit from the hardware sensors that reveal CPU frequency and fan speed. Nor does generic hardware benefit from the battery charging profiles—the ability to lower the charging speed and threshold to preserve the battery’s lifespan.

Tuxedo hardware also benefits from Tomte, Tuxedo’s utility to help install and configure drivers. This utility is a one-stop-shop for any and all drivers a Tuxedo computer needs to reach its full performance potential. Non-Tuxedo hardware will likely not benefit from Tomte.

Despite these limitations, all hardware should still benefit from the performance profiles. YouTuber Mumbling Hugo tested the profiles on non-Tuxedo hardware and found a major performance boost when choosing the correct profile. In fact, Tuxedo beat his previous best-performing distro when the correct profile was selected.

Privacy

Another major benefit of Tuxedo OS is its focus on privacy. Germany has established itself as one of the most privacy-conscious jurisdictions, benefiting from the EU’s focus on consumer privacy. As a German company, Tuxedo takes privacy seriously, collecting no telemetry from its users.

Tuxedo also improves privacy over the default Ubuntu. Ubuntu-based distros include a NetworkManager connectivity check to Canonical’s server, which Tuxedo reroutes:

In the same breath we have turned the NetworkManager connectivity check from a Ubuntu URL to a TUXEDO URL. “Connectivity Checking” is a function of the NetworkManager package, which checks at intervals whether there is a connection to the Internet. At Ubuntu and therefore TUXEDO OS, the URL http://connectivity-check.ubuntu.com was used for this purpose, which checks the connection every 300 seconds. Since we already mirror the Mirror servers of Ubuntu and therefore no IP addresses of customers go to Canonical, we have decided to place the URL for the connection test on their own URL for TUXEDO OS. This means that the URL http://connectivity-check.tuxedocomputers.com is used for the automatic queries in NetworkManager. We hereby guarantee that we do not record this access on the server side.

Tuxedo OS Is a Unique Offering In the Linux World

As a result of the above factors, Tuxedo OS is more akin to a semi-rolling release than either a full-rolling or static release distro. The underlying base is the solid and stable Ubuntu LTS, while the kernel, graphics drivers, Plasma DE, KDE apps, and some popular apps are updated on a continuous basis. This makes Tuxedo somewhat unique in the Linux world, putting it in the company of Pop_OS!, another distro made by a hardware manufacturer.

On the whole, Tuxedo OS is an outstanding distro and easily one of the best KDE Plasma-based options around. In my testing of the distro—on a Tuxedo Pulse Gen 1 laptop and an older HP Pavilion—Tuxedo OS is easily the most stable and reliable KDE Plasma distro I have ever run. On many distros—openSUSE Tumbleweed, Fedora, Kubuntu, Neon, Manjaro, etc—I have always found Plasma to be relatively buggy, although the degree has varied from one distro to another. Much of this stems from Plasma’s extensive feature set and the pace of its development.

Tuxedo OS, on the other hand, significantly smooths out Plasma’s rough edges, leading to THE best experience I have ever had using Plasma, and one of the best choices overall.

Rating

4.5 out of 5 stars

Linux Mint is one of the most popular Linux distributions (distros), the highest rated among those we have reviewed at WPN, and this writer’s personal favorite. The distro comes in two editions, one based on Ubuntu and the other based on Debian. While the Ubuntu-based version comes with a choice of desktop environments, Cinnamon is the default option and the one that is directly developed by the Linux Mint team.

Cinnamon is one of the most well-rounded desktop environments, offering most of the customization options of KDE combined with the stability and reliability of Gnome or Xfce. One glaring omission, however, has been Wayland support. Wayland is the successor to X11, offering a number of performance and security improvements. The Mint team had hinted they would begin looking at Wayland implementation, but there had been no firm information, at least not until today.

In a blog post, project lead Clément (Clem) Lefèbvre outlined the team’s plans:

The work started on Wayland. As mentioned earlier this year, this was identified as one of the major challenges our project had to tackle in the mid to long term. Priority had been given to ISO tools and Secureboot over new features for 21.3 already, we felt it was time to invest some resources into Wayland as well.

Clem says experimental Wayland support will show up in the 21.3 release slated for Christmas:

Cinnamon 6.0, planned for Mint 21.3 this year, will feature experimental Wayland support. You’ll be able to select between Cinnamon (the default session, running on Xorg) and Cinnamon on Wayland from the login screen.

Clem cautions that Wayland won’t be ready for most users for a couple of years, but the team wanted to start working in that direction and give adventurous users the ability to test it:

We wanted to have a clear picture of the work involved, so we wanted to start now. In terms of timing we don’t think we need Wayland support to be fully ready (i.e. to be a better Cinnamon option for most people) before 2026 (Mint 23.x). That leaves us 2 years to identify and to fix all the issues. It’s something we’ll continue to work on. Whenever it happens, assuming it does, we’ll consider switching defaults. We’ll use the best tools to do the job and provide the best experience. Today that means Xorg. Tomorrow it might mean Wayland. We’ll be ready and compatible with both.

Overall, Clem’s announcement is very much in line with the project’s overall direction. The Mint team is known for taking measured action and making calculated decisions that emphasize stability and reliability. Given the many issues Wayland still has — with even some Wayland developers cautioning against using it in a production environment — the Mint team’s decision to proceed slowly and carefully should serve its users well.

Windows 10 is slated for end-of-life in October 2025. Unfortunately, Windows 11 has hardware requirements that some 400 million PCs can’t meet. As a result, the PIRG says Windows 10’s demise could lead to the single biggest obsolescence event in computing history.

“Microsoft abandoning Windows 10 could cause the obsolescence of more computers than any single action ever,” said PIRG’s Designed to Last Campaign Director Lucas Rockett Gutterman. ”Microsoft needs to rethink this decision and continue providing security updates for the millions of people who can’t upgrade their computers, for the sake of both their finances and the environment.”

The PIRG’s petition is addressed to Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella and includes the following:

Microsoft’s decision to stop supporting millions of functional computers in our hospitals, businesses, and homes is a raw deal for customers who expect their expensive devices to last. All software reaches a point at which it’s no longer supported, but when the consequences to our environment are this large we shouldn’t accept it.

As PIRG points out, Microsoft’s stances on Windows 10 is uncharacteristic, given how long the company has supported previous versions of the operating system, such as Windows XP.

“Given these past actions of Microsoft, it’s surprising that the company is forcing the transition to Windows 11. Not only is this bad for consumers, it’s also bad for the planet, since the outdated computers will add to our growing piles of toxic e-waste,” concluded Gutterman.

If Microsoft fails to listen to the PIRG and other critics, many businesses and individuals should look at Linux as a viable alternative. For example, Linux Mint is specifically designed to help ease the transition from Windows to Linux, offering a familiar interface and user experience. Unlike Windows 11, however, Linux Mint is designed to run on a wide range of new and old hardware, and will generally offer a far superior experience.

Microsoft has been migrating more and more of its services and products to the cloud and a subscription-based pricing model. According to German site Deskmodder, via Neowin, it appears the company plans to make Windows 12 another subscription-based product.

German media outlet Deskmodder spotted several such subscription-related entries in the INI configuration file of the Canary channel build when it was compared with the Windows 11 23H2 Release Preview build using WinMerge.

The writing has been on the wall for some time in regard to Microsoft’s increased focus on the cloud. The company released Windows 365 in mid-2021, allowing anyone with a web browser to run a copy of Windows in the cloud.

Unfortunately, many users are not interested in running their operating system from the cloud, either because of concerns about privacy, security, internet access, or ongoing costs.

Microsoft’s move may open the door for more widespread Linux adoption, especially as desktop Linux has finally begun rivaling Windows for ease of use.

Leap is the point-release version of the openSUSE Linux distro, similar to Ubuntu LTS or Debian, and compatible with SUSE Linux Enterprise. Major new versions arrive every couple of years, with smaller releases in between. In contrast, Tumbleweed is the rolling release version, with updates and new features arriving as they’re available.

openSUSE devs have made clear that Leap’s days are numbered, at least in its current form, and have been looking for a viable replacement option. Richard Brown, SUSE Distributions Architect, proposed two different options based on polling of the community:

“Linarite” – a regular old fashioned release desktop distribution, likely with a narrower package selection than we’re used to with Leap unless we find significantly more contributors to be able to support everything

“Slowroll” – a derivative of Tumbleweed, built automatically as much as possible, using automation and metrics to copy packages from Tumbleweed only after certain conditions (max age, X weeks without change, etc). Basically an attempt to provide something less scary than full speed Tumbleweed.

Slowroll appears to have more support from the community and would represent an interesting option in the world of Linux distros. Generally speaking, most distros fall into one of two camps: a point-release distro that updates every 6-24 months or a rolling release that updates continuously.

Each model has its advantages, with point-release distros often being more stable and reliable, although at the cost of not having the most up-to-date packages and apps. In contrast, rolling releases have the latest and greatest of everything but can be a bit buggier.

Slowroll may help bridge that divide, providing apps and packages that are up-to-date while rolling at a slower pace than Tumbleweed (already a very reliable rolling release), thanks to extra testing and vetting.

Hopefully, Slowroll gains the support it needs to be take off.

KDE Plasma is one of the most popular desktop environments (DE) on Linux, and certainly the most powerful DE on any platform, which is no doubt a contributing factor in Microsoft continually copying it.

The developers have been migrating Plasma to Qt6, the latest version of the underlying toolkit. According to developer Nate Graham, work has been progressing rapidly and the team feels confident in a February release:

A month has passed since the last Plasma 6 status update, so it’s time for another one!

First, what you’ve all been waiting for: a release date! We’ve decided that Plasma 6 will be released in early February of 2024. We don’t have a specific day targeted yet, but it’ll be in that timeframe. I’m feeling quite confident that the release will be in excellent shape by then! It’s already in good shape right now. 5 months should provide enough of a runway for a solid final release.

Users concerned about the stability and reliability of a major new version will be pleased to know that the team has been knocking out bugs left and right:

In terms of bugs, it’s been an all-hands-on-deck affair, with everyone helping out. As a result our list of open Plasma 6 issues is down to 75 today, after having risen three weeks ago to an all-time high of 87. The number has been falling since then, which is a great sign–bugginess has peaked and we’re starting to converge! And not all of these are major, high profile issues, either; as of this writing, there are only 15 of those. These are the true showstoppers that must be fixed before we can release Plasma 6. As for the rest, we’ll be trying our best to get as many of those done too to ensure that quality on release day is as high as possible!

KDE Plasma 6 is shaping up to be the best release yet of the venerable DE.

KDE Plasma is arguably the most powerful desktop environment on any computing platform, boasting a plethora of features and customization options. Until now, one of those features was only requiring a single mouse-click to open files or folders. Despite being more efficient, the default can be confusing for first-time Linux users coming from Windows or macOS.

See Also: Linux Distro Reviews: KDE Plasma — The One That Could Be King

According to KDE developer Nate Graham, Plasma 6 will change the default to double-click to open.

This was a week of huge changes and improvements, starting with our headliner! Yes it’s true, by default in Plasma 6, you’ll single-click to select files and folders, and double-click to open them. The patches have now landed, done by me. This remains user-configurable, of course.

As Graham says, users that prefer single-click to open can easily change it back.

Linux Mint is one of the most popular Linux desktop distros and WPN’s top recommendation for businesses and individuals looking to make the switch from Windows or macOS. The distro’s main edition is based on Ubuntu LTS releases, but the project has maintained a Debian-based edition as a fallback plan if basing off of Ubuntu ever becomes u# Linux Mint Team Outlines Plan for LMDE 6, Wayland, and Ubuntu

The Linux Mint team have outlined their plans the next version of Linux Mint Debian Edition (LMDE), as well as shed light on their Wayland and Ubuntu plans.

Linux Mint is one of the most popular Linux desktop distros, and WPN’s top recommendation for businesses and individuals looking to make the switch from Windows or macOS. The distro’s main edition is based on Ubuntu LTS releases, but the project has maintained a Debian based edition as a fallback plan if basing off of Ubuntu ever becomes untenable.

In a blog post, project lead Clément (Clem) Lefèbvre outlines the company’s plan for LMDE 6:

Work started on LMDE 6. The upcoming version of our Debian-based distribution will be codenamed “Faye.” It will come with all the features and changes introduced in Linux Mint 21.2. There is no ETA for its release. Once everything is ready we’ll take the opportunity to work on additional features and see how much we want to further reduce the gap in functionality between Linux Mint and LMDE.

Clem says the team will begin investigating a potential switch to Wayland:

We also want to spend time on studying the pros and cons of Wayland and to assess the work needed in its potential adoption.

Wayland is a window display protocol and successor to X11. Currently, only Gnome and KDE offer full Wayland support. While the protocol does offer some advantages over X11, it also has a number of rough edges that can interfere with some workflows. As a result, the Linux Mint team has been taking a cautious approach to Wayland, but it’s good to see progress in that direction.

Given some of Ubuntu’s controversial choices over the last couple of years, there has been a vocal minority pushing for the Linux Mint team to make LMDE the flagship edition.

Clem also acknowledged the fact that Ubuntu continues to make controversial decisions and says the team will look at the next Ubuntu LTS release to evaluate its suitability for Linux Mint 22 and beyond:

Last but not least we’re keeping an eye on Ubuntu, their increased focus on Snap, the quality of their 24.04 package base and what this means for us going forward.

Linux Mint has a well-earned reputation as one of those distros that “just works.” Much of that can be credited to Clem and the team’s steady guidance and measured decision-making. It’s good to see that measured approach is continuing.ntenable.

In a blog post, project lead Clément (Clem) Lefèbvre outlines the company’s plan for LMDE 6:

Work started on LMDE 6. The upcoming version of our Debian-based distribution will be codenamed “Faye”. It will come with all the features and changes introduced in Linux Mint 21.2. There is no ETA for its release. Once everything is ready we’ll take the opportunity to work on additional features and see how much we want to further reduce the gap in functionality between Linux Mint and LMDE.

Clem says the team will begin investigating a potential switch to Wayland:

We also want to spend time on studying the pros and cons of Wayland and to assess the work needed in its potential adoption.

Wayland is a window display protocol and successor to X11. Currently, only Gnome and KDE offer full Wayland support. While the protocol does offer some advantages over X11, it also has a number of rough edges that can interfere with some workflows. As a result, the Linux Mint team have been taking a cautious approach to Wayland, but it’s good to see progress in that direction.

Given some of Ubuntu’s controversial choices over the last couple of years, there has been a vocal minority pushing for the Linux Mint team to make LMDE the flagship edition.

Clem also acknowledged the fact that Ubuntu continues to make controversial decisions, and says the team will look at the next Ubuntu LTS release to evaluate its suitability for Linux Mint 22 and beyond:

Last but not least we’re keeping an eye on Ubuntu, their increased focus on Snap, the quality of their 24.04 package base and what this means for us going forward.

Linux Mint has a well-earned reputation as one of those distros that “just works.” Much of that can be credited to Clem and the team’s steady guidance and measured decision-making. It’s good to see the measured approach is continuing.

Clem himself emphasized this in his closing statement of the blog:

Don’t panic, don’t lobby for rushed decisions based on fears or passion, we know who we are and we know what we’re doing.

Gnome is the most popular desktop environment on Linux, known for its simplicity and general reliability. Much of that simplicity and reliability, however, come from Gnome developers removing many features that are usually found in traditional desktop environments, such as minimizing and maximizing window options. Gnome’s developers have never shied away from drastic changes and radical ideas in pursuit of their vision for desktop computing.

Their latest vision involves “rethinking window management” in an effort to bring the best of free-floating windowing environments and tiling window options. The default option, Mosaic, would look reminiscent of current free-floating window environments but with windows interacting in such a way that they don’t overlap each other.

Read More: Gnome Review

From there, depending on the number and size of windows opened, windows can automatically move to a different virtual workspace or be tiled on the main one.

The Gnome developers say they will release an extension to the Gnome environment that lets users play with the new features before they include them in Gnome itself.

Given how different the new proposal is, it’s safe to say there will be countless users that love the idea and an equal amount that hate it.

Zorin OS is an Ubuntu-based distro that consistently wins praise for its ease-of-use and visual appeal. Zorin is well-known for being one of the easiest Linux distros for those switching from Windows or Mac.

The Linux distro has been upgraded to version 16.3, bringing a number of improvements. This distro is the first to include the Zorin OS Upgrader, a tool that makes it easy to upgrade from one major version to another, something that had been noticeably missing from previous versions.

Read More: Linux Distro Reviews: Zorin OS

This latest update also includes the same underlying kernel as Ubuntu 22.04 LTS, as well as updated graphics drivers:

Zorin OS 16.3 is powered by the same version of the Linux kernel as in Ubuntu 22.04 LTS (GA). It comes with updated drivers, bringing even better compatibility with more hardware. That includes support for newer components like NVIDIA’s GeForce RTX 4070, 4060 Ti, and 4060 graphics cards out of the box.

Zorin OS 16.3 also includes the latest version of LibreOffice, as well as updated apps throughout the OS.

Many other pre-installed apps are updated in Zorin OS 16.3 for a more feature-rich experience out of the box. That also means you’ll need to download fewer software updates after installing Zorin OS onto your computer.

Built-in support for Flatpak, AppImage, and Snap packages ensures you’ll have the latest versions of your favorite apps in Zorin OS 16.3 for years to come.

Zorin OS is easily one of the most full-featured, well-rounded Linux distros available, making it a good starting point for users looking to dip their toes into the Linux world. As part of the Zorin OS 16.x LTS release cycle, version 16.3 will be supported until April 2025.

You can [download Zorin OS 16.3 here](Many other pre-installed apps are updated in Zorin OS 16.3 for a more feature-rich experience out of the box. That also means you’ll need to download fewer software updates after installing Zorin OS onto your computer.

Built-in support for Flatpak, AppImage, and Snap packages ensures you’ll have the latest versions of your favorite apps in Zorin OS 16.3 for years to come.).

Linux already runs the majority of web servers in the world, as well as the majority of smartphones, thanks to Android being Linux-based. Despite being the world’s most used operating system, Linux has never made much headway on the desktop.

According to Statcounter, Linux has finally crossed 3% in the desktop market in June 2023, coming in at 3.07%.

Linux may be benefiting from a number of factors:

• Windows 11 has been an unpopular upgrade. The OS sends huge amounts of telemetry to Microsoft, and some 40% of PCs can’t run Windows 11.
• Linux has improved significantly, in terms of ease-of-use. KDE, Linux Mint, Pop!_OS, and other projects have made Linux as easy to use as Windows or macOS.
• Linux’s free and open source nature are increasingly popular as the economy falters, providing businesses an appealing option vs commercial products.

At WPN, we’ve been reviewing a number of popular Linux distros from the view of a Windows or macOS user or business looking to switch. Those interested in making the move to Linux may find some help in those reviews.

Telemetry collection is a touchy proposition in the Linux community. Many users come from Windows and are now using Linux specifically to escape Microsoft’s aggressive telemetry and data collection. Canonical famously angered users by including telemetry in Ubuntu.

According to a Fedora developer mailing list thread, the upstream distro to Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) is considering wading into the telemetry waters:

We believe an open source community can ethically collect limited aggregate data on how its software is used without involving big data companies or building creepy tracking profiles that are not in the best interests of users. Users will have the option to disable data upload before any data is sent for the first time. Our service will be operated by Fedora on Fedora infrastructure, and will not depend on Google Analytics or any other controversial third-party services. And in contrast to proprietary software operating systems, you can redirect the data collection to your own private metrics server instead of Fedora’s to see precisely what data is being collected from you, because the server components are open source too.

The proposal emphasizes the project’s interest in preserving user privacy:

Fedora is an open source community project, and nobody is interested in violating user privacy. We do not want to collect data about individual users. We want to collect only aggregate usage metrics that are actually needed to achieve specific Fedora improvement objectives, and no more. We understand that if we violate our users’ trust, then we won’t have many users left, so if metrics collection is approved, we will need to be very careful to roll this out in a way that respects our users at all times. (For example, we should not collect users’ search queries, because that would be creepy.)

Despite the assurances, however, developer Michael Catanzaro makes clear that the project has no interest in making the telemetry opt-in. Catanzaro was replying to a user who said the telemetry should be opt-in or not included at all:

As explained in the proposal document, we know that opt-in metrics are not very useful because few users would opt in, and these users would not be representative of Fedora users as a whole. We are not interested in opt-in metrics.

Needless to say, users are pushing back in the discussion, with the vast majority demanding that any telemetry be opt-in. Meanwhile, Fedora and Red Hat developers are pushing back and maintaining that opt-in telemetry “data will be garbage.”

In the bigger picture, the news — and especially the developers’ insistence on opt-in telemetry — is concerning, coming in the wake of Red Hat’s recent source code decision. The company has already been accused of breaking the spirit, if not the letter, of the GPL.

Many Fedora users took comfort that their distro of choice was still a community-driven upstream distro to RHEL. With moves like this, however, Fedora users may be looking to move to a distro that respects user privacy and preferences.