Why Linux Mint is Perfect for All Hardware!
Linux Mint is an Ubuntu-based and Debian-based Linux distribution. It comes bundled with a variety of free and open-source applications. Linux Mint offers three different desktop environments by default; Cinnamon,[c] Xfce, and MATE.[
History
2006–2015
Linux Mint began in 2006 with a beta release, 1.0, code-named 'Ada', based on Kubuntu and using its KDE interface. Linux Mint 2.0 'Barbara' was the first version to use Ubuntu as its codebase and its GNOME interface. It had few users until the release of Linux Mint 3.0, 'Cassandra'.
Linux Mint 2.0 was based on Ubuntu 6.10,[citation needed] using Ubuntu's package repositories and using it as a codebase. It then followed its own codebase, building each release from the previous one, but continuing to use the package repositories of the latest Ubuntu release. This made the two systems' bases almost identical, guaranteeing full compatibility between them, rather than requiring Mint to be a fork.[citation needed]
In 2008, Linux Mint adopted the same release cycle as Ubuntu and dropped its minor version number before releasing version 5 'Elyssa'. The same year, in an effort to increase compatibility between the two systems, Linux Mint decided to abandon its codebase and changed the way it built its releases. Starting with Linux Mint 6 'Felicia', each release was based completely on the latest Ubuntu release, built directly from it, and made available approximately one month after the corresponding Ubuntu release (usually in May or November).[citation needed]
In 2010, Linux Mint released Linux Mint Debian Edition (LMDE). Unlike the other Ubuntu-based editions (Ubuntu Mint), LMDE was originally a rolling release based directly on Debian and not tied to Ubuntu packages or its release schedule. It was announced on May 27, 2015, that the Linux Mint team would no longer support the original rolling release version of LMDE after January 1, 2016. LMDE 2 'Betsy' was a long-term support release based on Debian Jessie. When LMDE 2 was released, it was announced that all LMDE users would be automatically upgraded to new versions of MintTools software and new desktop environments before they were released into the main edition of Linux Mint.
2016–present
On February 20, 2016, the Linux Mint website was breached by unknown hackers who briefly replaced download links for a version of Linux Mint with a modified version containing malware. The hackers also breached the database of the website's user forum. Linux Mint immediately took its server offline and implemented enhanced security configurations for their website and forum.
Beginning with the release of Linux Mint 18 (Sarah), the OEM version,[d] and the No Codecs version[e] was discontinued in order to reduce the number of ISO images that needed to be maintained.
Starting with Linux Mint 20 only 64-bit architecture is supported.This is because Canonical decided to drop 32-bit support from Ubuntu 20.04, which is the base from which Linux Mint 20 is derived.[25] LMDE still supports both the x86 i386 (32-bit) and amd64 (64-bit) architectures.