Linux Mint 15 'Olivia' Release Candidate Is Out 134
New submitter Anand Radhakrishnan writes "The release candidate for the much-anticipated Linux Mint 15 'Olivia' is available for user testing. Its many new features include Cinnamon Control center, an improved login manager with HTML 5 support, a driver manager, and a lot of under-the-hood improvements. 'A new tool called MintSources, aka "Software Sources," was developed from scratch with derivative distributions in mind (primarily Linux Mint, but also LMDE, Netrunner and Snow Linux). It replaces software-properties-gtk and is perfectly adapted to managing software sources in Linux Mint. From the main screen you can easily enable or disable optional components and gain access to backports, unstable packages and source code.' This release with Cinnamon looks really tempting."
In place upgrades still unsupported? (Score:5, Informative)
I'm running Mint now, I think it is MInt 13 or maybe 12. I would have upgraded a long time ago except that in place upgrades are not supported. If I had known that, I would never have left ubuntu for Mint.
Next time I "upgrade" I'm just going to go back to Ubuntu so I don't have to deal with that hassle anymore. In place upgrades always worked fine for me on Ubuntu since I would wait a month or two after release for all the other guinea pigs to work through any problems.
Re:In place upgrades still unsupported? (Score:3, Informative)
You're supposed to use the backup utility to save your data and package choices, then do a clean reinstall and re-run the backup utility to restore everything.
Re:Obligatory comment (Score:4, Informative)
Re:In place upgrades still unsupported? (Score:5, Informative)
I agree that a distro using Debian packages and APT really ought to be dist-upgradeable. It's lame that it's not.
But the Mint guys are the ones working hardest to let me have the kind of desktop I prefer, so I'm willing to cut them some slack.
You can avoid some pain if you set your computer up properly. Put /home and / on separate partitions. Then, you can upgrade just by running the new installer! The installer always wants to clean-wipe the / partition, but it doesn't care whether you wipe /home or leave it in place. (I always back up the /etc directory, just by copying it somewhere on the /home partition. I also back up a complete list of all the currently installed packages.)
Re:In place upgrades still unsupported? (Score:4, Informative)
You could use Debian Testing with optional packages from Mint. You get the best of both worlds. And Debian just automagically upgrades itself.
Re:ALL HAIL! (Score:4, Informative)
Re: All hail to Debian. :-)
Huzzah! Yes, indeed, all Hail Debian, the basis of these all! It is sad that so much bounds forth from these springs yet so few are aware of the source of these precious waters!!! As I said earlier, to one who dared mock Debian's utility [slashdot.org]:
Debian has stayed being what it has always been. It's just being used more as the foundation that supports the work of the facade builders and marketers that put a pretty face (or not-so-pretty Tammy Faye Baker clown-makeup face, if you want Gnome 3, imho) on top of all that and market it as if they made the whole thing.
Again, I say to thee, all Hail Deb-Ian ! (also, have you ever seen the canadian cartoon "Being Ian" ? )