Linux Mint 20.1 Long-term Support Release Is Out

Thelasko quotes gHacks: Linux Mint 20.1 is now available.

The first stable release of Linux Mint in 2021 is available in the three flavors Cinnamon, MATE and Xfce. The new version of the Linux distribution is based on Ubuntu 20.04 LTS and Linux kernel 5.4...

- Linux Mint 20.1 comes with a unified file system that sees certain directories being merged with their counterparts in /usr, e.g. /bin merged with /usr/bin, /lib merged with /usr/lib for compatibility purposes...

- The developers have added an option to turn websites into desktop applications in the new version [using the new Web App manager]... Web apps behave like desktop programs for the most part; they start in their own window and use a custom icon, and you find them in the Alt-Tab interface when you use it. Web apps can be pinned and they are found in the application menu after they have been created.

Merged Directories

[JBMcB]

Is there a compelling reason to have split /bin /usr/bin and /sbin /usr/sbin anymore? IIRC it was kept separate so that, if the system couldn't boot far enough to mount /usr, you could still get at the important system utilities to fix whatever broke the boot process.

As this functionality is now taken over by busybox in an initramfs, and most Linux installs I've seen, if partitioned, usually separate out /home or /usr/var, if anything, wouldn't it make sense to standardize on this layout?

Re:

[stevenaaus]

If it isn't broke, don't "fix"it. Apple have totally wrecked macOS largely because of their iOS related filesystem "overhaul". Even their own apps often don't work afaics.

Re:Merged Directories

[KiloByte]

The reason is, on THE Unix installation, the /bin disk got full, and parts had to be moved onto the user partition (/usr). Some time later, a new disk arrived, and rightful contents of /usr was moved to it, named /home. That's the only reason.

Subsequent cases of too small partitions were dealt with otherwise. Like, on N900 with tiny / on NOR, a good part of /usr are symlinks to spilled out stuff in /opt. Apparently the ancient split of /usr would take too much work to adjust.

The person who's pushing [freedesktop.org] for this mindless /bin->/usr/bin crap is none other than our less-than-loved Lennart P.

The best solution IMHO comes from an unlikely source: the Hurd. Let's have /bin /sbin /lib only, with /usr having only a few compat symlinks, or be a symlink to / altogether.

Re:

[fph il quozientatore]

I don't really understand; what are the functional differences between your proposal and Lennart's? The only difference is which one is a physical folder and which one is a symlink, did I understand that correctly? Why is one "crap" and one "the best solution"?

Re:

[thegarbz]

Let's have /bin /sbin /lib only, with /usr having only a few compat symlinks, or be a symlink to / altogether

I mean your proposal and Poettering's are basically the same. Use one, symlink the other for compatibility. He's just pointing out more tools default to /usr than to / since the majority of programs now sit in /usr.

Honestly I find it hard to argue with either approach. There's no point in splitting where these executables sit. Just throw them all in one folder and symlink to the other.

Re:

[JBMcB]

Let's have /bin /sbin /lib only, with /usr having only a few compat symlinks, or be a symlink to / altogether.

Personally, I'd rather have all that stuff in /usr, especially now that it's possible to have /lib32 /lib64, etc... I'd find all that junk obnoxious in root. I'd rather have all binaries in a partition, then I can have a noexec / partition if I'm paranoid about security.

Re:

[coliva]

I just read the upgrade instructions [linuxmint.com]. Looks like LM20.1 is the first step to merge those directories. They make it an optional step to merge the directories and it is the default config for new installations. This has already been done in Solaris and Fedora, so it shouldn't be much of a risk at this point.

Re:

[Dwedit]

The `/bin` vs `/sbin` split is because `/sbin` contains programs that require administrative privileges, usually root only.
As for the `/usr/bin` vs `/bin` stuff, I have no idea.

Re:

[Menelkir]

Some time ago I read someone saying in irc "because everything should be available to the user". My wild guess is they broken the file system structure because they don't know how to set a PATH environment variable.

Still hoping they'll someday reconsider KDE

[gaiageek]

After leaving Linut Mint KDE, I've tried Ubuntu Studio with KDE manually installed and now Kubuntu - all on Thinkpads. My experience with bugs has been the worst with Kubuntu by far.

Re:Still hoping they'll someday reconsider KDE

[ChunderDownunder]

Try Neon?

https://neon.kde.org/ [kde.org]

Re:

[gaiageek]

Yeah, been meaning to for awhile.

Re:Still hoping they'll someday reconsider KDE

[ytene]

Like you, I'm a KDE refugee, using Mint 20.0 [I've been a Mint user since I stopped using ubuntu 12.04 as I refused to go to the Unity interface and disliked Canonical sending data to commercial partners].

I've adopted the Cinnamon build of Mint... and I have to say I like it a lot.

Being a Debian-based distro, with a really robust package management system, I am free to use any KDE applications that I want, seamlessly. For example, I much prefer the "KDE Games" package to the "GNOME Games" alternative: click; install... Any KDE libraries that an application needs are automatically pulled in.

Bear in mind that Cinnamon [and Mate] started out [may still be] heavily-skinned GNOME desktops, so under the covers expect to find GNOME plumbing.

I started to use Cinnamon expecting to dislike it, expecting to find it primitive compared with the Plasma desktop features of KDE... but after a couple of years I'd have to say that I've come to prefer the simplicity and the clean, uncluttered approach.

Mint is such a well-rounded distro now. Definitely worth your time to take a look.

Re:

[JustAnotherOldGuy]

Mint is such a well-rounded distro now. Definitely worth your time to take a look.

Big fan of Mint here. :) It was pretty good when it debuted and it's only gotten better.

Running it right now

[JustAnotherOldGuy]

I'm running it right now and it seems to be fine overall, with the exception no of sound coming out the Line Out port.

Might be a bad board or maybe some weird-ass Linux quirk. But otherwise it seems fine to me.

Re:

[Ferro_242]

Yeah I've been running Mint (XFCE) a couple years now and like it a lot.
I have found Mint a rather mixed bag driver & hardware-support wise though and some hardware definitely works better than others
First time out I had an ATI gfx card, gave me no end of grief.
Upgraded and switched to an NVIDIA card, everything worked out of the box as advertised pretty much.
(Just dont talk to me about Ubuntu MATE which really grated my gears. Not to mention killing several HD and bricking a Lenovo laptop :/ ).

Re:

[JustAnotherOldGuy]

I've been running Mint for just over 2 years; it seems to be ideal for what I need. Normally the OOBE is excellent

I'm using Cinnamon as the desktop and so far I find it pretty serviceable overall. I'd like to try XFCE but they warn about installing two desktop managers so I haven't risked it.

My "no sound out of the Line Out" turned out to be a setting in alsamixer called "Auto-Mute". Turned it off and all is fine.

MX Linux

[Dwedit]

I'm currently have MX Linux installed. It has a big standout feature: Live Installation Mode, where just a single huge compressed file sits on the hard drive, along with under 30 small files. You can even make the system boot to RAM.
MX Linux is based on Debian Stable, so it can also use any Debian packages, but also has newer packages available that aren't available in Debian Stable.
You can Remaster the OS filesystem to make changes to the system persist, or just reboot and every change goes away. Or you can use persistence files to allow the changes to take effect without needing to remaster.

Re:

[minorityreport]

AntiX [antixlinux.com] is even lighter on resources than MX Linux.

Mint vs Debian and Ubuntu

[strombrg]

Mint's software is OK.

They appear to be tending toward shutting off useful functionality, EG: hibernation and screensaver hacks.

More importantly, they almost seem to be actively discouraging developing a community around Mint. EG: I got flamed on a Mint forum for asking a simple question about installing Mint on a new laptop. They insisted my hardware was dead, and essentially told me to go away. However, when I installed Debian, the laptop worked (and is still working) great.

I've decided to go