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Linux Distro Reviews: LMDE
LMDE (Linux Mint Debian Edition) is a backup distro maintained by the Linux Mint team, offering a similar experience as mainline Linux Mint, but with some notable differences. How does it stack up to the mainline edition and should you use it?
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 Ubunut’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.
- 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.
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.
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
Linux Distro Reviews: LMDE
Matt Milano
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