Vera also sees the arrival of more controls in the update, driver, and software managers.
New system sounds, ISO tools, and mouse pointers round out this update to the popular Linux distribution.
The popular Ubuntu-based distribution’s intuitive desktop environments make it especially popular among newcomers to Linux.
Dave McKay/How-To Geek
Let’s see what Mint 21.1 has in store.
What Is Linux Mint?
Linux Mint is one of the most successful distributions based on Ubuntu.
And with the number of Ubuntu derivatives out there, that’s saying something.
Linux Mint is focused on desktops and laptops.
It provides customized desktop environments with a choice ofCinnamon,Xfce, andMate.
It has the Snap store disabled by default, a move first made inLinux Mint 20.
Linux Mint doesn’t have a server version.
Linux Mint uses the
package installer, just like Ubuntu and Debian.
It also has its own Software Manager software.
It feels like using a slick, polished, simplified, and less prescriptive Ubuntu, with sensible defaults.
We fired up a beta version to give you a heads-up on what’s new in this release.
Because it’s the Linux Mint flagship release, we installed the Cinnamon edition.
This desktop environment came about when the Linux Mint development team was dissatisfied with Ubuntu’sUnity desktop shelland theGNOME3 shell.
They responded by forking several GNOME 3 components and developing the Cinnamon desktop.
Cinnamon is a mature product—it’s over ten years old—and is stable and robust.
Linux Mint is known to be conservative and slow changing.
This caution helps maintain its stability.
Cleaner Desktop
The desktop has been purged.
There’s the usual selection of new background wallpapers.
It’s a stunning collection of images by skilled photographers.
Whoever curated these backgrounds did a great job too.
There’s a new “Show Desktop” button at the extreme right-hand end of the panel.
It hides all open windows, clearing the desktop with a single mouse click.
It’s practically invisible, but it’s there.
Point at it, and you’ll see its tooltip.
If you prefer the previous muted colors of yesteryear, they’re available too, in the legacy sets.
you’ve got the option to change the accent colors in
.
The default is “Aqua”.
Changing the folder styles in
also changes the software icon styles.
There are some new icon themes that modify the appearance of the folders but leave software icons untouched.
A Modern Mouse Pointer
The default mouse pointer has changed.
Linux Mint 21.1 uses “Bibata Modern Classic”, which has a gently rounded shape without a tail.
With all of these cosmetic tweaks, what looks good is subjective.
New System Sounds
The system sounds have been updated.
A Liberated Driver Manager
The Driver Manager app has been changed to run in user mode.
This means it’ll run without the need for a password.
It searches your machine for drivers that are installed and in use, then lists them.
It’ll also identify missing drivers and offer to install them.
Enhanced Update Manager
A similar amount of assistance and hand-holding is available in the Update Manager.
It makes what can become a complicated task very easy.
Significantly, support for updating flatpaks has been added.
It’s not the flashiest software store software, but it looks good and works well.
I’ll take that over eye candy any day.
You canverify a downloaded ISObyright-clickingit and selecting “Verify” from the context menu.
The ISO Verification utility opens.
It calculates the SHA256checksum.
This should match the published checksum published on the download site.
smack the “Verify” button to perform to have the file verified for you.
If the checks pass, you’re told that everything looks good.
Related:What Are MD5, SHA-1, and SHA-256 Hashes, and How Do I Check Them?
The USB Stick Formatter tool formats USB sticks for you.
you could pick a USB stick, set its machine name, and choose a file system.
Note that these these might change between the time of writing and the actual release date.
Should You Upgrade to Linux Mint 20.1?
Linux Mint 21.1 Vera is fast, simple, slick, and polished.
It’s a worthwhile upgrade for existing Mint users, and a great jumping-on release for first-time users.
Well done to the Linux Mint team.
(Check out therelease notesto learn about known issues and other details.)
