Linux Mint 21.1 Long Term Support Release is out

Linux Mint 21.1 codename "Vera" is now available as a stable long term support release. The new version of the popular Linux distribution comes with the usual choice of Cinnamon, MATE and Xfce flavors.

Download links are already available, and Linux Mint 21.1 Beta installations can be updated via the Update Manager. As usual, it will take a bit of time before previous Linux Mint stable installations can be upgraded to the new long term support release. Linux Mint 21.1 follows Linux Mint 21.0, which was released earlier this year. System requirements have not changed in the new release; the minimum requirements are 2 gigabytes of RAM, 20 gigabytes of storage space, and a resolution of at least 1024x768.

Linux Mint 21.1

The releases share some of the improvements while others are environment-specific. Generally speaking, users of the Linux distribution may notice "cleaner and more modern looks". The team highlights more vibrant accent colors and that it cleaned up the desktop to only show essential icons. The computer, trash and network icons were removed, but remain accessible via the File Manager. The home folder has been removed from the desktop as well. It can be accessed via the main menu or by using the keyboard shortcut Super-E.

As far as colors are concerned, use of accent colors on the panel was removed and the team decided to switch to yellow folders instead of the classic green color used in previous versions of the Linux distribution. Linux Mint users may pick their favorite desktop color to customize the look.

Linux Mint users who prefer the classic look may enable the Mint-Y-Legacy theme in the theme options to restore it. This restores the Linux Mint 20.2 look and feel.

Another change that users may notice is that there is a new default mouse pointer theme. It is called Bibata, and designed to "give a fresh new look to the operating system". Traditional DMZ-White and DMZ-Black mouse pointer themes are available next to a alternative pointer themes such as GoogleDot-Black, GoogleDot-White, or XCursor Pro. Speaking of icons, Linux Mint 21.1 includes alternative icon themes. Next to Mint-X, Mint-Y and Ming Legacy themes, users may choose one of four installed alternative icon themes: Breeze, Papirus, Numix and Yaru.

The Driver Manager has received many improvements in all versions of Linux Mint 21.1. The Driver Manager starts in user mode, which means that it is no longer necessary to type a password to start it on the Linux system. A new dedicated offline screen is displayed if the machine is offline and when installation media is detected (via DVD or USB devices). The mounting of USB devices has been improved, so that driver installations are "easier than before" according to the announcement.

The Update Manager supports Flatpaks fully now. Flatpak applications and runtimes may be updated like any other software using the Update Manager, and new Flatpaks are added on a daily basis to the Software Manager.

The Software Manager has a new look that makes it easier to distinguish between system packages and Flatpaks. Users of Linux Mint may now switch between Flatpak and system package versions of an application, if both are provided.

ISO images may now be verified by right-clicking on them and selecting the verify option from the context menu. A Verify option has also been added to the USB Image Writer.

Smaller improvements in Linux Mint 21.1:

Login Screen mouse pointer theme and size are configurable.
Security was hardened for Warpinator.
Additional settings when editing Web Apps, including profile isolation and private browsing.
Removed password prompts for the remove applications functionality in the Main Menu where they were not required.
Removing flatpaks, simple shortcuts and local applications no longer requires a password.
Password is remembered in Synaptic and Update Manager.
Software Sources received changes regarding the handling of PPA keys ("When a PPA is added its key is now only accepted for the PPA itself, not globally for all APT Sources.")

Here are the most important resource links to find out more about the release:

Linux Mint 21.1 will be supported with security updates until 2027. Future versions will use the same package base as Linux Mint 21.1 until 2024.

Now You: have you tried the new Linux Mint already, or plan to?

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