After the launch of Linux Mint 22.2, there was only one more step missing to close the circle: the launch of LMDE 7It has been available for download for some time, but it was not until today, October 14th, that Clem Lefebvre made it official. Could it have had something to do with the fact that today Windows 10 has stopped receiving supportI doubt it; it's just a coincidence. But the fact is that we already have a new version of Debian-based Linux Mint.
Speaking of that base, LMDE 7 It is built on Debian 13, available since August of this year. The release notes LMDE 7's release notes don't explain anything about what the new version brings, which is typical. Most of the new features come from Linux Mint 22.2, especially those related to its desktop, Cinnamon. Linux Mint Debian Edition only comes with the "Cinnamon" desktop, the same one developed by the Mint project.
LMDE 7 now available
What they do explain vaguely is that you can upgrade from previous versions by following these steps:
- The packages are updated and the update tool is installed:
sudo apt update && sudo apt install mintupgrade
- The update tool is launched:
sudo mintupgrade
- Follow the on-screen instructions. It's a no-brainer.
- Finally, remove the update tool and reboot:
apt remove mintupgrade sudo reboot
The system will now boot into LMDE 7. This also applies to users who had the beta version installed.
Please note that, although it works with 2GB of RAM and 20GB of storage, the recommended system is a computer with 4GB of RAM and 100GB of available space. Be careful with your storage, as if you don't have enough space, you won't be able to apply future system updates (I learned this the hard way).
For new installations, LMDE 7 can be downloaded from your official website.