The Mint team has just released its regular monthly newsletter. This time, we have some exciting updates to share with you: the project has outlined the final steps toward the release of Linux Mint 22.3, codenamed “Zena,” the third refresh in the 22.x series following 22.1 “Xia” and 22.2 “Zara” releases.
The team reports that most components have now been tagged for inclusion, and a beta release is planned for the next 10 days.
According to the devs, development has entered its final phase, and packaging work has been committed to the repositories. Given that historically the gap between a Mint’s beta release and the final stable one is typically 2 to 4 weeks, with a high degree of predictability, we can expect 22.3 “Zena” around Christmas.
Apart from that, as we mentioned last month, the developers are working on a brand-new menu in Cinnamon that now features symbolic category icons, enabled by the project’s new XApp Symbolic Icons initiative as part of a broader effort to modernize Mint’s desktop presentation.
At the same time, Linux Mint 22.3 will introduce redesigned tools, namely the System Information and System Admin tools. The release will also bring improved input handling compatible with Wayland.
Several desktop-quality improvements are also now integrated. Cinnamon’s on-screen keyboard receives refinements, while the Nemo file manager adds the ability to pause file operations.
Lastly, Timeshift gains snapshot enhancements, and Warpinator now supports text messaging. Additional updates include an always-on night light, template management improvements, and per-application notification indicators in the panel.
For more information, see the announcement on Mint’s blog.
Image credits: Linux Mint
