Linux Mint is planning significant changes, including a longer development lifecycle, a new installer shared with LMDE, and a major release targeted for Christmas 2026.
In the March 2026 update, project leader Clement Lefebvre announced several key decisions following an internal review. The most important is a shift to a longer release cycle, allowing developers more time to enhance the distribution’s base, desktop, and tools without rushing major updates.
This change is already influencing the next release. The upcoming version is currently called “Alfa” with version number 23, but both are provisional. The final naming and versioning will depend on the release strategy, which is still being determined.
Moreover, the next Linux Mint release will use Ubuntu 26.04 LTS as its package base and include Linux kernel 7.0. It will also feature Cinnamon 6.7-unstable, CJS 140, and the live-installer from LMDE, which will replace Ubiquity.
The new installer already supports OEM installations, BIOS and EFI systems, Secure Boot, and LVM and LUKS configurations. Its adoption is a major technical change, along with ongoing work on Wayland support. Mint 23 Alfa now includes the new Wayland screensaver, which the team plans to test early in the development cycle.
Currently, development is focused on the base system and installation, with desktop components, toolkits, and applications to be addressed later.
According to devs, the broader release model is still under review. Open questions include the length of the release cycle, whether minor releases will remain frozen or adopt a backported or semi-rolling model like LMDE, and whether alpha releases will be introduced.
For more details, see Mint’s March newsletter.
One of the old reliable guard.
Debian begat Ubuntu (and many others)
Ubuntu begat Linux Mint (and a few others)
I’m on the Debian-based side of the equation, mostly. I have used RPM-based Distros as well, but I usually stick to Debian-based Distros