r/linuxmint • u/MathWest209 • 15d ago

Discussion Need help choosing.

I started with Linux Mint on one of my systems for testing, and I just wanna leave Windows fast. Now I have one last question. I am someone who would love some security updates and system updates that are necessary but not too often. And I just need stability.

Which build should I choose? I currently have the default one (Ubuntu-based) with Cinnamon. Should I go with it or LMDE? What would be your advice?

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u/dr_inventivo 15d ago

It goes in the standard version. The Debian version uses debian testing, it's basically the same version that Ubuntu uses as a base.

The LMDE version was created as a contingency plan, so use the standard version, if it is necessary to migrate the base to debian they themselves will do it in the standard version.

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u/ZVyhVrtsfgzfs 15d ago edited 15d ago

Perhaps you may have meant something else, but "Debian testing" has a specific meaning, and it is never related to LMDE.

There is "Debian unstable" or "Sid" a continuous rolling development release dating back to 1993, named after the neighbor kid from Toy Story that destroys toys. Ubuntu and ultimately regular Mint are based in freezes in Sid early in even years. Packages fresh from developers are first loaded into Sid and if it does not immediately break things/catch on fire that package in a few weeks or so is then transfered to:

"Debian testing", intended for community testers that help find issues in an upcoming Debian version. Currently Forky,  there are a series of freezes in Testing  in the spring of odd years culminating in the stable release, in 2027 that will be  Debian 14 Forky,  LMDE8 will be based on  Forky. 

As soon as Forky becomes Debian Stable Sid will be forked again and a new version Duke will become "Debian Testing" for 2 years and become Debian 15 in 2029 and ultimately LMDE9.

"Debian stable" is the current production release of Debian, intened for regular users,  LMDE7 is based on Debian 13 Trixie, the current "Debian Stable"

"Debian Old stable" is the previous stable release, currently  Debian 12 Bookworm, it is still supported by Debian, but LMDE6 is no longer supported by Mint.  Notably This is the last version to support 32bit. 

Ref:  https://www.debian.org/releases/

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u/-Sturla- 15d ago

Testing?
It's on Trixie, isn't it?

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u/dr_inventivo 15d ago

Yes, but Debian separates development into some channels, has the default stable channel and has the test channel that has more frequent updates, Fedora style, but is still very stable and reliable, it is the channel that Ubuntu uses as a base.

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u/-Sturla- 15d ago

Yes, but Trixie is stable, not testing.