The Linux Mint development team has been working on a new update tool for some time now. The new tool will make upgrading between major versions of Linux distributions much easier for many of its users.
Every two years new major versions of Linux Mint are released. Each major version gets three point releases, and updates to one of the point releases are simple, since they don’t require the use of the command line.
Upgrades to new major versions of Linux Mint are complex as they take more time to perform and require the use of the command line. The new Linux Mint update tool significantly changes the process of updating the major version.
One of the main improvements of the new update tool is that it is fully graphical and there is no need to use the command line. Another improvement is the integrated management of problems detected by the update checker. Many issues can be resolved by simply clicking the “fix” button in the interface according to the Linux Mint development team.
Although there is more:
- The new update tool is fully localized.
- The tool runs further checks to ensure that all prerequisites are met; this includes verifying that there is enough free space or that the device is connected to a power source.
- Some options are configurable. The team notes that most should not be omitted, but the option to do so is provided.
- The user’s selection of distribution replicas is retained and used, as long as the replicas are “compliant, responsive, and up-to-date.”
- There is no need to remove custom repositories and PPAs. However, checks are made to find out if they are compatible with the new version.
- Orphaned packages can also be preserved.
closing words
The new upgrade tool improves the major version upgrade process for many users, especially users who recently switched to Linux Mint. The development team plans to first release the update tool for upgrading from LMDE 4 to LMDE 5 and then for upgrading from Linux Mint 20.3 to Linux Mint 21.0.
The update tool is currently available as an alpha version. A short beta release cycle is planned before the final release of the new app.
You can refer to the latest blog post on the official Linux Mint blog for additional details.
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