Linux Mint 22.2 brings Cinnamon refresh, hardware updates • The Register

The latest point release to the current version of Linux Mint brings a newer Cinnamon (if that’s your thing) and updates for all.

Version 22.2replaces 22.1, which came out back in January. Along with the announcement, there’s a quick-reference New Features page and full release notes.

Mint 22.2 has a new version of Cinnamon, but it’s not radically different

There’s a new version of the Cinnamon desktop, although Wayland support is still experimental. Those who favor Xfce – The Reg FOSS desk included – still get the older Xfce 4.18, as also used in the latest Linux Lite version 7.6. It’s the stock version in the Ubuntu Noble repos.

There are various small fit-and-finish enhancements too, including a new app to configure fingerprint recognition, if your machine has a fingerprint scanner. The Hypnotix IPTV player has been improved, and there are companion apps for iOS and Android for two of the Mint built-in accessories (although, oddly, not the same two). The Update Manager will now display a “Reboot” button if any of the updates require you to restart your PC.

Although it has a new codename, “Zara,” this is just a point release for the existing Mint 22. Like its forerunners “Wilma” and “Xia,” it’s based on Ubuntu 24.04 “Noble Numbat.” This version is based on Ubuntu 24.04.3, and in a departure from Mint 21 and previous major versions, the project now adopts Ubuntu’s Hardware Enablement Updates (as we described in the preceding link).

So this means that Mint 22.2 is still based on Ubuntu 24.04, but this version comes with kernel 6.14 and all the associated updates to the kernel and graphics drivers that have been issued in 24.10 and 25.04. This in turn means that the Mint Edge editions, whose announcement we covered in August 2023 and which we tried that October, are no longer separate. In essence, the updates in the Edge edition of Mint 21 are now rolled into the normal point releases of Mint 22. Most users should see no difference, but there’s a better chance that newer releases of Mint will work properly on the latest hardware. The only people who will be worse off are those with older Nvidia cards who need version 470 of the proprietary driver, which doesn’t work on the new kernel. If you need that version, you’re advised to install Mint 22.0 and then update, which will leave the older kernel 6.8 in place.

Kernel and drivers aside, it’s not a very big deal. For instance, the sticky notes app now has rounded corners, works on Wayland, and there’s an Android version called StyncyNotes too, so you can sync your notes with your Android fondleslab. (The other mobile app is an iOS client for the Warpinator easy file transfer tool.)

Mint 22.2 comes with the same version of Xfce as the previous release, inherited from its Ubuntu Noble base

The themes have been adjusted to be very slightly bluer, the Software Manager has had a bit of a facelift and now more clearly distinguishes “native” .deb apps from cross-platform Flatpak packages. As before, the Software Manager doesn’t show unverified packages, so Flathub is left looking a little bare. You won’t find things like Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge, Slack, or Zoom (to pick a few examples) here, because their Flatpaks are not official ones from the vendors. This inadvertently serves as an illustration of one of the big problems of these cross-distro app stores: they’re full of useful proprietary freeware that is often tricky to install on Linux, but the bulk of them are not from the vendors – they’re built by third parties. Canonical’s problems with malware in the Snap Store are well known, but the issue of unverified unofficial packages is not limited to the Snap Store by any means.

Mint 22.2 is available now, free of charge. If you’re already using Mint 22, then your next routine upgrade should install Mint Update 7.1, and then the upgrade to 22.2 should be offered automatically. Users still on Mint 21 will have to check for it manually, and if you haven’t already, you should install 21.3 and all other updates first.

Now that 22.2 is out the door, the next expected update will be 22.3 based on Ubuntu 24.04.4, and that is expected in February. In the meantime, the Mint team will get to work on the next version of Linux Mint Debian Edition – LMDE 7 – which will be based on Debian 13 “Trixie” and will be codenamed “Gigi.” Like its upstream distribution, though, there will not be a version for x86-32 machines. ®