Linux Distro Reviews: LMDE
As the name suggests, LMDE is Linux Mint based on Debian instead of Ubuntu. Mainline Linux Mint is one of the most popular Ubuntu-based distros, which we reviewed here. The Mint team goes to great lengths to mitigate some of Ubuntu’s more controversial decisions, such as removing snaps in favor of flatpaks. Mint also defaults to the project’s own Cinnamon desktop environment (DE), which is often praised as one of the easiest DEs for Windows users to switch to. Ultimately, Mint manages to build on Ubuntu’s ease of use and surpass it in many areas.
If mainline Mint is so successful, why create an alternative version of Mint that is based on Debian, the same distro that Ubuntu is based on? In short, LMDE is an insurance policy for the Mint team in the event that something happens to Ubuntu or, more likely, if Ubuntu becomes too difficult to work with.
Canonical’s (Ubuntu’s parent company) continued embrace of snaps could eventually be the straw that breaks the camel’s back. Firefox and Chromium are already only available in the Ubuntu App Center as snaps, meaning the Linux Mint team has to bundle a non-snap version of both apps. With the upcoming Ubuntu 24.04 release, Canonical is taking snaps further with plans to ship the CUPS printing service as a snap rather than a DEB package. As a result, the Mint team will need to package the DEB version of CUPS themselves, like they do with Firefox and Chromium.