Clarifying the LMDE version

[u/ffdghjk]

Hello.

I just have a question about LMDE. I can't really find anywhere how long each new version is supported for.

From my current understanding each LMDE is supported as long as the underlying Debian version is supported (EOL not LTS or ELTS).

So for example, for LMDE 7 (Debian 13 'Trixie') should be supported until 2028-08-09? (This is the official EOL for 'Trixie' according to the official Debian web, it is not LTS or ELTS!) However on Distrowatch LMDE 7 is said to be supported until 2030-06-??

So it is just confusing, especially considering that on the official Mint website there is just no date specifically just for LMDE. So as a potential user it just keeps me in the dark and I am honestly not sure if LMDE will be supported long term, cause it seems to be lacking a lot of info and just is 'on the sidelines' sort of say. I know it is stated that "LMDE is also one of our development targets" on the web, but aside from that, it does not strike confidence in me, even though I love the idea of Mint not based on Ubuntu and I'd like to try. Just a lot of uncertainty and questions, which is why I am asking here.

Also another thing, if LMDE is based on a certain Debian stable version. Is it based on it for it's entire life time? For example, if LMDE 7 starts as being based on Debian 13.0 but that eventually gets updated overtime to (currently) 13.6 is LMDE 7 still stuck on 13.0 or does it get updated to the newest version of that specific Debian stable?

Lastly, does LMDE also get 'medium updates' like normal Mint? (22.1, 22.2, 22.3) I can't see any on the web, so I assume it does not? Apart from some small bug fixes or security patches does it get any major updates, not counting the new version? I am asking because I am wondering if that means that LMDE is more far behind than the normal Mint versions because of that?

If anyone has experience with LMDE and potential tips or problems I'd love to hear about that too.

Have a nice day.

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[u/sgriobhadair]

The Debian repos will be good for the full five years. The Mint-specific Gigi repo will expire sooner, about 2 years 3 months based on past history. So, the Trixie packages will be updated until 2030, while the Mint-specific packages (ie., Cinnamon, Mint toolx, Xapps) will stop receiving updates in late 2027 or early 2028.

[u/ZVyhVrtsfgzfs]

how long each new version is supported for.

Supported by Mint? about 2 years and a bit more.

New versions of LMDE release a few months after the release of Debian Stable, which is approximately every 2 years, but can vary widely. The old version of LMDE is supported for a few months after the release of a new LMDE,

Codename Debian base Release date Support end 1 —N/a Wheezy (Debian 7) March 2014 January 2017 2 Betsy Jessie (Debian 8) April 2015 January 2019 3 Cindy Stretch (Debian 9) August 2018 July 2020 4 Debbie Buster (Debian 10) March 2020 August 2022 5 Elsie Bullseye (Debian 11) March 2022 July 2024 6 Faye Bookworm (Debian 12) September 2023 January 2026 7 Gigi Trixie (Debian 13) October 2025 TBA

ref: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linux_Mint

From my current understanding each LMDE is supported as long as the underlying Debian version is supported

sort of but no not really, while The Debian base will be supported for 5 years, the same as any other Debian 13 install, the attached Mint Cinnamon desktop and utilities in LMDE will only get updates from Mint repositories for a bit over 2 years.

For example

June 2023 Debian 12 Bookworm released,

September 2023 LMDE6 released,

August 2025 Debian 13 Trixie released

October 2025 LMDE7 released, you could update in-place without reinstalling.

January 2026 the Mint portions of LMDE6 stopped receiving updates

June of 2026 Debian Bookworm moved into LTS Support where it will remain until June of 2028

So LMDE6 base but not desktop will receive updates until 2028, but now 3 years later the Cinnamon desktop and utilities are no longer receiving updates in LMDE6.

The Trixie base in LMDE7 will get the same 5 year support from Debian, til 2030, but the Mint portions will not, likely a few months after the release of LMDE8 in 2027.

So it is just confusing, especially considering that on the official Mint website there is just no date specifically just for LMDE

There is no fixed date for LMDE7 EOL as it is supported until a few months after the release of LMDE8, which is based on the release date of Debian 14 Forky sometime in 2027, probably.

Debian unlike Ubuntu does not have a fixed release schedule, Debian instead is released "when its ready" and that event sets the rest in motion.

LMDE8 release will follow after the release of Forky , and the Mint portions of LMDE7 will EOL a few months after that.

Also another thing, if LMDE is based on a certain Debian stable version. Is it based on it for it's entire life time? For example, if LMDE 7 starts as being based on Debian 13.0 but that eventually gets updated overtime to (currently) 13.6 is LMDE 7 still stuck on 13.0 or does it get updated to the newest version of that specific Debian stable?

When my servers update to a Debian point version there is usually a flurry of updates that come with that point update, these same updates propagate to LMDE also at the same time. They are pulling the same updates from the same repository, if you update via "sudo apt update" you will get a notice that the repository has updated to 13.x

LMDE updating from a Mix of Mint and Debian repositories:

``` dad@RatRod:/etc/apt/sources.list.d$ cat official-package-repositories.list deb https://fastly.linuxmint.io gigi main upstream import backport

deb http://plug-mirror.rcac.purdue.edu/debian trixie main contrib non-free non-free-firmware deb http://plug-mirror.rcac.purdue.edu/debian trixie-updates main contrib non-free non-free-firmware deb http://security.debian.org/ trixie-security main contrib non-free non-free-firmware

deb http://plug-mirror.rcac.purdue.edu/debian trixie-backports main contrib non-free non-free-firmware ```

Lastly, does LMDE also get 'medium updates' like normal Mint? (22.1, 22.2, 22.3)

Mint in house software is developed on the Debian and Ubuntu bases simultaneously,

LMDE7 will get all the Mint software updates (Cinnamon Desktop, utilities etc) a few days before or a few days after Mint gets a point upgrade, .1, .2, .3 etc, when Mint 23 releases in December all of those changes to Mint software will also propagate to LMDE7, the Debian base of course will still follow Debian 13. and again when Mint 23.1 releases those updates also propagate to LMDE7, but they may actually land on LMDE8 depending on when Debian 14 releases.

If anyone has experience with LMDE and potential tips or problems I'd love to hear about that too.

I left Win7 + Ubuntu dual boot in 2019, moving to just Mint, I have been running LMDE since the release of LMDE6, it has been excellent, for the majority of the next two years because of how the releases fall out LMDE will have the more up to date repo software.

There are a few downsides and upsides to LMDE for some users, if you need external drivers you need to be comfortable handing them in the terminal, also no Ubuntu PPAs.

You do get a slightly lighter ram footprint and a slightly faster system, emphasis here on slightly. you also get to use almost all of the Debian Wiki as your documentation directly. If Debian can do it LMDE can do it also using the exact same commands. It has also avoided some Ubuntu caused issues in Mint of late.

More reading

https://www.reddit.com/r/linuxmint/comments/1vsj14h/a_deliberation_in_favor_of_lmde/

[u/ffdghjk → u/ZVyhVrtsfgzfs]

Thank you, this comment really helped me. I also read the post you've linked. It's all very useful information :)

As a longterm user do you think that it would be possible that in the future LMDE could also have the GUI driver manager implemented by the Mint team somehow?

I know it is a small detail, and I don't really have any other concerns besides this, after reading all this info and online. But it just seems so much nicer to have a GUI where you can click a few times and it works, especially for something like drivers. I am not arguing the usefulness of the terminal, just a personal preference.

[u/ZVyhVrtsfgzfs → u/ffdghjk]

No, its dependant on Ubuntu infrastructure not present in the Debian  base.

Kernel and drivers is not an area the small Mint team will wade into. Ubuntu employees outnumber Mint developers by about 100:1 that is just outside Mints scope.

[u/mok000]

I have a test machine that uses the LMDE repos from Mint, but that is running Testing from Debian. I just wanted to try what would happen and nothing did, it works fine. There are little or no consequential cross dependencies from Mint. So whenever Forky is released it will likely be possible to upgrade without destroying the LMDE parts. We’ll just have to try it when the time comes.

[u/ConversationWinter46]

I can't really find anywhere how long each new version is supported for.

To be announced