Just a few minutes ago, Linux Mint 11 “Katya” has been released. Linux Mint is a derivative of Ubuntu which comes with the restricted packages that are not installed in Ubuntu such as audio codecs, video codecs, Flash etc. In short, Linux Mint is an Ubuntu derivative aimed at the new users.

New Features

Linux Mint 11 is based on Ubuntu 11.04 but it does not use Unity. It does not use GNOME Shell either – it still uses the classic GNOME 2 desktop. This makes Linux Mint a viable choice for the many people who do not like either Unity or GNOME Shell.

Software Manager in Linux Mint 11

The Software Manager in Linux Mint 11 has received a lot of improvements. Not only does the new Software Manager look good – it is also more functional. The applications are now given a more accurate description. This is important as most of the Linux Mint users are likely to be new to Linux and would not know all the applications available. The search feature has also been improved to give more accurate results.

The Update Manager in Linux Mint 11 has been given a performance boost. The three steps used by the previous Update Manager has now been reduced to just one in this release. In the previous versions of the Update Manager, it first checks the internet connection, downloads the packages rules and then check for package updates. In the new Update Manager, the package rules are embedded in the Update Manager itself so that it does not have to be downloaded every time. When there is a change in the rule, an update for the Update Manager is released. The dependency handling has also been improved in the new Update Manager. This makes it easier to fix broken packages.

Linux Mint 11 has a new command called apt-download. What apt-download does is downloads the package along with the dependencies and store them locally. I am still not sure when this could be useful.

Changes in the default applications

Here is a brief list of the changes in the default applications in Linux Mint 11:

• LibreOffice replaces OpenOffice.org
• gThumb is the default photo viewer.
• Banshee is the default music player.
• Gwibber has been removed.

Looks And Theme

Linux Mint 11 uses the same theme as Linux Mint 10. However, it comes with a new default wallpaper. Those who have used Ubuntu 11.04 will also notice that Linux Mint 11 also uses the overlay scrollbars.

The Linux Mint team has decided to remove the plymouth boot screen. Instead of the animated boot screen, Linux mint will only have a black screen. According to the developers, because the speed at which many computers boots, the boot screen animation is not generally visible or if visible does not complete the animation giving it an unprofessional look.

Download

You can download Linux Mint 11 “Katya” through torrent. The links are given below:

Linux Mint 11 32-bit DVD

Linux Mint 11 64-bit DVD

Linux Mint 11 32-bit CD

Linux Mint 11 64-bit CD

Note: The CD images does not contain the restricted codecs.