Linux Mint 20.3 was released in stable version this Wednesday (5). The Penguin System distribution, now built on Ubuntu 20.04.5 LTS, features a new look, more apps in a dark theme by default, improvements to native programs and, of course, more support time.
New look
Of the changes, the most evident is the new Mint design. The 20.3 update strips the characteristic green color of minor interface elements by replacing it with gray, while making the title bar thicker, with larger (easier to click) window control buttons.
Following the trend, the Mint-Y theme also embraces the rounded corners for windows by default, as well as other Linux distros and Windows 11. The change doesn’t just apply to native section windows, but also to apps that open in it.
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More wallpapers
An entire gallery was added in Mint 20.3 to redecorate the computer’s Desktop. It’s worth taking a look at the collection of wallpapers added to the system to, who knows, define a new look.
App improvements
Speaking of apps, they’ve also been tweaked to suit other distros: multimedia apps (like the native photo viewer and the streaming app Hypnotix) are displayed by default in the dark palette, just like they do in Ubuntu, for example.
To make file management easier, Nemo now includes one more alternative for when a file is moved/copied to a folder that contains another document with the same name. In addition to “Skip” and “Overwrite”, the user can choose “Rename” to give a new title to the file that is changing and avoid redundancy.
The calendar built into the system has also become more useful and now displays events associated with the user in one click. Different online calendars are supported, including Google Calendar.
For on-call readers, there’s the new Thingy. The app is an aggregator of documents saved on the PC, ideal for those who deal with a lot of virtual paperwork or enjoy digital reading. It shows favorite texts, highlights reading progress and marks the last page read automatically.
The note-taking application, Sticky Notes, is also more practical: the user can use a search bar to find saved tickets and save the time of manual searching. Also, adjustments for the font size have been added to the notes context menu.
Mint 20.3 Support
Because it is built on Ubuntu 20.04.5 LTS, Mint 20.3 is powered by the Linux kernel 5.4, version released in April 2020, and displayed in the Cinnamon 5.2 interface. The Flatpack utility program has also been updated to build 1.12.
Delivery of updates and security fixes for Mint 20.3 will take place by 2025 (no specific date).
How to download Mint 20.3
The Linux Mint version 20.3 download is not featured on the distro’s official website at the time of writing this article, but downloadable from official alternative sites. The installation process is the same: pack the ISO file in a USB device and make it bootable with some program, like Etcher, and restart the computer with the pendrive already plugged in, changing the boot preferences.
