Linux Mint 22.2 launches with a few old bugs

[Redaktion]

Since the MATE, Xfce, and Cinnamon Linux Mint 22.2 "Zara" editions come with the HWE kernel 6.14, all ended up facing the same issues. The list of problems includes a bug that affects systems with older Nvidia GPUs that use the 470 driver, but other nuisances have been discovered as well.

https://www.notebookcheck.net/Linux-Mint-22-2-launches-with-a-few-old-bugs.1108587.0.html

[Don Cosner]

The system monitor in 22.2 is buggy too. The files tab displays right every other time you open the app. Doing so also causes a zombie process to appear.

[Tyler Stromberg]

The dark mode also doesn't change chrome tabs the way that it did before anymore, it's as if the system isn't telling chrome that it's in dark mode

[Don Rice]

Who are these Mint 22.2 users who run the Nvidia 470 driver?

I had Mint 22.1 and when the 550 driver came out I upgraded.  Now I have upgraded Mint to 22.2.  It shows 550 as recommended but also available are 570 and 575.

[Hotz]

Since the MATE, Xfce, and Cinnamon Linux Mint 22.2 "Zara" editions come with the HWE kernel 6.14, all ended up facing the same issues. The list of problems includes a bug ... with older Nvidia GPUs ... but other nuisances have been discovered as well.

Maybe they should only make 1 edition instead of 3 (it's actually 4), and solve the problem there (e.g. not including the buggy package into the kernel) instead of spreading the bug into all editions, and then later having to fix the whole bunch of them. I don't understand that - as if maintaining 1 edition isn't enough work already.

But it's not only that, it's also that newcomers will be confused by 4 different Linux Mint editions. They're not only confronted with making a choice within the distribution jungle, but also make a choice within a subset of the selected distribution. Crazy.

[A]

Who are these Mint 22.2 users who run the Nvidia 470 driver?

I had Mint 22.1 and when the 550 driver came out I upgraded.  Now I have upgraded Mint to 22.2.  It shows 550 as recommended but also available are 570 and 575.

470 is legacy driver for old nvidia cards. So if you have a modern card yes, if you have an old nvidia card you are on 470 because nvidia stopped including support on newer drivers for older cards.

Maybe they should only make 1 edition instead of 3 (it's actually 4), and solve the problem there (e.g. not including the buggy package into the kernel) instead of spreading the bug into all editions, and then later having to fix the whole bunch of them. I don't understand that - as if maintaining 1 edition isn't enough work already.

But it's not only that, it's also that newcomers will be confused by 4 different Linux Mint editions. They're not only confronted with making a choice within the distribution jungle, but also make a choice within a subset of the selected distribution. Crazy.

The amount of editions don't matter, the 3 editions are same OS, just different Desktop Environments. Their main one is Cinnamon, but MATE exists for old computers and Xfce exists for minimalists and power users.

As for LMDE, it is a backup in case. Ubuntu doesn't have a good reputation as far as decision go, so LMDE is kept as a backup in case the Ubuntu based Mint has to be discontinued due to some Ubuntu decision that is hard to reverse. For example, if Ubuntu moves all packages to snap and discontinues debs.

Other than LMDE, Cinnamon is the only one that requires any extra work since Linux Mint is the developer of Cinnamon Desktop Environment. The others, they just pull the default packages and most changes are automated by the build system. Ubuntu itself already has Mate and Xfce versions so they are guaranteed to work.

Nothing to be confused about, the default is Linux Mint Cinnamon. Unless your computer is 10+ years old there is no reason to worry about the other editions.

There is nothing Mint can do to solve these buggy packages, legacy Nvidia driver is closed source. And the ones who handle the kernel would be ubuntu which is downstream.

[Agent327]

Here audio no longer working after upgrade from 22.1 to 22.2 on Lenovo T430
This is the message I've got back:
Audio:
  Message: No device data found.
  API: ALSA v: k6.8.0-83-generic status: kernel-api
  Server-1: PipeWire v: 1.0.5 status: active with: 1: pipewire-pulse
    status: active 2: wireplumber status: active 3: pipewire-alsa type: plugin
    4: pw-jack type: plugin
Anyone knows the solution? I have been trying a lot of options

[John Wayne]

The amount of editions don't matter, the 3 editions are same OS, just different Desktop Environments. Their main one is Cinnamon, but MATE exists for old computers and Xfce exists for minimalists and power users.

Nothing to be confused about, the default is Linux Mint Cinnamon.

I directed someone to download Linux Mint (like that "just download Linux Mint, it's the easiest and best, and you can do nothing wrong with it"), and he was confused by the multiple editions, and ended up downloading nothing, because he wasn't sure what's the difference and what he possibly misses out.

So much for nothing to be confused about...

There is nothing Mint can do to solve these buggy packages, legacy Nvidia driver is closed source. And the ones who handle the kernel would be ubuntu which is downstream.

Mint can do something about buggy packages in that they only have 1 distro, which is not based on a buggy source distro as a base (literally every new Ubuntu release is buggy on release). Perhaps Mint should stay on Debian. But hey.. that Download is also kinda hidden on the website, so ... more confusion.

[A]

Here audio no longer working after upgrade from 22.1 to 22.2 on Lenovo T430
This is the message I've got back:
Audio:
  Message: No device data found.
  API: ALSA v: k6.8.0-83-generic status: kernel-api
  Server-1: PipeWire v: 1.0.5 status: active with: 1: pipewire-pulse
    status: active 2: wireplumber status: active 3: pipewire-alsa type: plugin
    4: pw-jack type: plugin
Anyone knows the solution? I have been trying a lot of options

You should post on the mint forum or reddit and include what audio card you have

I directed someone to download Linux Mint (like that "just download Linux Mint, it's the easiest and best, and you can do nothing wrong with it"), and he was confused by the multiple editions, and ended up downloading nothing, because he wasn't sure what's the difference and what he possibly misses out.

So much for nothing to be confused about...

If you wish you can just tell them to get Mint Cinnamon if they have a new computer or MATE if they have an old one.

But if they get confused when it is pretty clear on top cinnamon as default, then maybe installing an OS themselves may be too difficult as any installer gives "options"

Mint can do something about buggy packages in that they only have 1 distro, which is not based on a buggy source distro as a base (literally every new Ubuntu release is buggy on release). Perhaps Mint should stay on Debian. But hey.. that Download is also kinda hidden on the website, so ... more confusion.

Debian is hidden because most people shouldn't install the debian version. You seem to misunderstand why those packages are broken. They are broken because they don't work with newest kernel due to needing updates to the kernel modules for those packages.

Going with Debian version would mean older kernels and worse hardware support. If you weight the pros and cons:

Ubuntu version cons:
- some niche packages that tech users like virtualbox not working but a tech user can figure it out

Debian version cons:
- your wifi may not work, if you have newest amd gpu or cpu, it won't work properly, if you have nvidia you will have to manually setup nvidia drivers

So you seriously think they should agonize likely 60% of average users for the sake of maybe 1% of tech users who can fix the issues themselves?

[John Wane]

If you wish you can just tell them to get Mint Cinnamon if they have a new computer or MATE if they have an old one.

No. That's already deeper in the rabbit hole than should be required. You shouldn't have to tell them *anything* at all, except "Install Linux". But good luck with that...

So you seriously think they should agonize likely 60% of average users for the sake of maybe 1% of tech users who can fix the issues themselves?

Hilarious. The Linux world already agonizes and throws off most average users by its own anarchy and lack of standard desktop experience.

[non-linux user]

lack of standard desktop experience

KDE Plasma 5 was genuinely pretty good the last time I tried it. No idea why it never became the standard unified experience on most distros.

The only options should be KDE Plasma or just cli no gui. As the other desktop environment alternatives are all kinda subpar and mediocre in comparison.

[A]

KDE Plasma 5 was genuinely pretty good the last time I tried it. No idea why it never became the standard unified experience on most distros.

The only options should be KDE Plasma or just cli no gui. As the other desktop environment alternatives are all kinda subpar and mediocre in comparison.

KDE was based on QT, and there were early legal issues where people were worried that QT may close source at any time. Years later, KDE got an agreement from QT that it will remain open source for KDE no matter what. But by the time that was sorted out, the negative stigma already hit and gnome dominated.

Afterwards, gnome started to do a major controversial rewrite and many new DEs popped up which were effectively forks of old Gnome. The new Gnome continues to be pushed by IBM/RedHat as the default and despite all the complaints and issues with it, they invested too much into it to back out now.

Only recently we've seen some movement in that Fedora decided to up the KDE spin to tier 1 alongside the gnome version which is progress a little, but still.