More Linux Mint 20 Details Revealed

Linux Mint 20, code name "Ulyana", is the upcoming version of the popular distro. It will be based on Ubuntu 20.04, and it will be available only in 64-bit.

Traditionally, Linux Mint 20 will be available in three desktop editions - Cinnamon, MATE and Xfce. The operating system will be supported until 2025.

Here are some updates on Linux Mint features that will arrived with "Ulyana".

Home directory encryption

Home directory encryption, which was removed in Ubuntu, will continue to be available.

Cinnamon and Nemo

In Cinnamon the most notable features will be the increased Nemo performance, the ability to change the monitor refresh rate and support for fractional HiDPI resolutions. The systray applet will also delegate support for indicators (libAppIndicator) and StatusNotifier (Qt and new Electron apps) icons to the Xapp StatusIcon applet directly.

Warpinator

Devs have decided to use 'Warpinator' as the permanent app's name.

There were quite a few good names, but the funny ones didn’t sound as good as the original and the serious ones sounded too much like a Web 2.0 service. So after looking at names such as “Ethernator”, “Datanator”, “XFiles”, “Overcast”, “Capsule”, “DropZone”, we finally went back to the original name and decided to stick to it. “Warpinator” does sound ridiculous, but many people liked it and after hearing it so much we kind of get used to it.

Wrapinator replicates the now-missing functionality of Linux Mint 6. It was powered by a third-party app Giver, which is now discontinued. To fill the gap, Warpinator will allow the user to easily share files across the local network. Without any server or configuration, computers would automatically see each other and you could simply drag and drop files from one to another.

Warpinator now encrypts communication on the network and includes all the features we planned for it this release cycle. It received a new icon and the only thing missing now are translations.

If you want to try it right now, here are

Packages for Mint 19.3 and LMDE 4

• In LMDE 4, all you need is this package. Download it, install it, Gdebi should ask to install its dependencies and these are available in the LMDE 4 repositories.
• In Linux Mint 19.3, the repositories don’t contain the required dependencies, so use the “Software Sources” tool to add this PPA: ppa:clementlefebvre/grpc

Then refresh your APT cache and you’ll then be able to install Warpinator using this package.

Btw, Gdebi will feature a revamped user interface:

Mint-Y Theme Update

The Mint-Y theme will provide much brighter colors than before. The new color pallet is pleasant without being overwhelming, and the resulting GTK theme is nice to use. Here’s a comparison of some of the old colors (on the left) with some of the new ones (on the right):

Old Mint-Y blue:

New Mint-Y blue:

Yellow folders will also be available.

New welcome screen

Finally, a reworked welcome screen applet will allow you to pick a Mint-Y color, and directly switch between the dark and light theme variations.

The official announcement is here.