The Linux Mint Debian Edition (LMDE) 6 ISO is undergoing testing according to the Linux Mint Community website ISO image page. Testing has been going on for six days so far with two sets of failures each for the 32-bit and 64-bit editions of LMDE 6; The third attempt to pass the tests continues.

LMDE 6, which is codenamed ‘Fi’, brings the latest changes from Linux Mint 21.2 and uses the new Debian 12 as its base with a newer Linux 6.1 kernel. Some of the changes inherited from Linux Mint 21.2 include improvements to the Cinnamon desktop through a feature called Styles that gives you more customization of your theme and highlight colors.

One of the main differences between Ubuntu-based Linux Mint and LMDE is the matter of lifespan. Major Linux Mint versions have been supported for five years, meanwhile, LMDE is only supported for two years and you only have a short window to upgrade to the new version.

If you are focused on production, the main release of Linux Mint could be better for you because it means less frequent upgrade and maybe better software support since it is more widely used than LMDE.

For those struggling to see how LMDE fits into the Linux Mint product line, it’s basically an enterprise backup program. If something were to happen to Ubuntu, the Mint team would be able to quickly switch to a Debian edition of their OS and continue their work developing Xapps, Cinnamon and MATE.

With the team currently reviewing the final ISO images of LMDE 6, users should expect to see it land in the next week or so. If you are already on LMDE 5, upgrade instructions will be posted on the Linux Mint blog when the upgrade path opens.