Linux Mint 21.1 “Vera” Cinnamon – BETA Release

Condobloke

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yep downloading the iso now but XFCE :)
 
Wizard bears good tidings for Timeshift users, if they are aware of the problems Timeshift has been plagued with since late September, and as I posted here

https://www.linux.org/threads/solve...s-with-timeshift-gui.42321/page-2#post-172994

I have taken a look at the package list for the Beta, and the new Timeshift they are shipping with, timeshift 22.11.1+vera, is quite capable of handling the culprit package that was causing issues, namely libglib2.0-0, which was causing the GUI to fall over after a minute of two and provided useless, compromised snapshots.

The libglib package in the Beta is libglib2.0-bin 2.72.1-1, which is before the problem child 2.74 series, and even if the final release has 2.74 or is upgraded at a later date, the new Timeshift should handle it.

Cheers

Wizard
 
Upgrade instructions:

  • This BETA release might contain critical bugs, please only use it for testing purposes and to help the Linux Mint team fix issues prior to the stable release.
  • Upgrade instructions will be published after the stable release of Linux Mint 21.1.
  • It will be possible to upgrade from this BETA to the stable release.
  • It will also be possible to upgrade from Linux Mint 21.
 
Bugs.


Bugs in this release should be reported on Github at https://github.com/linuxmint/mint21.1-beta.
  • Create one issue per bug.
  • As described in the Linux Mint Troubleshooting Guide, do not report or create issues for observations.
  • Be as accurate as possible and include any information that might help developers reproduce the issue or understand the cause of the issue:
    • Bugs we can reproduce, or which cause we understand are usually fixed very easily.
    • It is important to mention whether a bug happens “always”, or “sometimes”, and what triggers it.
 
Integrity and authenticity checks:

Once you have downloaded an image, please verify its integrity and authenticity.

Anyone can produce fake ISO images, it is your responsibility to check you are downloading the official ones.

 
Upgrade instructions:

  • This BETA release might contain critical bugs, please only use it for testing purposes

That's why I never install anything BETA but looking forward to installing Mint Cinnamon 21.1 stable...should be good.
t2804.gif
 
New Features. (Edited)

Well worth a read....especially for those who are new to Linux.


Driver Manager​

The Driver Manager received many improvements.

User Interface​

The way it mounts the live USB stick and adds it as a source to install drivers is more robust than before. These improvements make installing Broadcom wireless drivers easier than before.


A dummy hardware device, dummy packages with exotic dependencies and a test mode were added for developers to easily troubleshoot a variety of different scenarios.


Dummy test devices for easy troubleshooting

Debconf is now properly supported. This was an issue for NVIDIA drivers when SecureBoot was enabled. This scenario was fixed.

Packagekit was patched to receive the ability to purge packages (i.e. to not only remove them but to also remove their configuration files). The driver manager now purges removed drivers. This fixes a niche issue with NVIDIA drivers when switching between different versions of the drivers.


New Flatpaks from Flathub are automatically added to the Software Manager on a daily basis.



ISO Verification Tool

It is important to verify the integrity and authenticity of your ISO image before writing it to a stick. It's also quite tedious and confusing. So we made it easier.

Right-click your ISO image, select "Verify"
Right-click your ISO image, select "Verify" and voilà.
The technology at play here is still complex. We're dealing with signatures and checksums but the verification tool does most of the work for you.

Choose the verification method
If your ISO is from Linux Mint or Ubuntu, the URLs to the SHA256sum and GPG files are automatically filled in. Just click the verify button.

Get your ISO verified
The tool checks the authenticity of the checksum file and the integrity of the ISO.

Stick Formatter and Image Writer​

The ISO Image Writer features a "Verify" button which launches the verification tool.

ISO Image Writing Tool
If you try to write a Windows image, it no longer fails. It directs you to helpful documentation.

More information for Windows ISOs
The user interfaces for the Stick formatter and the Image Writer were also improved.
Support was added for CPIO devices. (cpio is a general file archiver utility and its associated file format. It is primarily installed on Unix-like computer operating systems.)




Display Settings are accessible from the desktop


++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++


Known issues​

Boot error: out of memory​

The following Grub bug affects Linux Mint 21.1: https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/linux/+bug/1842320.

If you are facing this issue, prepare a live USB using Rufus.

For more information about this issue read https://askubuntu.com/questions/140...orts-out-of-memory-with-no-details-even-after.

Virtualbox​

Black screen
If the screen is black when launching Linux Mint in Virtualbox, change the VirtualBox graphics controller to "VMSVGA". Do this by opening up the settings for your VM and select Display -> Graphics Controller.

Garbled screen
If the screen is garbled when launching Linux Mint in Virtualbox, switch to console with HOST+F1 (e.g. the RIGHT Ctrl key, no ALT) and back to tty7 with HOST+F7.

Another workaround is to disable "nested paging" (in the System -> Acceleration settings) and to increase the video memory to 128MB (in the Display settings).

Note: This issue only affects the live session. You don't need these workarounds post-installation.

Guest Additions
To add support for shared folders, drag and drop, proper acceleration and display resolution in Virtualbox, click on the "Devices" menu of Virtualbox and choose "Insert Guest Additions CD Image". Choose "download" when asked and follow the instructions.

For more info, read Installing the VirtualBox Guest Additions.

Touchpad drivers​

The default touchpad driver in this edition is "libinput" (provided by the xserver-xorg-input-libinput package).

If you experience problems with it, you can switch to another driver called "synaptics" (provided by the xserver-xorg-input-synaptics package).

To know which driver is used by your input devices, run the following command:

grep -i "Using input driver" /var/log/Xorg.0.log

When both drivers are installed, "synaptics" takes priority.

To switch to the "synaptics" driver, install it with the command:

apt install xserver-xorg-input-synaptics

Then log out and log back in.

To go back to using "libinput", simply remove the "synaptics" driver:

apt remove xserver-xorg-input-synaptics

Then log out and log back in.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Solving freezes during the boot sequence​

Some graphics cards don't work well with the open-source driver present in Linux Mint.

If Linux Mint freezes during boot time, use the "Compatibility Mode" boot option.

In this mode you should be able to boot Linux Mint and install it on your computer.

After the installation, reboot the computer and wait for the boot menu to appear.

Add the "nomodeset" option as illustrated below:

https://www.linuxmint.com/pictures/screenshots/rosa/nomodeset_grub.webm (video address)



If your graphics card is from NVIDIA, once in Linux Mint, perform the following steps to install the NVIDIA drivers:



  • Run the Driver Manager
  • Choose the NVIDIA drivers and wait for them to be installed
  • Reboot the computer


With these drivers the system should now be stable and you no longer need to use "nomodeset".

Note: If you're using an Optimus card, you've nothing more to do. Upon reboot, a system tray icon should show up indicating which GPU is currently active. Click on it to switch GPUs.

Note: If you still cannot boot, try one of the following solutions:



  • Try with "nouveau.noaccel=1" instead of "nomodeset".
  • Try with "noapic noacpi nosplash irqpoll" instead of "quiet splash".
  • After the installation, use "Advanced Options" -> "Recovery mode" from the boot menu and choose "resume".
 
Now THAT sounds pretty good.

One criticism (on Clem's people) is with

f you are facing this issue, prepare a live USB using Rufus.

... and I haven't checked their Website to see if they elaborate further.

Rufus is for Windows.

A lot of the Devs now are advocating either or both of

Ventoy and

Etcher

... both of which are cross-platform.

Just a thought

Wiz
 
I must admit I hesitated when I posted that......I arrived at the conclusion that their thought line was for people using windows who are about to change to linux....therefore they would use whatever iso 'burner' works best on windows...?......does that make any sense?
 
Totally a possibility, if that is not an oxymoron - I had thought that myself, which is why I qualified that I had not visited their site to explore further, yet.

It is not our purpose (nor without risk) to bucket a solution which allows (Windows) users to experience Linux, but it can't be denied that we are getting input from Users that it seems to have a lot of issues for some time now, and when we advocate the other two (Etcher and Ventoy) we seem to largely get good outcomes. I'll leave it at that.

Wiz
 
I most often recommend that windows users install Etcher and burn their ISOs with that. Have seen problems with Rufus in the past. But have never encountered any with Etcher. Of course on the Linux side. Mint comes with it's own ISO burner which works really well. The other two biggest problems I've run into with newer users are NVIDIA card and Realtek wifi cards. They just cause confusion because they seemingly work on Windows out of the box. But require some work to get going On Mint.

MY BETA XFCE Install still going well no show stopper bugs found yet. After a day of using it.
 
MY BETA XFCE Install still going well no show stopper bugs found yet. After a day of using it
That's good to hear !
 
Hmm... We're talking about a beta release, right?

So, why suggest Ruffus? You don't want Windows users beta testing Linux. You want experienced Linux users testing a beta.
 
Maybe a brain fart was responsible....
 
@Condobloke @wizardfromoz

Hi guys,
Fear not I am still alive and doing well. Have not posted lately but do read the forum every day.
I installed LM 21.1 vera MATE a few days ago and have been exploring it on my test machine. Good news all around. Everything I have tried has worked perfectly.
(When the stable version comes out, I think I may just stay with the beta, it's that good.)
Attached are the inxi -Fzx results on my test machine.
Cheers and have another beer, on me!!! I lost track of how many I owe.
Old Geezer TC

inxi-output.png
 
Cheers and have another beer, on me!!! I lost track of how many I owe.
Don't worry, Charlie.....we are keeping a tally !

That golf course must have called you....you have been absent for far too long

Glad Vera is behaving itself.....we have a number of people testing on here, and all the reports are good.

Brian
 
What he said ^^, young fella. ;)

Regrets that I missed your 88th a couple of weeks ago, I have noted it for next year. :oops:
 

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