What’s New In Linux Mint 21.2 “Victoria”

Linux Mint 21.2 “Victoria” has been released as a long-term support (LTS) version, ensuring a reliable and feature-rich desktop experience until 2027. With updated software, thoughtful refinements, and an array of new features, “Victoria” aims to elevate the Linux Mint experience to new heights. In this blog post, the key enhancements in “Victoria” will be explored, highlighting the improvements in Slick Greeter, Software Manager, and the revamped Pix image viewer, making it a compelling choice for both newcomers and seasoned Linux users.

Multilingual Comfort Unleashed by Slick Greeter:

Slick Greeter, the login screen manager, now supports multiple keyboard layouts, catering to users from diverse linguistic backgrounds. An indicator in the top-right corner allows effortless switching between layouts. To ensure ease of use, system-defined layouts are listed first, with all supported layouts available in a sub-menu.

Seamless Touchpad Support and Enhanced Keyboard Navigation:

Linux Mint 21.2 fine-tunes touchpad support by enabling tap-to-click automatically on the login screen, streamlining user interactions. The Onboard on-screen keyboard also gets a configurable layout, empowering users to customize their virtual typing experience. The improved keyboard navigation allows editing passwords with arrow keys, and a password revealer icon enhances security by allowing users to toggle password visibility.

Wayland Sessions and Streamlined Sessions List:

Slick Greeter takes a leap forward with Wayland session support, embracing modern display server technology for smoother performance. Additionally, the inclusion of LXQT/Pademelon badges and a scrollable session list further streamlines desktop environment selection.

A Refreshed Software Manager:

The Software Manager undergoes a UI refresh, presenting users with an elegant and intuitive interface. The updated list of featured applications now includes Flatpaks, opening doors to a wider array of software options and improved compatibility.

Empowering Image Viewing and Editing with Pix:

Pix, the default image viewer, elevates image handling with its transition from gThumb 3.2.8 to gThumb 3.12.2. The new UI adopts headerbars and buttons, enhancing performance with faster image loading and navigation. Moreover, Pix broadens its format support to include AVIF/HEIF and JXL, while offering improved compatibility with GIF, RAW, and TIFF images.

Unveiling Powerful Image Editing Tools:

Pix introduces an array of new image editing tools, such as special effects, curves, and a color picker, enabling users to creatively manipulate their images. Additionally, the ability to search in multiple folders and customize keyboard shortcuts enhances efficiency and user-friendliness.

Pix Customizations for a Personal Touch:

Specifically tailored for Pix, Linux Mint 21.2 “Victoria” has cherry-picked enhancements, including a more intuitive default configuration, support for various desktop environments (Cinnamon, MATE, Xfce), and a configurable dark mode. These customizations empower users to adapt Pix to their preferences and work environments seamlessly.

Embrace Two-Tones Elegance in Folder Icons:

In “Victoria,” bid farewell to the conventional striped folder icons. Instead, each color receives a stunning two-tone design, redefining the way you organize your files. Popular colors also gain fresh color variants, allowing you to customize your desktop to your liking.

Refined Tooltips for Clarity:

Tooltips receive a makeover, ensuring consistency across GTK versions and Cinnamon. Inspired by Adwaita, the new tooltips are bigger, rounder, and more informative, providing a clean and elegant way to highlight events and features.

Polished Titlebar Buttons:

“Victoria” realigns title bar buttons, ensuring a harmonious and polished user interface. The change enhances interactions with windows and applications, creating a smoother desktop experience.

Seamlessly Switch Themes with Styles:

Cinnamon 5.8 introduces “styles,” offering three modes: mixed, dark, and light, each with color variants that complement each other. Effortlessly switch between styles and color variants, accessing visually pleasing combinations instantly.

Embrace Intuitive Interaction with Gesture Support:

Linux Mint 21.2 “Victoria” introduces gesture support for window and workspace management, tiling, and media controls. Whether using touchpads, touchscreens, or tablets, users can enjoy a more intuitive desktop experience.

Other Notable Improvements:

In addition to the major enhancements, Linux Mint 21.2 “Victoria” features a resizable main menu, experimental theme support for bump map and blur, and the option to disable notifications for low-level battery-connected devices. Nemo boasts multi-threaded thumbnails for faster loading of directory content, while CJS utilizes SpiderMonkey (libmozjs) 102 for improved performance.

Linux Mint 21.2 “Victoria” is a testament to the Linux Mint team’s dedication, to delivering a stable and delightful desktop experience with long-term support until 2027. From enhanced login screens to a refined Software Manager and powerful Pix image viewer, “Victoria” raises the bar, exceeding expectations in the world of open-source technology. Embrace the excellence of “Victoria” and unlock endless possibilities.

Here you can go and get your Linux Mint – Linux Mint 21.2

Also, read – Linux Mint 21.1 vera