More likely:
Linux Mint is based on the LTS variants of Ubuntu, so 26.04 LTS will threaten to make the current Mint base rapidly obsolete.
So the Mint team has hard times ahead switching to the new base.
Most of Ubuntu is obsolete the day it’s released because of how Ubuntu is structured: the supported Main repository and the unsupported Universe repository (unsupported by Canonical and entirely relying on community members that backport bug fixes in accordance to Canonical’s strict version freeze rules).
So it’s a coin toss if Universe packages get updates at all and if they do in which time frame. Packages in Universe also are not release blocking, so breakages known ahead of release there are waved through, as happened only very recently with 25.10 and it’s broken Flatpak support.
So the majority of packages are unsupported and Mint insists to build a newbie targeting distribution out of this and carry ancient packages around for years. The Mint team is already having their hands full with replacing Snap software with their own deb packages, so they don’t have the capacity to deal with all Universe packages. Probably they hope that software for their user base gets updated by an unpaid Ubuntu community member and that unfixed packages are simply not used by their users.
I think it’s the moral duty of us more knowledgeable people to discourage the use of Mint. If someone wants a Mint distribution, better use LMDE. Otherwise something like a Fedora Spin is probably currently the best newbie friendly option these days.
LTS variants get mainstream support for five years from release (24.04 gets support until 2029) and you can get extended support for up to another seven years after that (first five of which are free for up to 5 computers).
I wouldn’t call 8 years “rapidly obsolete”. That’s almost one full Windows. :P
I’m more referring to the hype that surrounds the launch of updates to popular distros, such as LM and Ubuntu. IMO it seems metrics like DistroWatch fluctuate around these releases.
Ubuntu has so many issues/awkwardness I don’t know why anyone would recommend it to a Mint user.
Mint gets recommended for its stability, low hardware requirements, and Windows-like UI. Ubuntu is no longer stable as they replaced half of the gnu coreutils by experimental Rust versions, requires a pretty fast internet connection and disk due to snaps, and has every element of the UI in a weird position for a Windows user.
Linux Mint 22.3 will be released in December of this year. Whereas Ubuntu 26.04 LTS will be released in April of 2026. When that happens, the focus will no longer be on LM, but on Ubuntu.
I don’t think that is the explanation.
More likely:
Linux Mint is based on the LTS variants of Ubuntu, so 26.04 LTS will threaten to make the current Mint base rapidly obsolete.
So the Mint team has hard times ahead switching to the new base.
Mint should just switch to Debian as upstream, they already have LMDE anyway.
they can also base it off their previous relases becoming a hard fork like they started as.
Well said. I appreciate you refining the context.
TBF, it’s not the first time the LTS base changes, and it wasn’t a disaster at all.
Despite, there’s the Debian and Linux mint repos, as well as the entirety of flatpak.
It will be fine.
This
Most of Ubuntu is obsolete the day it’s released because of how Ubuntu is structured: the supported Main repository and the unsupported Universe repository (unsupported by Canonical and entirely relying on community members that backport bug fixes in accordance to Canonical’s strict version freeze rules).
So it’s a coin toss if Universe packages get updates at all and if they do in which time frame. Packages in Universe also are not release blocking, so breakages known ahead of release there are waved through, as happened only very recently with 25.10 and it’s broken Flatpak support.
So the majority of packages are unsupported and Mint insists to build a newbie targeting distribution out of this and carry ancient packages around for years. The Mint team is already having their hands full with replacing Snap software with their own deb packages, so they don’t have the capacity to deal with all Universe packages. Probably they hope that software for their user base gets updated by an unpaid Ubuntu community member and that unfixed packages are simply not used by their users.
I think it’s the moral duty of us more knowledgeable people to discourage the use of Mint. If someone wants a Mint distribution, better use LMDE. Otherwise something like a Fedora Spin is probably currently the best newbie friendly option these days.
LTS variants get mainstream support for five years from release (24.04 gets support until 2029) and you can get extended support for up to another seven years after that (first five of which are free for up to 5 computers).
I wouldn’t call 8 years “rapidly obsolete”. That’s almost one full Windows. :P
What focus?
I’m more referring to the hype that surrounds the launch of updates to popular distros, such as LM and Ubuntu. IMO it seems metrics like DistroWatch fluctuate around these releases.
I know it sounds silly.
lol i forgot that distro wars exist
Yeah, the focus will shift, but only the focus of the people who switch distros more often than their underwear.
I don’t think the actual user numbers change much due to things like this.
Ubuntu has so many issues/awkwardness I don’t know why anyone would recommend it to a Mint user.
Mint gets recommended for its stability, low hardware requirements, and Windows-like UI. Ubuntu is no longer stable as they replaced half of the gnu coreutils by experimental Rust versions, requires a pretty fast internet connection and disk due to snaps, and has every element of the UI in a weird position for a Windows user.
If that’s unexpected for mint they have not been paying a lot of attention to provide Ubuntu release dates