Linux Mint 19.3 now available. Official launch in a few hours (or tomorrow)

Just as we promised project leader Clement Lefebvre at the end of October, we already have a new version of the operating system that he develops. To be more specific, we are talking about Linux Mint 19.3, codenamed "Tricia", and to be more specific, no, the launch is not official. As usual, the new images have been uploaded to the project's FTP server, but the launch will be official in the next few hours or tomorrow ... or the day after.

It is not uncommon for a company to upload a new version of its software days before its release. In fact, it is so common that we were surprised that Canonical did not do the same with the Ubuntu 19.10 release Eoan Ermine and all its official flavors. Lefebvre and his team don't want surprises, so they prepare everything at least one day in advance. Thus, it is more than likely that what is available right now is the same as it will be when the launch is official. Only if they discovered a catastrophic failure would they upload new images.

Linux Mint 19.3 Tricia arrives just before Christmas

Lefebvre told us in October that Linux Mint 19.3 Tricia would arrive just before Christmas. Personally, I had thought that the launch would take place on December 20-21, but today the 17th arrived. Or well, taking into account that the launch is not official, it is likely that our forecasts will be fulfilled. Linux Mint 19.2 was available to download on July 31 and was official on August 2. If the same deadlines are met, Lefebvre and his team will make this launch official on next Thursday, December 19.

We remember some of the most outstanding news that come with this version:

• Xplayer and VLC will be replaced by Celluloid 0.17. It is an MPV-based player that improves performance and integrates better with the system.
• Gnote 3.34 will replace Tomboy. According to Lefebvre, Gnote provides the same functions as Tomboy, but is developed with more modern technology.
• XFCE will go up to version 4.14.
• Xorg 1.20.
• Improvements in HiDPI and for 4K displays.
• Kernel 5.0 (released in March of this year).
• Based on Ubuntu 18.04.

Interested users can download Linux Mint 19.3 in Cinnamon, XFCE and MATE versions, all available in 32-bit and 64-bit, from this link.