Linux distribution linux mint now offers its own chromium package

Canonical puts in ubuntu increasingly on its in-house snap format. In this way, the company might offer software, which requires frequent and fast updates. In particular, the free browser chromium, which is now exclusively as a snap package. However, the linux mint makers reject snap and the associated canonical-controlled snap store. In linux mint 20, you have therefore deactivated the complete snap system standard. If you liked the package format, you must install the appropriate tools manually.

To continue to offer chromium to your users, the linux mint team now creates and maintains its own chromium package that is available in the in-house repositories. The package is available "chromium" not only under linux mint, but also in the debian gnu / linux 10-based linux mint debian edition (lmde). Although debian 10 offers its own chromium package in its repositories. However, since the browser version of the current development contained therein is slightly afterwards, the linux mint team has decided to offer its own package in the lmde.

Own build server furs package

For the creation of the chromium package, the linux mint team has set its own build server. In it, a ryzen 9 3900 processor with 128 gb main memory automatically translates the current chromium source code in less than an hour into a suitable package. Without this potent helper, compilation has been able to use up to six hours, as the linux mint developers explain in a blog entry.

The browser catch of the mint team is currently at the stand from the beginning of october.

Outlook for further innovations

The blog entry of the mint team also includes insights into the work in addition to the envision to chromium. Among other things, the developers have "hypnotix" created a client for playing internet tv (iptv). Linux mint users can install the alpha version of the client via provided package. Hypnotix currently taps the freeiptv service, which in turn offers different tv channels as a stream. Whether hypnotix will be included in coming linux mint versions, however, is not yet final.

With regard to the upcoming version linux distribution, the developers states that users can add art files on the context menu to the favorites. Quick access then allow the file manager in the favorites section, the file-opening dialogs as well as the sub-item "favorite" in the "file"-menus. Cinnamon also preserves a new one "favorite"-applet.

Speaking of cinnamon: version 4.8 the desktop environment should use the javascript engine spidermonkey from the "libmozjs-78-0" package. Thus, the linux-mint makers come across a frequently envened desire of other distributors. By appropriate further changes receipt cinnamon 4.8 in any case, current data from the addon repository spices. In addition, the desktop environment ames the preliminary compatibility of charged applets and desklets. This in turn simplifies versioning for its developers.