In today's open source roundup: Linux Mint 17 MATE and Cinnamon released. Plus: A review of Linux Mint 17, and users react to Linux Mint 17 Linux Mint 17 has finally been released, according to the Linux Mint site. You can get it in 32-bit or 64-bit, and you have the option of using the MATE or Cinnamon desktops. MATE is a more traditional desktop while Cinnamon has a more modern feel to it. Here’s the Cinnamon release announcement: According to Linux Mint Blog: The team is proud to announce the release of Linux Mint 17 “Qiana” Cinnamon. New features at a glance: Update Manager Drivers Manager Login Screen Language Settings Software Sources Welcome Screen Cinnamon 2.2 System Improvements Artwork Improvements Main Components LTS Strategy More at Linux Mint Blog Image credit: Linux Mint Blog And here’s the announcement for the MATE version: According to Linux Mint Blog: The team is proud to announce the release of Linux Mint 17 “Qiana” MATE. New features at a glance: Update Manager Drivers Manager Login Screen Language Settings Software Sources Welcome Screen MATE 1.8 System Improvements Artwork Improvements Main Components LTS Strategy More at Linux Mint Blog Image credit: Linux Mint Blog Download links are available at both of the pages linked to above. If you aren’t sure whether Cinnamon or MATE is the right choice, my advice is to try both of them. I like both and can use either quite happily. Here are the Linux Mint 17 system requirements, these apply to both desktops: x86 processor (Linux Mint 64-bit requires a 64-bit processor. Linux Mint 32-bit works on both 32-bit and 64-bit processors). 512 MB RAM (1GB recommended for a comfortable usage). 5 GB of disk space (20GB recommended). Graphics card capable of 800×600 resolution (1024×768 recommended). DVD drive or USB port If you run into any problems, be sure to drop by the Linux Mint forum. It’s a good resource for troubleshooting your Linux Mint system. Linux Mint 17 Review I couldn’t resist diving into Linux Mint 17, I’ve got a full review up on Desktop Linux Reviews. According to Desktop Linux Reviews: Linux Mint rarely disappoints when a new version is released, and Linux Mint 17 Cinnamon is no exception to that rule. This release comes with lots of improvements and it has the virtue of being a long term support release. So not only do you get the benefits of all the various new features and tweaks, you get a desktop distro that you can use with confidence for the next few years. More at Desktop Linux Reviews Image credit: Desktop Linux Reviews Linux Mint 17 is going to make a lot of people very happy. The Linux Mint developers did a fine job combining the stability of a long term support release with some very useful improvements in both desktop environments. User reactions to Linux Mint 17 The Linux subreddit on Reddit has an interesting thread about the release of Linux MInt 17. Check it out if you want to see what folks are saying about the new version of Linux Mint. According to Reddit: I recently installed Linux Mint 17 on my laptop (first time Linux user) and I absolutely love it. Ready for it to be my every day OS. I’ve finally settled on a theme I like and have played around with apps I’ll be using regularly (such as banshee and libre office). More at Reddit What’s your take on all this? Tell me in the comments below. The opinions expressed by the author do not necessarily reflect the views of ITworld. Software DevelopmentOpen Source