Linux Mint Debian Edition (LMDE) 4 ditches Mozilla Firefox ESR web browser
Linux Mint is based on Ubuntu -- that is pretty common knowledge. But did you know there is a different version of the operating system that is instead based on Debian? It's true! Called "Linux Mint Debian Edition," or "LMDE" for short, it is far less popular than the "regular" Mint. Then why does it exist? Believe it or not, it exists (partly) to serve as a contingency plan in case Ubuntu ever stops being developed.
Today is November 1, and the Linux Mint developers have shared some monthly development news that is largely boring. One small tidbit of information is interesting, however; Linux Mint Debian Edition 4 (code-named "Debbie") will ditch the Mozilla Firefox ESR web browser. LMDE 4 will instead move users to the normal "rapid release" variant.
Speaking of Firefox ESR, Mozilla says that version of the web browser "receives major updates on average every 42 weeks with minor updates such as crash fixes, security fixes and policy updates as needed, but at least every four weeks. In addition to different update cycles, the ESR currently has access to additional policies that are not available on rapid release."
Will LMDE users miss Firefox ESR? Probably not. Firstly, there aren't many actual users of the operating system. More importantly, the Extended Support Release of Firefox is typically used by the Enterprise, where businesses want employees to use a very stable version of the operating system -- they typically don't need or want new features frequently. With that said, it is unlikely that many (if any) businesses are actually using LMDE.
So, folks, Linux Mint Debian Edition 4 will ditch the Mozilla Firefox ESR web browser, and that is absolutely the correct choice. Home users -- the people most likely to use Linux Mint Debian Edition 4 -- will be much better served by the rapid release version of the browser. Quite frankly, it is very curious that the developers chose the ESR variant for LMDE in the first place.
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