14 DAY TRIAL // Now that the Linux Mint 17.3 "Rosa" Cinnamon and MATE flavors have been released, users of the previous version have been given a green light for the upgrade.
The upgrade path for Linux Mint users is not made available right after the official release, and developers usually wait a few days to make sure that everything is in order. This is done so that no surprises arise, thus affecting the entire community. Even so, the developers don’t recommend upgrading to the new version.
Linux Mint devs have a different model and upgrading is not on top of their list, which might sound a little counterproductive, but they do have a point. They follow a simple principle, “if it’s not broken, don’t fix it.”
This means that users should only have two motives to upgrade. Either they want to have the latest features, or they want something specific that’s just been added. Upgrading just for the sake of it is not recommended.
Linux Mint 17.3 "Rosa" is here
The launch of Linux Mint 17.3 "Rosa" happened just a couple of days ago, and users should have found out already. The update tool in the system is a powerful one and should present users with different levels of importance and risk for each package.
“Upgrading to 17.3 will upgrade to Rosa, of course, but also apply all level 1 updates for you. You do not need to apply level 2, 3, 4 or 5 updates to upgrade to the new version of Linux Mint, and doing so won’t apply these for you. Level 4 and 5 updates are not recommended unless they bring solutions to issues you’re facing. Level 3 updates should be applied selectively and with caution,” wrote Clement Lefebvre, the leader for the Linux Mint project.
Users just have to start Update Manager and start the Upgrade to Linux Mint 17.3 Rosa from the Edit menu. It’s that simple. Don’t forget to reboot after the download has been completed. You can also download the Linux Mint 17.3 "Rosa" Cinnamon and MATE editions right now from Softpedia if you plan to do a fresh installation.