Linux Mint 18.2 Ubuntu-based OS is Named 'Sonya' (betanews.com)

Brian Fagioli, writing for BetaNews: The uncertainty about Ubuntu has not deterred the Linux Mint team, however, as they are moving ahead with plans for version 18.2. While details about the upcoming version of the operating system are scarce, we have learned two important details. First, the code name for the OS will be 'Sonya,' and second, the distro will use LightDM as default display manager.

Comments

S for S

[Anonymous Coward]

Time to get rid of your Windows "S" for Linux "S"

Earlier version was named Serena

[sartwell]

Maybe with her getting prego with Reddit, they want to move away.

FINISH HIM!

[Killall -9 Bash]

Waiting for a Windows version code-named "Kano".

SONYA WINS. FLAWLESS VICTORY.

Re:FINISH HIM!

[epyT-R]

Perhaps the Kano build should use systemd and the Sonya build should use openrc.

Color Scheme

[necro81]

I hear there will be display optimizations for using the OS while doing a handstand. (ref)

And LightDM will come pre-configured with a red color scheme, in which case people will refer to the OS as "Red Sonya". (obscure ref?)

Good

[squiggleslash]

I run Mint but switched to LightDM after I found I kept having to agree to software licenses for Adobe Reader every time the latter was upgraded.

It turned out that Mint's default DM, mdm, uses webkit. Which it had configured to load plugins. So when mdm was started, the Acrobat Reader plugin was loaded, and I was being prompted to agree to the license.

And you're probably thinking "OK, squiggie, that's a minor inconvenience, so what?"

Well, what user do you think is running mdm, and running all those plugins? Give you a clue: starts with 'r'. Ends in 'oot'. Four letters.

Re:Good

[Kokuyo]

Running anything adobe as root seems... Unwise.

Re:Good

[Gavagai80]

But how are you going to incorporate PDFs into your login screen now? (Okay, actually there are a lot of other safer plugins for that if you wanted to...)

It does seem pointlessly annoying, but it's not as though mdm's webkit can be remotely exploited until you install a malicious theme.

Re:Good

[squiggleslash]

Well, if it's running plugins automatically, then the bar to exploiting it has dropped considerably from "until you install a malicious theme". Now the exploit could be as simple as "Malicious plugin", or as complex as "Someone, somehow, because that NEVER happens, finds a bug in Adobe Reader, that they can exploit."

That's my major concern.

Re:Good

[steveg]

Hmm. I just checked, and the only Adobe anything that's installed on my Mint instance is the Flash plugin. Is that what you mean?

And although mdm *does* load webkit, I don't see anything to indicate it's loading any plugins. Maybe I'm missing something. I certainly haven't been prompted to agree to any licenses.

Re:Good

[squiggleslash]

Hmm. I just checked, and the only Adobe anything that's installed on my Mint instance is the Flash plugin. Is that what you mean?

Nope, I'm talking about Acrobat Reader, which I downloaded and installed.

Maybe I'm missing something. I certainly haven't been prompted to agree to any licenses.

You haven't installed Adobe Reader. If you go to Adobe's website, install the GNU/Linux version, and reboot your computer, you should see the licence agreement behavior I'm talking about on the login screen.

Re:Good

[squiggleslash]

Actually, I just checked, and I believe acroread is in the repositories (which is presumably why it asks for me to agree to the license periodically rather than just once) so "sudo apt-get install acroread" should do it.

Re:"uncertainty about Ubuntu"

[Kjella]

You are apparently using that phrase working from the ridiculous assumption that I know what you are talking about. Well, I don't. What is this "uncertainty about Ubuntu" you speak of?

It's a direct quote from the linked article without the preceding paragraph or further links, so poor submission/editing. In short:

1. Convergence: Dead
2. Mir: Dead
3. Unity: Dead

In terms of "why wouldn't Mint continue to be based on Debian", I don't see the big deal though. They go Gnome3/Wayland, Mint will continue to do their Cinnamon thing, don't see there's any uncertainty about Ubuntu continuing to exist as an okay base for other distros.

Re:"uncertainty about Ubuntu"

[steveg]

Exactly.

Ubuntu is dropping things that Mint doesn't use. Why would that suggest any uncertainty about Ubuntu?

The base that Mint uses doesn't appear to have any shift in direction. Well, Wayland instead of Mir, but that's down the road and may end up in Debian as well at some point.

Re:"uncertainty about Ubuntu"

[ender8282]

To be fair that is kind of the opposite of uncertainty. The old situation was that it was unclear whether wayland support would be added or how long X11 would continue to be supported on Ubuntu. With Cinnamon unlikely to support Mir this left an open question about whether the Mint team would be able to package Cinnamon on top of the Ubuntu base. The new situation is that Ubuntu will go the Wayland route like most other distros. Cinnamon will likely gain Wayland support somtime after the Gnome Devs complete their support. Personally I run Kubuntu or KDE neon. The KDE devs have said that they had no intention of supporting Mir so the future of those releases was very uncertain. Now that Mir is out and Wayland is in I think that there is far more certainty.

Re:"uncertainty about Ubuntu"

[Trogre]

And Upstart. Don't forget Upstart.

Also dead.