Linux Mint 20.3 is now widely available and ships with kernel 5.4. For anyone that uses the latest-gen hardware, that older kernel could be problematic. So, for those Mint users who do have hardware unsupported by the 5.4 kernel, there’s now an option.
Linux Mint 20.3 Edge is a version of the distribution that ships with kernel 5.13.0-25, which means you’ll find more new hardware supported. By employing this new kernel, Edge adds support for Apple M1 (initial support), preliminary Intel Alder Lake S graphics, AMD GPU Freesync/Adaptive-Sync HDMI, AMD Alderbaran accelerator, generic USB display, Loongson 2K1000, preparations for Intel discrete graphics, and Intel DG1 Platform Monitoring Technology.
As far as the user-facing features for Linux Mint Edge, they’ll be the same as you’d find with the default release. You’ll find the improvements for the Hypnotix IPTV player (including a new channel search function), a new document manager tool (Thingy), a search feature added to Sticky Notes, improvements to the default theme, and plenty of Cinnamon updates.
It’s important to note, however, that Edge doesn’t guarantee every piece of next-gen hardware will function properly. But if you are using a newer piece of technology, you’ll have more luck with Edge than the standard Mint release.
Download an ISO of Linux Mint Edge[1] and read the official release notes for Linux Mint 20.3[2].
