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How to Install Cinnamon 2.4 in Linux Mint 17, Ubuntu 14.04 LTS, and Ubuntu 14.10

Installing the latest version of Cinnamon 2.4 is easy

Nov 3, 2014 15:35 GMT  ·  By
Background slideshows in Cinnamon 2.4
   Background slideshows in Cinnamon 2.4

A new version of the famous Cinnamon desktop environment is out and everyone is eager to install it on their systems. It's easier to get Cinnamon 2.4 in Ubuntu and Linux Mint for now, but there is no doubt that it will soon land in other distros as well.

Cinnamon 2.4 is out and users can now test it on their systems. Because Linux Mint is based on Ubuntu, it is easier to install and test in these distributions, at least for the time being. Other operating systems, like Arch Linux, will get the new desktop soon, if that hasn't happened already.

You might think that installing the newly-released Cinnamon desktop might be difficult, but in fact it's quite easy. The only caveat is that this software stack is not quite stable. It's still under development and it will be integrated by default in Linux Mint 17.1 "Rebecca," which is scheduled to arrive this November, in just a few weeks.

How to install Cinnamon 2.4 in Linux Mint 17

Because Cinnamon is the default desktop environment in Linux Mint 17, it makes sense to see how users can get it for this distribution first. "In the next two weeks we'll be using your feedback to improve Cinnamon and to fix eventual bugs in preparation for the next Linux Mint release. If you want to help beta-test the new desktop (beware: There will be bugs, there always are bugs in new releases, that's why we leave a month between the releases of Cinnamon and Linux Mint)," write the devs.

Users have to open "Software Sources" and change to "Unstable Packages (Romeo)." After the repositories have been refreshed, users will be able to select which version of Cinnamon they want. Wait until all the packages have been downloaded, log out, and then log back in.

How to install Cinnamon 2.4 in Ubuntu 14.04 LTS and Ubuntu 14.10

The installation in both Ubuntu systems can be done via a PPA repository. It's a fairly simple procedure and users need root access to make it work. Open a terminal near you and enter these commands:

code
sudo add-apt-repository ppa:gwendal-lebihan-dev/cinnamon-nightly
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install cinnamon
If you already have Cinnamon installed, then just run these commands:
code
sudo add-apt-repository ppa:gwendal-lebihan-dev/cinnamon-nightly
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get dist-upgrade
You can also download the source code for Cinnamon 2.4 from Softpedia, if you want to compile it yourself.

Enjoy!