14 DAY TRIAL // Linux Mint Debian Edition is a distribution built on Debian rather than Ubuntu and it's been in the works for quite some time. It's still under development and it's not really a surprise that the devs are getting much closer to their goal.
Linux Mint is now using Ubuntu as the base, but the developers are also working on a version using Debian. It's not easy to build a distro on a different base and still keep the same tools, appearance, and general design. That means a lot of testing is required and it will take some time until developers are satisfied with what they have.
"Spring is coming and so is 'Betsy'. QA testing for the new version of LMDE (Linux Mint Debian Edition) is starting today," wrote Clement Lefebvre in this monthly newsletter. He also provided a couple of links, for the ISO and the Roadmap, so that users can take a closer look at their progress.
Systemd implementation is still in question
It's also worth noting that they have yet to decide if they want to implement systemd in Betsy, which is still a topic opened to discussion. Cinnamon is getting ready for systemd, but it's just a precautionary measure.
The Debian base already implemented systemd and it's no longer a matter of if. Future versions of Ubuntu will also come with systemd by default, which means that Linux Mint will either have to adopt it as well or figure out a way of allowing the user to choose. It's already possible in Ubuntu 15.04 and users can select the appropriate entry in GRUB, but that's just temporary.
If you want to take a look at the Linux Mint Debian, you can download it from Softpedia. It's unstable and not for everyday use, so don't use a production machine for it.