14 DAY TRIAL // Linux Mint 18 "Sarah" computer operating system arrived two weeks ago, on June 30, with the usual Cinnamon and MATE editions, but an upgrade patch was not available for users running Linux Mint 17.3 "Rosa."
Today, July 14, 2016, Linux Mint project leader Clement Lefebvre informs the community that the upgrade path from Linux Mint 17.3 "Rosa" to Linux Mint 18 "Sarah" is now open. They can thus start upgrading their operating systems as we speak, following the instructions provided below.
"If you’ve been waiting for this I’d like to thank you for your patience. It is now possible to upgrade the Cinnamon and MATE editions of Linux Mint 17.3 to version 18. The upgrade instructions are available at: https://community.linuxmint.com/tutorial/view/2316," says Clement Lefebvre.
Don't upgrade if you don't have a reason
This is the message left by Clement Lefebvre to Linux Mint users. He instructs them to upgrade if really needed, so if everything works fine in your current Linux Mint 17.3 installation, which will continue to receive support until 2019, and you have no good reason to upgrade to Linux Mint 18, then don't.
On the other hand, if you are currently experiencing issues with your Linux Mint installation, and you know for a fact that the respective issue has been fixed in the new Linux Mint 18 "Sarah" release, then go ahead and upgrade, but remember to always make a backup of your most precious files.
"As excited as we are about Linux Mint 18, upgrading blindly for the sake of running the latest version does not make much sense, especially if you’re already happy and everything is working perfectly. Linux Mint 13 is supported until 2017 and Linux Mint 17, 17.1, 17.2 and 17.3 are supported until 2019," said Mr. Lefebvre.
For those not in the known, Linux Mint 18 is based on the Ubuntu 16.04 LTS (Xenial Xerus) technologies, and it's an LTS (Long Term Support) release that will receive security patches and software updates for five years, until 2021. The upgrade path is currently available for the Cinnamon and MATE editions.