A lot of chatter on mint forums and other places is around why syanptic package manager has been depreciated in Mint 22.1
though you can still at this time install it
This is Mints rational for not installing it during install:
though you can still at this time install it
Code:
sudo apt install synaptic
Modernization of APT dependencies
One of the major projects in Linux Mint 22.1 was a thorough review and modernization of APT dependencies. The goal was to clean up outdated components, rationalize, and create a streamlined, future-proof set of package management tools and libraries.
APT isn’t just a command-line utility; it’s a robust ecosystem of tools (like Synaptic, GDebi, and apturl) and libraries (such as aptdaemon and packagekit) that support Mint’s applications. Many of these tools, though functional, were built over a decade ago and are no longer maintained upstream. While Linux Mint, Ubuntu, and Debian have patched them over the years, their aging design and limited features created persistent issues and barriers to innovation.
To address this, Linux Mint transitioned to Aptkit and Captain:
All the tools previously reliant on aptdaemon, synaptic or apturl now use these replacements.
- Aptkit replaces aptdaemon, providing a streamlined library for package management operations with updated functionality.
- Captain unifies the features of GDebi and apturl into a single, easy-to-use utility.
Captain replaces Gdebi/apturl with better translations and less bugs
This transition has several benefits:
- Better translations: Everything is now fully translated, eliminating longstanding localization issues.
- Improved quality: By removing reliance on unmaintained components, Mint ensures fewer bugs and "paper cuts". Small bugs can be addressed, they're no longer considered as "upstream / wontfix".
- Simplified architecture: Moving to Aptkit allowed the Software Sources to downgrade foreign packages graphically and no longer rely on a VTE. In the Update Manager, it empowered us to boost Wayland compatibility and modernize the multithreading and multiprocessing code, which were getting very old.
- Easier development: Rather than constantly patching release after release (packagekit's inability to purge, aptdaemon's inability to remove essential orphans), we develop the features we need and rely on libraries that fully support what we need.
Foreign packages can be downgraded graphically
While these changes might be invisible to most users, they lay the groundwork for a smoother, more reliable experience and any new issues can now be addressed with ease. This modernization ensures that Linux Mint’s package management remains robust, user-friendly, and ready for the future.
Much improved package management, multithreading and multiprocessing in the Update Manager
These changes represent a significant step toward a smoother and more future-proof experience with the many tools which rely on package management.