Linux Mint has taken another step in its commitment to a lightweight, proprietary ecosystem. The team led by Clement Lefebvre has released its monthly newsletter, and this time the news revolves around XApp, the project that brings together the distribution's native applications and which now launches two new tools: an e-book reader and a calendar. Both are intended to address needs that Cinnamon, MATE, and Xfce users have been requesting for some time, and reinforce the philosophy of independence that characterizes this project.
The XApp collection isn't new, but its approach continues to gain popularity. These applications are designed to work on any distribution and desktop environment, without relying on specific GNOME or KDE libraries. This approach, which seems simple on paper, involves constant adaptation and a clear commitment to lightweight design. The project's new official website, XApp-Project.org, emphasizes this idea: they are "applications that work everywhere," and this month's announcement includes improvements to several existing tools, in addition to the two main additions.
Xepub, the book reader that was missing
The first of the new additions is called Xepub, an application designed to read EPUB files with the ease offered by dedicated devices like the Kindle. Until now, Linux users who wanted to read this format usually resorted to library managers like Calibre, which are useful for organizing collections but cumbersome if you just want to open a book and read. Xepub offers the exact opposite: a clean, reading-focused interface with bookmarks, integrated search, and last-position memory.
The developers have emphasized customization , allowing users to adjust fonts, font sizes, and even highlight passages with colors. Furthermore, the application offers the ability to add notes and look up words in dictionaries, Wikipedia, or translators through configurable services. This combination of features makes it a solid alternative for those who use Linux as their primary reading platform, a segment that until now lacked such a specific option within the XApp ecosystem.
Clockenstein, the calendar that closes a gap
The second new addition has the unusual name of Clockenstein, but it's not a clock. It's a desktop calendar developed from the ground up for the XApp collection. The application can run entirely locally or sync with online services like Google Calendar and CalDAV, including Nextcloud. It runs in the background, triggers reminders, and integrates with the Cinnamon clock applet, making it easy to use without leaving the environment.
Until now, users of official Linux Mint environments lacked a distribution-specific calendar tool, typically relying on full office suites or applications designed for other desktop environments. Clockenstein arrives to fill this gap , following the XApp model: lightweight, native, and without unnecessary dependencies. The August development report confirms its existence and integration into the collection, although details regarding synchronization options and calendar views will be revealed in upcoming updates.
A strategy that prioritizes calm
These additions come at a time of transition for the Linux Mint project. A few months ago, the distribution confirmed a change in its development cycle, abandoning the pace of two versions per year to dedicate more time to maturing each release. This means that Linux Mint 23, which should theoretically already be available, won't arrive until the end of the year, presumably based on Ubuntu 26.04 LTS. The decision, explained in April, aims to allow the team to focus on enriching its application ecosystem, such as those now being added to XApp.
Meanwhile, the stable branch hasn't been neglected. The Linux Mint 22.3 HWE images continue to receive updates, the latest focusing on the Linux kernel , and support for that version is guaranteed until 2029. This stability allows the team to look ahead , and the new features of XApp are a sign of where the project is headed. With its own website for the collection and two applications that address real-world needs, Linux Mint continues to demonstrate that its commitment to lightweight design and independence has staying power.
In short, this month's newsletter confirms that Linux Mint is not slowing down. The new XApp tools join a catalog that already included other utilities, all with the same goal: to offer applications that work equally well on any Linux desktop, regardless of the distribution used. For Cinnamon, MATE, and Xfce users, the arrival of Xepub and Clockenstein represents a practical improvement, and in the coming months, we'll have to keep an eye on how these applications evolve and what other surprises the team has in store.
