Firefox is still the default browser for Linux Mint but will remove the large

Linux Mint and Mozilla announce a new partnership agreement

, meaning that Firefox will continue to be the default web browser for Linux Mint distributions, but the key point is that the new version no longer comes with Mint-specific customization features.

Don't panic unnecessarily; Mint says Firefox will continue to be distributed as a .deb package through the official Linux Mint repository. But the way browsers are built will change – and it will be very quick. Currently, Linux Mint uses Mozilla Firefox as its default web browser, but this is a customized version of Firefox that includes settings, search engines, and startup pages, and unlike in "vanilla" Firefox, any Linux (Mac or Windows) user can download from the Firefox website.

With this transaction, most of these changes will be removed and replaced.

The start page will no longer point to the linuxmint.com/start

● Google becomes the default search engine

Other search engines are Partners of Mozilla, not Mint's.

● The default settings are now set by Mozilla

● No patches other than upstream

● The application will use the default Firefox icon

Why is there such a change?

On the surface, it should be for the money, for the license, and to reduce the technical burden on Mint developers.

Clement Lefebvre, leader of Linux Mint, said: "For Mozilla, the goal is to make Firefox work the same way on all platforms, facilitating maintenance, simplifying development and bug fixes. With these changes, Firefox's experience in Linux Mint will be the same as in other operating systems."

For all Ubuntu-based Linux distributions, if you don't want to ship Firefox Snap applications (the default program for Ubuntu 21.10 and above), you'll need to look into alternatives. So while this "commercial and technical" collaboration may annoy the most ardent Mint fans, there is no benefit to Mint itself – they are good for all users in the long run.

However, it remains to be seen whether Mint's other modifications, such as support for download progress bars in the task switcher, will evolve upstream. In addition, the browser needs to make some tweaks to better support the rounded corners introduced in the new Mint Y theme.