Already out there and available for download are the final versions of Linux Mint 8 “Helena”, Linux Mint 8 x64, Linux Mint 8 KDE, Linux Mint KDE x64 and Linux Mint 8 Fluxbox. The development process of Linux Mint 8 Xfce is not as far ahead as the aforementioned Linux Mint 8 distros, but it is getting there. Just the other day Lead Linux Mint Developer, Clem Lefebvre, announced that the first Release Candidate (RC1) of Linux Mint 8 Xfce has been made available for download.

“The team is proud to announce the release of Linux Mint 8 “Helena” Xfce Community Edition RC1. Based on Xubuntu 9.10 Karmic Koala, Linux 2.6.31, Xfce 4.6.1 and Xorg 7.4, Linux Mint 8 “Helena” Xfce CE features a lot of improvements and the latest software from the Open Source World. As an RC (Release Candidate) this release is targeted at developers and beta-testers who want to help Linux Mint find and correct bugs before the stable release. Please do not use this release as your main desktop,” said Lefebvre.

If you’re thinking of downloading Linux Mint 8 Xfce and putting it through its paces, check out the download link at the bottom. Here is what you can expect to get from the operating system:

• Based on Ubuntu 9.10 Karmic koala, Linux 2.6.31 kernel, Xfce4.6.1 and Xorg 7.4
• The graphical interface is now easier to use and it shows more content
• The Update Manager will automatically inform the user when a new version of mintInstall-data is available. This way the user does not have to manually refresh the Software Manager.
• Software Manager is aware of the APT status of each application.
• The user can mark several applications for installation/removal.
• The looks of the Update Manager have been improved.
• You can resize the Update Manager and, in the view menu, you can define the visible columns in the list of updates.
• The user can define a list of packages for which updates will not be received.
• Update Manager now uses Synaptic to refresh the list of update. When Update Manager is visible, the user will see progress information on the screen.
• If a problem occurs, Update Manager displays an error message in the main window (previously the error message was displayed only in the logs).
• Software Sources tool can be accessed in the Edit menu (this is another Update Manager improvement).
• The user can define a list of packages for which updates will not be received. Wildcard characters can be used to define groups of package updates the user wants to ignore.
• Faster and more reliable update detection.
• Xfce mintDesktop lets you enable or disable Ctrl + Alt + Backspace for restarting X per user
• Firefox comes preinstalled.
• Community editions use their own repositories
• Community editions can pin packages from the main edition.
• Mint tools are more modular they can now be installed without any configuration.
• Removed branding from Mint tools
• OEM installation can be launched from the LiveCD boot menu

If you would like to get Linux Mint 8 “Helena” Xfce Community Edition RC1, you can download the operating system here.