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Current status: Linux Mint 18 “Sarah” is obsolete. Its advertised support period ended in 2021, so it is not suitable for banking, work, exposed servers or ordinary web browsing in 2026. The release remains useful as a historical snapshot of Mint’s KDE edition and for carefully isolated archival testing.
The announcement covered a beta of Linux Mint 18 KDE Edition, not the finished product. The stable KDE edition followed on September 9, 2016, based on Ubuntu 16.04 LTS (Xenial Xerus).
What was Linux Mint 18 “Sarah” KDE Edition?
Linux Mint 18 was an LTS release codenamed “Sarah.” Its KDE edition combined Mint’s tools, defaults and packaging decisions with the KDE Plasma desktop and an Ubuntu 16.04 LTS foundation. Ubuntu describes Kubuntu as a separate KDE-based flavor built on Ubuntu; Mint KDE was therefore not simply Kubuntu with a different theme. See the contemporary Ubuntu announcement at lists.ubuntu.com.
| Item | Historical detail |
|---|---|
| Release | Linux Mint 18 “Sarah” KDE Edition |
| Announcement status | Beta testing image |
| Base | Ubuntu 16.04 LTS, Xenial Xerus |
| Desktop | KDE Plasma 5.6 |
| Kernel | Linux 4.4 |
| Architectures reported for the final edition | 32-bit and 64-bit |
| Final KDE release | September 9, 2016 |
| Original support claim | Through 2021 |
These version and release details were reported in contemporary coverage of the final KDE edition: Softpedia’s September 9, 2016 report.
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Beta announcement versus stable release
The phrase “beta officially released” describes availability of a test build. It should not be read as an announcement that the stable KDE edition was already finished. Beta software is intended to expose installation, driver, translation, packaging and desktop regressions before the final image is published.
- Linux Mint 18 “Sarah” established the Ubuntu 16.04 LTS-based release series.
- The KDE edition entered beta testing so users could report problems.
- The stable KDE edition was released later, on September 9, 2016.
- The Mint 18 support period eventually ended in 2021.
No reliable source in the available record establishes the beta image’s exact original publication date, so it is safer to identify it by its beta status rather than assign an unsupported date.
What Ubuntu 16.04 provided
“Based on Ubuntu 16.04” referred to more than a wallpaper or software theme. Ubuntu supplied much of the operating-system layer, including core packages and repositories, system libraries, the kernel and hardware-support stack, installer components and the underlying LTS maintenance model.
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- I/O Ports: 2x USB 3.1 (Data Only), 1x USB 2.0, 1x HDMI, 1x Headphone/Microphone Combo Jack
- Linux Mint Cinnamon 64-Bit - 6-Row Keyboard w/ Full Numberpad
Mint still made its own choices. It added Mint utilities, artwork, defaults, update-management behavior and package selections. Ubuntu’s base did not make Mint KDE identical to Kubuntu, and Mint did not automatically inherit every Kubuntu feature unchanged.
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KDE Plasma 5.6 and SDDM
The final edition used KDE Plasma 5.6 and SDDM as its display and login manager. Plasma provided KDE’s extensive desktop customization model, while SDDM handled graphical session selection and login.
Kubuntu Backports PPA
Contemporary reporting said the edition included the Kubuntu Backports PPA to make newer KDE Plasma releases available than those in the base archive. That was a historical packaging choice, not a promise of supported current Plasma updates. Supplementary repositories can create dependency, upgrade and compatibility problems, especially on an already obsolete system.
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Mint-wide improvements
Several improvements associated with Mint 18 were not exclusive to KDE:
- Improved HiDPI handling.
- Artwork updates.
- A redesigned Update Manager.
- exFAT support.
- Btrfs support.
They belonged to the wider Mint 18 series, while Plasma, SDDM and the KDE backports arrangement were the edition-specific distinctions reported for KDE.
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Was the beta suitable for everyday use?
No. A beta could be useful for feedback, but it was a poor choice for a primary work computer. Testers should have expected incomplete translations, hardware or graphics problems, installation failures, package regressions and other defects that might not appear in every configuration.
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- Try the image in a virtual machine, on spare hardware or from a live USB first.
- Back up personal data before changing partitions or replacing an operating system.
- Do not make a beta the only system needed for work, study or recovery.
- Record hardware and package problems clearly when reporting feedback.
Finding and verifying an old ISO
Original beta and stable images may no longer be present on current Mint mirrors. Prefer an archived official Mint page or a reputable archival service over an unknown download site. A historical ISO should be treated as untrusted until its checksum or signature is compared with an authoritative release record.
The Mint 18 user guide recommends SHA-256 verification. After downloading an ISO, run:
sha256sum -b linuxmint.isoCompare the resulting hash with the published value before writing the image to USB or DVD. The official guide explains ISO verification and Mint 18 editions at linuxmint.com/documentation/user-guide/Cinnamon/english_18.0.pdf.
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If you deliberately reuse the ISO today, keep the machine offline or tightly isolated, avoid entering sensitive credentials, test it in a virtual machine where possible, and maintain a current backup.
Support and security in 2026
Mint 18 was promoted as an LTS release supported through 2021. That date has passed. It is not a current supported Linux Mint release, and its old kernel, browsers, libraries, firmware support and repositories should not be treated as dependable for internet-connected production use.
- Do not use Mint 18 for banking, password management or general web browsing.
- Do not expose it as a public server.
- Expect obsolete repositories, signature errors, unavailable mirrors and dependency conflicts.
- Modern hardware may require kernels and firmware newer than Linux 4.4.
- Third-party applications may have dropped 32-bit support even though the historical final edition offered 32-bit media.
Who might still study it?
Mint 18 KDE can make sense in a narrow archival context: documenting Linux history, reproducing an old software environment, or testing legacy hardware in an isolated lab. Those uses do not change its end-of-support status or make it a safe general-purpose installation.
What to install instead
Choose a currently supported Linux distribution for a real workstation. Users who want Mint’s workflow should select a maintained Mint release. Users specifically seeking Plasma can consider a supported Kubuntu release, Debian KDE, Fedora KDE or another maintained KDE distribution. The right choice depends on the support lifecycle, hardware age, package format and desktop preferences you need today—not on Mint 18’s 2016 specifications.
Bottom line
Linux Mint 18 “Sarah” KDE Edition was a real Ubuntu 16.04 LTS-based release whose beta preceded the stable edition released on September 9, 2016. It brought KDE Plasma 5.6, SDDM, Linux 4.4 and historically reported 32-bit and 64-bit images, alongside Mint 18’s broader improvements. Its support ended in 2021, so in 2026 it belongs in archival or isolated testing rather than a normal installation.
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