Linux Mint 23 will introduce an expanded set of account administration options when it debuts later this year, by moving user management into a dedicated system utility.
A new Users panel added to the System Administration tool (mintsysadm), which was first introduced the Linux Mint 22.3 update, will let users edit and configure their own user account without the need for admin intervention.
Admins managing users on a Linux Mint 23 install also get new options, like a toggle to enable home directory encryption when creating a new user account, a feature Linux Mint’s Clement Lefebvre says was ‘previously only supported during OS installation’.
Linux Mint’s Cinnamon desktop already supports user account management via the Users and Groups tool, but Lefebvre states it is a ‘pity’ that that so many Linux desktop environments ‘have come up with their own tools’ for management.
“[T]his is typically an area which belongs to distributions and which cannot be and certainly isn’t properly handled by desktops”, he says. “As a result these tools lack support for a lot of new use cases and they’re not well maintained.”
As a result, the controls are being moved to the system utility, which already provides a GUI editing of the GRUB boot loader and associated boot menu options on the distro.
The new System Administration > Users panel will also offer webcam support, allowing you to take selfies, toggle mirroring on/off and view a preview before your photo is set.
These refinements are in the mix as Linux Mint 23 considers slowing its release cadence to allow for more time to be spent on developing and expanding features.
Chance are we’ll hear more about this, and other UX changes, in the coming months.