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The Ubuntu Diaries
Part V



Introduction

Adam wearing Ubuntu shirt

This is my account of using the Ubuntu computer operating system, as well as other free software.

On we acquired a used Dell PC to run the Linux-based Ubuntu 7.04 Feisty Fawn. Because of the success in using Ubuntu, on we reformatted the remaining Windows XP computer and installed Ubuntu 8.04 LTS on it, going Windows-free.

I haven't missed Windows at all, in fact I have been far better off without it. Linux is free, works better, is more stable and doesn't run viruses or spyware. It does everything I want to do and has been a perfect solution for my computing needs.

Over the years I have used Ubuntu, Lubuntu, Debian, Pop!_OS and Ubuntu Cinnamon, as well as tested Ubuntu Unity, Ubuntu Budgie, Ubuntu MATE, Kubuntu, Xubuntu, Puppy Linux and many others. Reviews of those are all here, along with write-ups on applications and other software tested.

I do these write-ups primarily for myself, mostly so I can remember my own "how-to" instructions, as well as pros and cons found, but I post them here to help out anyone looking for information.

I also write for Full Circle magazine and my reviews can be found there. Each archived Full Circle article is also linked from the equivalent article here.

This is the fifth page of my Ubuntu Diaries:

Entries



Bluesky

By Adam Hunt

, updated

Bluesky is a new social media service that has been gaining a lot of traction recently. It was originally started in as a research project within Twitter to see if something somewhat like Twitter could be created using free software coding and a federation protocol, called the AT Protocol, that would allow other nodes on the network, to eventually make it a decentralized network.

In Bluesky was made a separate entity from Twitter, just in time to avoid becoming part of Elon Musk's empire. The project is now independently run by Bluesky Social, PBC, headquartered in Seattle, Washington. It is a public benefit corporation, which means it may be run for profit, but is intended to be a net positive to society.

Bluesky Social, PBC is headed by CEO Jay Graber, a 32 year old software engineer.

Bluesky started as invitation-only in and opened publicly for use in . Former Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey had been on the board of directors, but left in . Musk's rendering of Twitter (now "X") as a hostile environment to most of his users lead to a mass exodus of Twitter users to Bluesky and the platform had 23.7 million users by .

Right now Bluesky has no revenue stream. It was started with US$13 million in initial funding from Twitter. On , the company had raised US$8 million in a seed funding round led by the Neo tech mentoring community. In it announced US$15 million in "Series A" financing led by Blockchain Capital. The company pledged that it would not integrate cryptocurrency into the social app or the AT Protocol, so as to not "hyperfinancialize the social experience". So at present it is just running on that US$31 million in seed capital and has only 22 employees. They seem to be still looking at how to get it to a break even point, but the CEO has ruled out introducing advertising. Right now I would bet on a freemium model, where you can pay for some enhanced features. They are apparently looking at an optional subscription service for users and user-to-user payment services.

The company is very aware of the the potential to wreck Bluesky trying to get it to break even and are committed to avoiding that, but time will tell how that works out.

On I decided to give Bluesky a try and created an account there.

Federation

While the AT Protocol allows other providers to set up their own servers and federate into Bluesky, this has not happened yet. It is unclear whether this is technically possible at present or that it has just not been done so far. I am not even sure that it is even desirable, as history so far has not shown federation to be a good model for social networks.

The Fediverse is a good test case. Now in operation for almost 15 years, the network that includes Diaspora, Mastodon and several other projects has not been a big success. As of it had attracted at total of 3,903,555 users and had 679,099 active users. That high user loss rate is probably accounted for by fact that "pods" are constantly closing. Because anyone can start a pod on the fediverse, people often do, then others join that pod, creating accounts there. Then the person running the pod runs out of money, interest or motivation and it closes, stranding the users. This even happened twice to Diaspora's flagship pod, joindiaspora.com, which remains closed. Sure the users can, in theory, save their data, but at present they can't import it into a new pod as the software does not allow that. They can start over with a new account on a new pod and some will do that, but many just give up in frustration.

These experiences are not a ringing endorsement of the federated social media model. The fact that after 15 years the fedeverse as a whole has 2% of the number of active users that Bluesky has attracted in nine months says a lot of the acceptance of the federated model.

I should also note that it is also possible to connect specific Bluesky and Mastodon accounts using Bridgy, although it is a bit of a temporary kludge.

Features

Bluesky has some good features that make it easy to use from first arrival as a new user, along with some limitations compared to other social media sites:

Private messaging

Bluesky's PM system is simple and fast to use, with no character limit.

PM is also Bluesky's weak point though, as currently the platform is overwhelmed with scammers who want to exchange PMs. It looks like many of them migrated from Twitter and are thinking that with few moderators on the platform the pickings should be easy. It seems most users there are pretty experienced, know how to avoid and combat the scammers, and there are many discussions on the site about scammers. Some common types are:

In my first five days on the platform I had PMs from 21 scammers and none from people other than scammers, with the exception of one IRL friend. If you allow them to, the the scammers can waste a lot of your time with long, rambling conversations that are supposed to establish that they are friends, so they can eventually rob you.

Many users on Bluesky have notes on their profiles saying that they do not answer PMs. Based on my experiences it is safe to assume all PMs from people you don't know are scammers and can be safely ignored.

You can also turn off PM entirely. The setting is on your "Chat" page, just click the "settings" icon on the top right corner:

chat settings dialogue box

Of course if you select "no one" then even real friends who find you on Bluesky can't contact you via PM, although they can leave you notes as comments on posts.

I tried a few strategies, including leaving PM on and ignoring people I did not want to chat with, but in the end I turned PM off and that has made the place much saner. There are still a few scammers who will try to scam you using public comments on posts, but it clearly makes them nervous to do so and they always want to switch to PM, or get you off the platform altogether to talk.

User experiences

Bluesky is a busy place these days, with lots going on. The interface is very clean and easy to use. There are lots of user settings that everyone should go through the menus and explore.

Who is on there? Just about everyone these days except the extreme right. There are many media outlets, celebrities, authors, political commentators, politicians, companies and official government agencies.

Much of Bluesky works on feeds. You start with two: "Discover" and "Following". Algorithms to figure out what to show you on the "Discover" feed are user controllable and are not used on your "Following" feed, which is just the posts from the people you are following in reverse chronological order. Unless you are worried about seeing bad content on the "Explore" feed then I would not spend too much time on tweaking the algorithms that control what you see.

At present the right wing extremism that has taken over Twitter and ruined it, is not happening on Bluesky. They seem to have mostly stayed on Twitter or 4Chan. The few that have shown up are easy to block as the Bluesky blocking tool works very well. Anyone you block is gone as far as you see.

Conclusions

Overall Bluesky is a fun, boisterous and busy place, with lots of people and lots of interesting posts happening. As long as you duck the scammmers it is worthwhile as a place to be on social media. We'll see if it stays that way or not.

External links

Ubuntu Budgie 24.10

By Adam Hunt

Ubuntu Budgie 24.10, came out on . This release marks the start of a new development cycle that will lead to Ubuntu Budgie 26.04 LTS, the next long term support version, due out in . This is the distribution's 18th release and, being an interim release, is supported for only nine months, until .

The last developmental cycle brought much that is new to Ubuntu Budgie and, judging by the start, this one will too. While there is nothing "paradigm breaking" here, Ubuntu Budgie 24.10 does set an ambitious pace for incremental improvements that probably exceeds any other Ubuntu flavour right now. I will go over them all here.

Installation

I downloaded the ISO file for Ubuntu Budgie 24.10 from the official website via BitTorrent and did a command line SHA256 sum check on it to make sure it was uncorrupted.

The ISO file was 3.4 GB, which is 700 MB smaller than Ubuntu Budgie 24.04 LTS. That is an 18% reduction, which is no small feat.

I dropped the Ubuntu Budgie 24.10 ISO file onto a USB stick equipped with Ventoy 1.0.99 and booted it up from there for testing. Ubuntu Budgie is officially supported by Ventoy and it worked flawlessly, as expected.

System requirements

The recommended minimum system requirements for Ubuntu Budgie 24.10 have not changed since the last release and remain:

New

There is much that is new here, although most changes are small and not that noticeable to most desktop users. The changes are:

Plus a number of bugs have been addressed:

A version of Ubuntu Budgie running a Wayland protocol display server in place of the legacy X11 is now undergoing project internal testing, towards incorporation in an eventual release.

In the past Ubuntu Budgie employed Plank, a small Mac-like dock, but it has been replaced in this release with the budgie-desktop dock instead. Plank is X11-only and it needed replacement as part of preparations for future Wayland compatibility. The new dock looks very much like Plank, except its icons do not swell on mouse-over. It has the default Pocillo colour theme, with the top-bar a dark theme default. The previous Plank dock could be turned on or off, but the new budgie-desktop dock can only be turned off once and then cannot be reinstated. The controls for it are no longer a right click to turn it off and the main menu to turn it on, but are found at Budgie Desktop Settings → Bottom Dock → Applets. Clicking "Remove Panel" results is a warning that says "Confirm panel removal - Do you really want to remove this panel? This action cannot be undone." So you have been duly warned. With it off there is no desktop indication of which applications are open other than alt-tab, so leaving it on is probably a good idea.

As has been the case for the last few releases, the 24.10 default wallpaper follows recent Budgie trends and is once again a modified version of the standard Budgie spacey-looking wallpaper ("ubuntu_budgie_wallpaper1") which has been in use since Ubuntu Budgie 19.04. For the recent releases the designers have been adding a code name motif and so for this Oracular Oriole release an oriole has been added to that spacey wallpaper. This release has 17 wallpapers, down from 28 in the last release. The 24.10 release also marks the 20th anniversary of the mainstream Ubuntu's first release, 4.10, and so Ubuntu Budgie is celebrating by adding the Ubuntu Warty Warthog anniversary wallpaper to the collection, plus many old Ubuntu wallpapers, including Hardy Heron, Precise Pangolin, Bionic Beaver, Jammy Jellyfish, Noble Numbat and others.

For this release the Linux kernel is version 6.11 and the initialization system is systemd 256.5. Mainstream Ubuntu introduced systemd with its 15.04 release and so, since Ubuntu Budgie is based on Ubuntu, it has been using systemd since its inception, version 16.04, with no issues.

Settings

As has been the case for a while in Ubuntu Budgie, the settings are still widely scattered over many places and are quite confusing for new users. This is still the one area where Ubuntu Budgie could really use some serious reorganization. Putting the settings all in one place would make life a lot easier.

Here is where everything is. Budgie Desktop Settings is where you find the window themes, oddly under Style → Widgets. There are 14 window themes provided, with the default one still Pocillo-dark. There are also some nice lighter themes provided, including Pocillo itself. You can select styling preferences (light or dark); ten icon styles, with Pocillo as the default; three cursor styles and four notification screen positions to choose from, one in each corner, with top right as default.

Budgie Makeovers & Layouts is where you find complete one button wallpaper, window theme and icon packages, with ten to choose from. Only three of these are installed, though. To keep the ISO file size smaller the remaining ones have to be downloaded for use. There are also eight desktop layouts, each of which includes launchers and menus that mimic most desktop set-ups. The choices are Ubuntu Budgie, Classic Ubuntu Budgie, Redmond, Eleven, Chrome, Traditional Budgie, The One and Cupertino.

Budgie Extras is where the desktop applets are hidden. This time around there are only 27 applets included, 11 fewer than in the last release. These add features such as calendars, weather and other functionality to the desktop. Confusingly, in Kubuntu these would be called "widgets".

The Budgie Control Center is a modified version of GNOME Settings for configuring such items as WiFi, wallpaper, sound and power settings.

The main menu can be set to either show application tiles in alphanumerical order or as icons by category.

Applications

Some of the applications included with Ubuntu Budgie 24.10 are:

* indicates same application version as used in Ubuntu Budgie 24.04 LTS
** supplied as a snap, so version depends on the upstream package manager

This development cycle kicks off with some default application changes.

External .deb packages were previously installed using the GDebi .deb package installer, but it has now been dropped, as the included Ubuntu App Center now handles those external .deb packages. The GNOME Software package management system has also been removed in favour of the Ubuntu App Center.

Due to the lack of an active maintainer, the Tilix terminal emulator has been accumulating bugs and has been swapped for the Xfce4 Terminal, from the Xfce desktop.

Ubuntu Budgie 24.10 continues to use the Cinnamon desktop's Nemo file manager. Nemo is very functional and has lots of customization options, but in Ubuntu Budgie's implementation it has no integral bulk file renaming, so installing a stand-alone bulk file renamer, like GPRename fixes that.

Pro tip: By default in its Ubuntu Budgie implementation the Nemo file manager does not display its menu bar, making it impossible to customize it like that. Hitting the "alt" key will show the bar, which then can be selected to stay permanently displayed at View → Menubar.

Ubuntu Budgie 24.10 includes the LibreOffice 24.8.2 office suite, complete except for LibreOffice Base, the database program. It is probably the least-used part of LibreOffice, but it can be installed if needed.

Conclusions

Ubuntu Budgie 24.10 starts off this new developmental cycle with a fair number of incremental upgrades, bug fixes, application swap-outs and a new desktop dock. While none of these substantially change the way the Budgie desktop looks or works, it seems to indicate that we can expect some active development over the next two interim releases, leading to an LTS version in that will cumulatively offer quite a bit that is new.

Overall, Ubuntu Budgie appeals to users looking for a distribution with a classic-style menu system, plus a dock. Its only minus as a distribution remains its widely scattered user settings.

Ubuntu MATE 24.10

By Adam Hunt

Ubuntu MATE 24.04 was released on . It is the 22nd release of this Ubuntu flavour with the MATE desktop, which is derived from GNOME 2. As an interim release it will be supported for nine months, until .

This is the first interim release for this new development cycle, which will consist of a total of three interim releases, leading to the next LTS version, Ubuntu MATE 26.04 LTS, due out in .

While many of the Ubuntu flavours these days are pretty stable and not seeing a lot of major changes, Ubuntu MATE actively avoids new stuff. One of its stated objectives is to "recreate the halcyon days of Ubuntu for users who prefer a traditional desktop metaphor." Because it is basically GNOME 2, with the updated, searchable Brisk menu added, no further changes are really needed or desired. It is simple, it works and that is it.

Installation

I got the 4.2 GB ISO file from the official website via BitTorrent. This time the ISO file size has shrunken, from 4.2 GB for Ubuntu MATE 24.04 LTS, down to 3.5 GB! The release notes claim, "this is thanks to some fixes in the installer that no longer require as many packages in the live-seed." I'll take the 17% reduction in download size!

Once I had the file downloaded, I carried out the usual SHA256 sum check on it from the command line to make sure it was a good download and it passed.

I dropped the Ubuntu MATE 24.10 ISO file onto a USB stick, equipped with Ventoy 1.0.99 and booted it up from there. Ubuntu MATE is listed as officially supported by Ventoy and it ran just fine.

System requirements

The listed the minimum hardware has still not changed and remains:

The recommended hardware is:

As well Raspberry Pi B models are supported, including Raspberry Pi 2, 3, 3+ and 4 (all memory sizes).

New

As expected, the changes introduced in this release are minimal since the last one, Ubuntu MATE 24.04 LTS. The only real change was replacing the Arctica Greeter with the previously employed Slick Greeter. This was due to a race-condition in the boot process which resulted in the display manager failing to initialize. It looks like the users have been requesting this return to Slick anyway, as it includes a graphical configuration screen to customize the greeter.

As with all the Ubuntu 24.10 family of releases, the Linux kernel is 6.11 and the initialization system is systemd 256.5. Ubuntu MATE has now been using systemd for ten years and 20 releases, with no problems.

One thing that has not changed is the MATE 1.26.2 desktop, which is the same version used in 24.04 LTS. The MATE 1.28 desktop has been released, but it has some bugs that need addressing prior to shipping. It is expected to be introduced later in this development cycle, in time for inclusion in the next LTS.

Settings

Sameness is a virtue in Ubuntu MATE and so 24.10 retains the default green-coloured theme, including the same default wallpaper. It still has 23 window themes and 28 wallpapers provided, although this time four of them have orioles in various colours, as this release is code named Oracular Oriole. Fortunately there are provided alternatives to the rather sickly green wallpaper.

The default menu used on Ubuntu MATE is still the single Brisk menu, which works well and includes a menu search feature. The panel options do include several other menus, including the original GNOME 2 triple menu, which while nostalgic, does lack the menu search.

As in the past, if you want a launcher, the Plank desktop dock is already installed and can easily be turned on by opening it from the menu. It is easy to turn off, as well: just right click "quit" on it and it is gone again. As docks go it is fairly unobtrusive and hides when a window touches it.

Ubuntu MATE still comes with the default MATE desktop's dual panel set-up, one at the top and one at the bottom of the screen. It is quite easy to change to a single panel, just add the top panel icons to the bottom one, including the menu button and then delete the top panel entirely. If you don't like the result, it is just as easy to reset them all back to the default two panel configuration with just one click, too.

As in last release, the the MATE desktop does not include a "large text" feature, desktop zoom or scaling control and this has been identified as an issue if you have a laptop with a small, high resolution screen. MATE does however have the ability to adjust system fonts at Control Center → Appearance → Fonts and this actually solves the problem reasonably well. You will need to increase all the font sizes from the 11 point defaults to 14 or 16 and then also set the default zoom in Firefox to 133%, LibreOffice Writer to 160%, plus increase the font for the Pluma text editor to 16 pt or so and it all works fine.

Applications

Some of the applications included with Ubuntu MATE 24.10 are:

* indicates same application version as used in Ubuntu MATE 24.04 LTS
** supplied as a snap, so version depends on the upstream package manager

There is not much new here, either. There has been no change to the default application mix and not many of the applications have been updated, either, as can be seen by the number of asterisks.

The file browser is still the MATE desktop's native Caja file manager. Caja is an earlier fork of Nautilus, with some of its removed features reinstated, like the "up one level" button. It also includes some useful features, like bulk file renaming.

Ubuntu MATE 24.10 includes the LibreOffice 24.8.2 office suite, complete, except for LibreOffice Base, the database program. This is probably the least-used part of LibreOffice, but it can be installed if needed.

The default suite of applications is quite complete and includes most of what an average desktop user would need, at least to get started.

Conclusions

Ubuntu MATE 24.10 is a very simple, stable and quite polished release for users who are looking for a classic Linux desktop experience, with lots of user customization possible. There is very little "flash" here, it just lets you get to work.

Due to its underlying philosophy, Ubuntu MATE is not going to undergo a lot of changes over time and I think one thing that attracts users is that constancy. You can install a whole new version and not have to learn anything new. It is a model of developer restraint!

Ubuntu Unity 24.10

By Adam Hunt

The first new interim release of this new development cycle, Ubuntu Unity 24.10, came out on . This cycle will eventually result in the next LTS version, Ubuntu Unity 26.04 due out in .

Ubuntu Unity 24.10 is this distribution's tenth release and as an interim release will be supported for nine months, until .

Like the last release, which was Ubuntu Unity 24.04 LTS, Ubuntu Unity 24.10 introduces very little that is new, which hints that we should not expect any big changes through this development cycle. It seems that the developers have Ubuntu Unity pretty close to where they want it and much of the effort these days seem to be on Ubuntu Lomiri which uses the Lomiri (Unity 8) desktop in an attempt to get Ubuntu Unity ready for a switch to a Wayland display server environment, from the current use of X11.

Installation

I downloaded the Ubuntu Unity 24.10 ISO file from the official source using Transmission, via BitTorrent. Once I had the file, I ran a command line SHA256 sum check on the file and verified it was a good download.

I tested it from a live session, from a USB stick equipped with Ventoy 1.0.99. Even though it is still not officially listed as supported by Ventoy, it booted up just with no issues.

The Ubuntu Unity 24.10 ISO file is a 3.7 GB download, 200 MB bigger than the last release.

System requirements

Ubuntu Unity does not specify any system requirements, but it is probably safe to assume that it is the same as Ubuntu 24.10, a minimum of:

New

As the release announcement outlines, once again the development team has been working getting the Lomiri desktop (formerly known as Unity 8) working right on Ubuntu Unity, since it will facilitate the transition to Wayland and away from the X11 display server. The current Unity 7 and the not-yet-complete Unity X both use X11 only. Currently Lomiri is a separate release from Ubuntu Unity and there is fresh test version available as Ubuntu Lomiri 24.10, officially described as "significantly improved".

Meanwhile Ubuntu Unity 24.10 has only a few things that are new to start this development cycle. This time the unity-greeter package has been replaced by the lightdm-gtk-greeter, due to some bugs encountered when it was used in conjunction with lightdm. The last release moved to using the Calamares installer and 24.10 continues that, with a few improvements incorporated. The Unity 7.7 desktop was used in the last release and this one continues with that exact same version, 7.7.0+23.04.20230222.2-0ubuntu7.

This release also includes the Kvantum Manager theme engine, although it is not clear how it is used within Ubuntu Unity.

As with all the Ubuntu 24.10 family of releases, the Linux kernel is 6.11 and the initialization system is systemd 256.5.

Settings

As in the past, this release continues to have its settings spread out between the regular settings menu, the panel brush icon and the included Unity Tweak Tool. Once you find them though, they all work just fine. The Unity Tweak Tool offers four window themes: Ambiance, Radiance, Yaru and Yaru-dark, plus 37 icon themes and seven cursor styles. The regular settings menu has only two window themes, Yaru and Yaru-dark. The settings menu now has 16 accent colours to chose from and the brush icon has ten.

This release is code named "Oracular Oriole" and so there is a new default oriole-themed wallpaper. Also provided are 14 other wallpapers, seven of which have orioles on them. One new wallpaper is the Ubuntu 20th anniversary Warty Warthog one. This is not Ubuntu Unity's 20th, but it is Ubuntu's and that is worth celebrating, at least. Ubuntu Unity as a distribution is actually five years old now, while the Unity desktop has been around for 14 years.

Ubuntu Unity continues with a lot of user customization options, which differentiates it from mainstream Ubuntu and its very limited choices.

Applications

Some of the applications included with Ubuntu Unity 24.10 are:

* indicates same application version as used in Ubuntu Unity 24.04 LTS
** supplied as a snap, so version depends on the upstream package manager

Not mentioned in the release announcement is that the Stacer system monitor has been added. Ubuntu Unity 23.10 included the GNOME System Monitor but it was omitted in 24.04 LTS, for unexplained reasons. So at least Ubuntu Unity has a default system monitor once again!

The file manager remains Nemo, taken from the Cinnamon desktop. Nemo works very well and has a lot of settings allowing good customization, but still lacks bulk file renaming in this implementation, so installing a stand-alone bulk file renamer, like GPRename is recommended.

LibreOffice 24.8.2 is supplied complete, lacking only the LibreOffice Base database application, which can be installed from the Ubuntu repositories, if desired.

Conclusions

Ubuntu Unity 24.10 is a fairy flawless release with a plethora of user customization options. In use it works well and comes with a useful suite of default applications. The fact that this first interim release incorporates only a few very minor improvements tends to indicate that this release cycle will not bring any big changes. I think most Ubuntu Unity users will be happy with that, as it is pretty good these days.

I will be keeping an eye on Ubuntu Lomiri as work progresses on that project. It will be interesting to see if Lomiri gets merged into Ubuntu Unity over time as a Wayland fix, or ends up remaining as a standalone alternative.

Xubuntu 24.10 Minimal

By Adam Hunt

, updated

I have to admit that I have always admired Linux distributions that offer a "minimal" installation. That is one not loaded up with applications, allowing the user the chance to download and install just the base system and then add what they need, without also having to remove a bunch of unwanted stuff.

It seems simple to create a minimal version of an existing distribution: just leave out most of the applications and make what remains the download, but not all distributions get this right, though. For instance Ubuntu has had an optional minimal version for awhile and starting with Ubuntu 23.10 the developers decided to make this the default installation. The trouble started when some people complained that this would make it difficult for new users, so the compromise was to keep the minimal installation, but have all the regular list of applications available for off-line installation, meaning the ISO file stayed as a huge download. So they ended up with all the disadvantages and not many advantages. Bad solution!

Xubuntu also has a minimal installation, so I thought it was time to give it a test flight and see if their developers got it right or not.

This release

This new release, Xubuntu 24.10, came out on . It is an interim release, the first of three that will lead to the next LTS version which will be Xubuntu 26.04 LTS, due out in . These three interim releases are the place to try out new ideas prior to incorporating them into the LTS version.

This is Xubuntu's 38th release and it has nine months of support, running until .

Background

Xubuntu has had a minimal installation option for almost ten years now. Although development of the concept started earlier, it was announced on as Xubuntu Core and became an official sub-project starting with the release of Xubuntu 23.04 on and renamed Xubuntu Minimal.

Xubuntu offers two separate ISO versions for download: xubuntu-24.10-desktop-amd64.iso and xubuntu-24.10-minimal-amd64.iso. The Desktop one is the old, full-featured ISO file, with the normal suite of applications, while Minimal omits most of the applications, making it a smaller download. In the case of Xubuntu 24.10 the Desktop version is 4.2 GB, while Minimal is 2.8 GB, or 2/3 the size.

For me, the biggest advantage is not just the smaller download, but that you won't have to spend time removing applications you don't want and can instead just add the ones you do want.

Installation

I downloaded Xubuntu 24.10 Minimal from the official source via BitTorrent, using Transmission and then carried out an SHA256 sum check from the command line to ensure I had a good download.

I tested Xubuntu 24.10 Minimal from a USB stick equipped with Ventoy 1.0.99, by dropping the ISO file onto the stick. Ventoy officially supports Xubuntu and it worked just fine.

System requirements

The recommended system requirements for Xubuntu 24.10 have not changed since 21.04 and remain:

If using the computer online, 8 GB of RAM is probably a more realistic minimum for decent web browsing performance these days. More RAM is always good.

New

Both the Desktop and Minimal versions of Xubuntu 24.10 share the same new features. These include the GTK-based Xfce 4.19 desktop, which is a developmental preview of the upcoming Xfce 4.20. The Desktop version also includes updated applications from GNOME 46, 47 and MATE 1.26. The Linux kernel is version 6.11 and the initialization system is now Systemd 256.5. It is worth noting that Xubuntu has been using systemd since 15.04, so this is the 20th release over ten years and with no issues.

The Xfce Power Manager, Desktop, Settings and other Xfce system components have all been updated to their 4.19 versions.

Not new, but a real annoyance in running live sessions, once again in Xubuntu 24.10 all drives are locked out and will not mount, just like in Ubuntu Cinnamon 24.10. This means that Xubuntu 24.10 is useless as a rescue disk. It also makes doing screenshots for a review and getting them off the live session much more difficult, as I normally just save them to a USB stick. In this case I had to get a web browser, by installing the Firefox Snap file from the command line, sign into a cloud service, upload the screenshots there and then download them to my laptop. Is there any good reason to lock out USB devices and all other drives from a live session? I can't think of any.

Settings

Xubuntu 24.10 still uses Greybird as its default window colour scheme and is the same version number as last time, 3.23.3. There are still a total of six window themes provided in the "Appearance" manager: Adwaita, Adwaita-dark, Greybird, Greybird-dark, High Contrast and Numix. The separate Window Manager also has 11 window themes: Daloa, Default-hdpi, Default-xhdpi, Greybird, Greybird-accessibility, Greybird-compact, Greybird-dark, Greybird-dark-accessibility, Kokodi, Moheli and Numix. There are now 10 icon themes, one less than in the last release, with Elementary Xfce Dark the new default, replacing Elementary Xfce Darker.

There is a new default Xubuntu 23.10 wallpaper for this release, designed by Pasi Lallinaho, who has done all the release wallpapers since Xubuntu 9.04. This one is another modernist abstract design of floating circles on a dark blue background. Lallinaho seems to have a thing for floating circles over the years. Xubuntu Minimal has only two other additional wallpapers provided, although you can easily download any old Xubuntu ones you fancy or use your own, of course. Even though this release is code named "Ocular Oriole", as with Kubuntu 24.10, Xubuntu ducked that cliche and there are no oriole-themed wallpapers.

Just like all the Xubuntu releases since 14.04 LTS, this one has the Whisker Menu as its menu system. Prior to Xubuntu 24.04 LTS the Whisker Menu could be resized, but that is no longer the case, as it is now fixed in dimensions. With some other Ubuntu-family distributions like Kubuntu 24.10 and Ubuntu Cinnamon 24.10 with re-sizable menus, Xubuntu feels like it is losing desirable features that others are gaining.

Applications

Applications included with Xubuntu 24.10 Minimal are:

* indicates same application version as used in Xubuntu 24.04 LTS

As can be seen, Xubuntu 24.10 Minimal really is minimal. It comes with very little in the way of user applications: no web browser, no office suite, no PDF reader, not even a text editor. I was pleased that it came with a screenshot tool though, as that was needed for this review to get some pictures.

I think this release very much fulfills its role as a true minimal version, but that does mean that it is probably not a good choice for beginners, as I think the bare menus would leave most new users a bit bewildered. Adding to that challenge is that it only comes with two means to add applications, Synaptic, which is not really user-friendly and APT from the command line, which is fast, but even less user-friendly. APT would be very fast to get Xubuntu 24.10 Minimal all up and running and ready for use, but it would really help to have a pre-written list of what you would like to add and do it in one big, long command.

Here is what I would add to Xubuntu 24.10 Minimal to customize it for my own use, but of course YMMV:

$ sudo apt install blueman engrampa filezilla firmware-updater gedit gprename gufw imgp kdenlive libreoffice mate-calc mtpaint ristretto transmission simple-scan whois vlc

plus:

$ sudo snap install firefox

Feel free to add or subtract to make up your own list!

Xubuntu Minimal does come with snapd as a .deb and as a Snap, (which is normal) pre-installed, so that means it is "Snap-ready", so just go ahead and install any Snap packages you like.

Conclusions

Xubuntu 24.10 Minimal is a great release and is very much exactly what a minimal release should be: just what you need to get started and no more, all in a small, separate download package. When you boot it up it is absolutely not ready for work, but it is ready to be customized and then get to work. As long as you know what you are doing that should be an easy process, but this is not the release to choose for beginners.

The next Xubuntu release will be 25.04, the second interim release, due out on . When it arrives I will have a look at the full "Desktop" version.

Ubuntu Cinnamon 24.10

By Adam Hunt

, updated

Ubuntu Cinnamon 24.10 came out on and marks the start of a whole new development cycle. It is the first of three interim releases that will lead to the next LTS version, which will be Ubuntu Cinnamon 26.04 LTS, scheduled for .

Ubuntu Cinnamon 24.10 is the 11th release and its fourth as an official Ubuntu flavour. As an interim release it has nine months of support until .

As in recent releases, there is very little new in Ubuntu Cinnamon 24.10. As a user of this Linux distribution, that actually keeps me happy, as I think it works pretty well right now and doesn't need much in the way of changes!

Installation

I got the ISO file from the official website via BitTorrent. Once I had the file, I carried out an SHA256 sum check on it from the command line to make sure it was a good download and it passed.

This ISO file was 5.0 GB in size, which is actually 200 MB, or 4% smaller than the last release, Ubuntu Cinnamon 24.04 LTS, which was 5.2 GB. I have an idea where some of that extra space was saved, too.

I dropped the Ubuntu Cinnamon 24.10 ISO file onto a USB stick, equipped with Ventoy 1.0.99 and booted it up from there for testing, but did not install it.

System requirements

None listed, but it is probably safe to assume that it is the same as Ubuntu 24.10, a minimum of:

That recommended 4 GB of RAM is probably a bit minimal for web browsing in and 8 GB is probably more realistic.

New

This release brings only a few very small number of improvements and most of them are from "upstream" projects rather than from Ubuntu Cinnamon itself. Upgraded Cinnamon components are CJS 6.2.0 (which are some Mozilla-based javascript bindings for the Cinnamon platform), which now uses mozjs115; Cinnamon Screensaver 6.2.0 (new version number, but nothing new added) and Cinnamon Settings Daemon 6.2.0 (also a new version number, but again with no changes).

Actually new from upstream projects are Linux kernel 6.11 and the systemd 256.5 initialization system, plus new versions of some of the existing applications.

Specifically listed in the release notes as "not new" are the same versions of the Cinnamon 6.0.4 desktop, Cinnamon Control Center 6.2.0 and the Nemo 6.0.2 file manager, plus the default theme supplied remains (appropriately enough) as Yaru-Cinnamon.

Overall the changes are extremely minimal for this new release and that probably points to a developmental cycle where we can expect "not a lot new" to be introduced. As an Ubuntu Cinnamon user who likes it just the way it is now, I think that is a good thing, as it is much better than taking something good and breaking it!

Another thing that is "not new" in this release and yet still quite unwelcome is that the live session version of Ubuntu Cinnamon 24.10 will not mount any drives, including USB drives, just like in the last release. This prevents using it as a rescue disk and also makes doing screenshots more complicated. The latter required uploading them to a cloud service as a .zip file, rather than simply taking them off on a USB stick. Is there any reason to lock out drives in a live session? None that I can think of.

Settings

Ubuntu Cinnamon 24.10 has the same amount of user customization that Ubuntu Cinnamon 24.04 LTS did. These consist of four different mouse pointer themes, 35 window colour themes (including many dark themes), 33 icon themes and 28 desktop themes (which set the panel colours).

There is naturally a nice new oriole-themed default wallpaper for this "Oracular Oriole" release. Otherwise the number of wallpapers provided has been cut from 43 in the last release to 15 in this one, including cutting all the previously supplied Debian ones. The previous 24 wallpaper categories are all still there, but many are now empty. I suspect that this is at least part of the reason for the smaller ISO size for this release.

The bottom panel still can be adjusted in size over quite a large range, allowing it to be made much narrower or wider and the icons on the panel size automatically to fit. The menu continues to be adjustable in size as well.

The range of user customization available is quite extensive and gives lots of control as to how your resulting desktop looks.

Applications

Some of the applications included with Ubuntu Cinnamon 24.10 are:

* indicates same application version as used in Ubuntu Cinnamon 24.04 LTS
** supplied as a Snap, so version depends on the upstream package manager
*** only present in the live session version, not in the normal installation

There have been no changes in the default application mix provided. Many of the applications have also not received new versions, too, hence the large number of asterisks. Many of the applications are from GNOME 46 and 47.

As always Ubuntu Cinnamon continues to use the Cinnamon desktop's own Nemo file manager. Since it is not configured for bulk file renaming, a standalone bulk file renamer, such as GPRename is recommended.

Ubuntu Cinnamon 24.10 includes the LibreOffice 24.8.2 office suite, which is complete, except for LibreOffice Base, the database program. It is probably the least-used part of LibreOffice, but it can be installed if needed.

As in the past, the list of default applications in Ubuntu Cinnamon is extremely long and includes has just about anything a desktop user could want, except perhaps a video editor. There are, however, still a lot of applications included that duplicate other installed applications, like two terminal emulators, two image viewers, two image editors and two software package managers, plus there are also 19 games, too. That all adds up to a lot of menu clutter. As I have noted before, a real "minimal installation" option, like Ubuntu and Xubuntu have, would be a welcome installation option.

As an alternative, "do-it-yourself" minimal installation I offer up this "clean-up" command, so feel free to use it if you like, to get rid of all the games, unneeded applications and other duplication that comes with Ubuntu Cinnamon 24.10:

$ sudo apt remove aisleriot alacritty brasero deja-dup five-or-more four-in-a-row gimp gnome-2048 gnome-calendar gnome-chess gnome-klotski gnome-mahjongg gnome-mines gnome-nibbles gnome-robots gnome-sudoku gnome-taquin gnome-tetravex gnote gthumb iagno imagemagick imagemagick-6-common imagemagick-6.q16 hexchat hitori lightsoff pidgin quadrapassel remmina shotwell sound-juicer swell-foop tali

plus

$ sudo snap remove thunderbird

since that is a Snap package now. This is just my list, so feel free to add or subtract anything.
Conclusions

Ubuntu Cinnamon 24.10 has very minimal changes over 24.04 LTS and thus there are not many good reasons to switch up from the LTS, which is supported for three years, and move to this new release, with its nine months of support, unless you need a newer Linux kernel for newer hardware.

Because this distribution is already really good, I am not expecting to see any big changes over this development cycle leading to Ubuntu Cinnamon 26.04 LTS. A true "minimal installation" feature would still be a welcome addition, though.

Lubuntu 24.10

By Adam Hunt

Lubuntu 24.10 was out on . As an interim release it is supported for nine months until .

This is the first interim release of three that will lead to the next LTS version, which will be Lubuntu 26.04, scheduled for .

Lubuntu 24.10 marks the 13th LXQt release, the 27th since Lubuntu became an official Ubuntu "flavour" and the 30th overall Lubuntu release since that very first one, Lubuntu 10.04. For some reason the official Lubuntu release announcement does not want to take credit for those first three Lubuntu releases prior to it becoming an official flavour, but those of us who tried out Lubuntu 10.10 know better!

It is also worth noting that Lubuntu 24.10 represents 14 years of Lubuntu!

As the first interim release in a new developmental cycle, Lubuntu 24.10 and its two follow up releases, Lubuntu 25.04 and Lubuntu 25.10 will hopefully give us some idea what to expect as the next LTS version takes shape.

Installation

I downloaded Lubuntu 24.10 via BitTorrent from the official source and did a command line SHA256 sum check on it to make sure it was valid. I dropped it into a USB stick equipped with Ventoy 1.0.99 and booted it up, which worked perfectly, as expected, since Lubuntu is officially supported by Ventoy.

The Lubuntu 24.10 ISO file was 3.5 GB to download, which is 11% bigger than 24.04 LTS was at 3.1 GB.

System requirements

Since the release of Lubuntu 18.10 the project announced that it would no longer publish any minimum system requirements.

New

This releases brings LXQt 2.0 desktop, based on Qt 6 and is the first Lubuntu version with Qt 6. This change will improve application theme adoptation for Qt 6 toolkit-based applications. Qt 5 is still supported and thus themes in Qt 5 toolkit-based applications, like the Calamares installer, should still work fine, as well. The Calamares installer is expected to be updated to Qt 6 for the next Lubuntu release.

Kvantum theming has been introduced, using the Kvantum manager. This move was as a result of some theme issues cropping up multiple times in using the KDE Breeze theme with the LXQt environment. This means that Lubuntu 24.10 has all new window colour themes, although the default one, Lubuntu Arc looks just the same as before, although there are some new variations of it offered. Overall this is a good thing.

One thing that is not new is the display server used, which remains at X11 rather than a Wayland-based one, due to some incompatibilities in LXQt 2.0. LXQt 2.1 is expected to be included in Lubuntu 25.04, due out on and should have full Wayland support.

Like all the Ubuntu 24.10 releases, Lubuntu 24.10 uses Linux kernel 6.11 and systemd 256.5 as the initialization system. Like Ubuntu, Lubuntu has been using systemd since 15.04, so this is the 20th release over ten years with it and with no issues noted in that time.

Settings

Since Lubuntu 24.10 is code named "Oracular Oriole" there is a new default wallpaper. While it is quite a painting, it is far too "busy" for my tastes, as icons just disappear into all that clutter. If you are like me, you can always swap it for another provided oriole-themed wallpaper called SDDM Oriole which is much cleaner and simpler, or you can use the classic Lubuntu Friends-dark wallpaper. There are also 17 other wallpapers included to choose from, with many of them from recent Lubuntu releases.

Other settings include 19 window themes, 12 icon themes, 15 LXQt themes, two cursor themes and ten GTK3 and GTK2 themes, providing users with a lot of customization choices.

Applications

Some of the applications included with Lubuntu 24.10 are:

* Indicates the same version as used in Lubuntu 24.04 LTS
** supplied as a Snap, so version depends on the upstream package manager

The only change to the mix of applications is an unannounced switch in the default PDF viewer back to qPDFview from Okular instead. Okular had replaced qPDFview in Lubuntu 24.04 LTS.

LibreOffice 24.8.2 is supplied complete, missing only LibreOffice Base, the office suite's database application. Base is probably the least used component of the suite, but it can be added from the repositories, if it is needed.

Lubuntu 24.10 does not come with a graphical image editor, video editor or web cam application, although there are good choices for these and much more in the repositories.

Conclusions

Lubuntu 24.10 is a nice, solid release, with very little new. I don't see a lot of reasons here for most Lubuntu users to jump from the spring's LTS release, which has three years of support, to this interim one with only nine months of support.

It will be interesting to see if a Wayland option appears in next spring's interim release, Lubuntu 25.04, along with any other changes on the road to the next LTS version, Lubuntu 26.04 LTS, due out in .

Kubuntu 24.10

By Adam Hunt

Kubuntu 24.10 came out on . This interim release has nine months of support, until . This marks Kubuntu's 40th release and the first one with the new Qt-based Plasma 6 desktop, replacing Plasma 5.

The release of Ubuntu 24.10 on the same day marked 20 years of Ubuntu, but not so for Kubuntu. Because Kubuntu's first release was 5.04, out on , we will have to wait until the next version, Kubuntu 25.04, comes out in to celebrate its 20th birthday.

This release starts a whole new development cycle for Kubuntu, with three interim releases that will lead to the next LTS version, due out in .

Installation

I got the Kubuntu 24.10 ISO file via BitTorrent from the official source and did a quick command line SHA256 sum check, just to confirm that the file was good.

This Kubuntu ISO file is 4.7 GB in size, up 13% from the last release, Kubuntu 24.04 LTS, which was 4.1 GB.

I dropped the ISO file onto a USB stick equipped with Ventoy 1.0.99 and it booted up without any issues, which was expected, as it is officially supported by Ventoy.

System requirements

The recommended minimum system requirements for Kubuntu 24.10 are the same as for Ubuntu. They have not changed this time around, although they have been updated and are now presented as:

That recommended 4 GB of RAM is probably a bit light for web browsing today and 8 GB is probably more realistic.

New

As is normally the case with most Kubuntu releases, this one has a new default wallpaper, Scarlet Tree by axo1otl. It has both light and dark wallpaper modes which swap automatically when you change the window colour scheme. There are 45 wallpapers provided, many of them from past Kubuntu releases. As is usually the case with Kubuntu, the developers are ignoring the code name cliche for this whole family of Ubuntu releases, "Oracular Oriole" and there are thankfully no oriole-themed wallpapers.

Kubuntu 24.10 employs the Qt 6.6.2 toolkit; KDE Frameworks 6.6.0; has fresh applications from KDE Gear 24.08 and features the new KDE Plasma 6.1.5 desktop, which replaces Plasma 5. Like all the Ubuntu 24.10 series of releases, Kubuntu 24.10 comes with Linux kernel 6.11 and uses systemd 256.5 as its initialization system.

The introduction of the KDE Plasma 6 desktop in Kubuntu 24.10 was not a coincidence. The Kubuntu developers hung off on bringing it into April's LTS release and dropped it into this interim release instead, so it can go through the development and testing process of three interim releases before landing in the next LTS, which will be Kubuntu 26.04, due out in . This ensures that the LTS version, which most users run, is as free of bugs and as stable as possible.

For the users who have been living through the last decade of Plasma 5, which was introduced on , waiting for the arrival of the Plasma 6 desktop, I hate to break it to you, but you may be a bit disappointed. While Plasma 6 is a good, solid user experience, most average desktop users won't notice much difference between it and Plasma 5. There is no paradigm shift here, like there was between GNOME 2 and GNOME 3. In fact that GNOME disaster is why I am going to argue that the minimal changes involved in the move from Plasma 5 to 6 are a good thing. I don't see anyone forking Plasma 5 to save it.

Furthermore, the Kubuntu team have waited for the Plasma 6.1.5 desktop release to bring it to Kubuntu, meaning it is far more refined than Plasma 6.0.0 would have been. There are no advantages to being an early adopter!

So what is in KDE Plasma 6? It has much the same look and feel as Plasma 5, but introduces the ability to access remote Plasma desktops, has an overhauled Plasma edit mode, has persistent applications (meaning that they reopen on start up), synchronizes keyboard coloured LEDs and has screen locking which allows the user to configure it like a traditional screensaver (set it not to ask for a password to unlock it). It also has a "shake the cursor" feature, which makes the cursor grow when you "shake" it, to help locate the cursor on the screens when you lose it. It also has a new "edge barrier" feature, for multi-monitor setups, for when a user wants to access items at the very edge of the monitor. The "barrier" provides a sticky area for the cursor near the edge between the screens and it makes it easier to click on objects without having the cursor jump to the next screen.

All of that adds up to really not much new for most average users. People who do not have a need for remote desktops or use multiple screens are not going to find much different from Plasma 5 here. So if you loved Plasma 5 you will probably love Plasma 6 just as much. I just hope you didn't spend the last ten years waiting for Plasma 6.

Until this release Kubuntu had Wayland on test, but used the venerable X11 display server by default. Now the release notes state, "the Plasma wayland session is now the default option in sddm (display manager login screen). An X11 session can be selected instead if desired. The last used session type will be remembered, so you do not have to switch type on each login." Wayland does bring some improvements, including that Explicit Sync eliminates flickering and other issues often seen by NVidia users and the Wayland Triple Buffering support means animations and screen rendering will be smoother. It is worth noting that the live session default is still X11, though.

Normally the first interim release after an LTS gives some indication where the development cycle is going and at least points to what can be expected in the next LTS release. If this first interim release is taken as a guideline, then we can look for newer versions of Plasma 6 that will add some features, but not any change in Kubuntu's applications.

Settings

Kubuntu with Plasma 6 remains highly customizable, giving users a wide choice of how they want it to look. Kubuntu 24.10 has five global themes, four application styles, five Plasma styles, five window colour schemes, three window decoration styles, seven icon sets, 13 cursor styles, three system soundscapes, three splash screens (including "none"), three login screens and ten boot splash screens. As always, those are just the installed options, as most of the settings pages have one-button downloads to fetch many more from the internet. Kubuntu gives a wide assortment of user choices, just one of the reasons for its popularity.

Kubuntu 24.10 has 67 pre-installed desktop widgets, one fewer than in the last few releases. Widgets are small applications that can be added to the desktop, like clocks and weather reports. Hundreds more of them can be downloaded for installation, too, as long as you can stand the clutter.

Applications

Some of the applications included with Kubuntu 24.10 are:

* indicates same application version as used in Kubuntu 24.04 LTS
** supplied as a Snap, so version depends on the upstream package manager

There has been no change in the application mix provided since Kubuntu 24.04 LTS. While there are some new application versions from KDE Gear 24.08, there are also a lot of older version holdovers from KDE Gear 23.08.5, too, hence all the asterisks.

LibreOffice 24.8.2 is supplied complete, missing only LibreOffice Base, the office suite's database application. Base is probably the least used component of the suite, but it can be added from the repositories, if required.

As in past releases, Kubuntu 24.10 does not include a webcam application, an image editor or video editor by default, although there are many options in the repositories.

Conclusions

Kubuntu 24.10 also marks a good start to the new development cycle that will eventually result in Kubuntu 26.04 LTS in . Kubuntu 24.10 successfully launches the Plasma 6 desktop, which, while it does not bring a lot that is new, at least does not break anything. The introduction of a default Wayland-based display server is a positive step into the future.

I think that enthusiastic Kubuntu users will like 24.10, as it provides more of what gives Kubuntu so much user appeal in the first place: lots of customization and choices on top of a solid KDE Plasma 6 desktop.

Ubuntu 24.10

By Adam Hunt

Ubuntu 24.10 was released on and is an important milestone for at least three reasons.

First off, being the initial interim release after this spring's LTS version, Ubuntu 24.04 LTS, 24.10 marks the beginning of a new development cycle, being the first of three new Ubuntu versions which will result in the next LTS, Ubuntu 26.04, expected in .

Secondly, 24.10 comes out twenty years since the very first Ubuntu release, Ubuntu 4.10 Warty Warthog, which arrived on . To celebrate this anniversary, 24.10 has an optional, brown warty-style wallpaper with the anniversary logo, the original start up sound (which can be turned off) and a "warty brown" accent colour available.

Thirdly, 24.10 is code named "Oracular Oriole", which maybe the worst tongue twister used for an Ubuntu code name so far. Try saying that three times, fast!

This is Ubuntu's 41st release and the 15th with the current modified GNOME 3 desktop. As an interim release, it is only supported for nine months, until .

This is the second Ubuntu release with an "O" code name, the previous one being Ubuntu 11.10 Oneiric Ocelot, which was released on , 13 years ago. Since there are 26 letters in the English alphabet and two Ubuntu releases per year, the letters naturally repeat on a 13 year cycle.

There is not a lot new in this release for desktop users, just a small number of items. Will that trend hold out over the development cycle? I guess we will see over time!

Installation

I downloaded Ubuntu 24.10 from the official source using BitTorrent and carried out an SHA256 sum check to ensure that the ISO file download was good, which it was.

The last release was 6.1 GB to download, but this one is smaller at 5.7 GB, a 7% reduction in size.

I tested Ubuntu 24.10 from a USB stick, using Ventoy 1.0.99, which, as usual, worked perfectly, at least on a modern laptop. It did not boot up successfully on my 2013 desktop with onboard Intel graphics, an issue that may be related to the use of Wayland in this release. It only worked on that box in "safe graphics mode" and only at very low screen resolution, too. The release notes do warn about issues like this.

System requirements

The recommended minimum system requirements for Ubuntu 24.10 have not substantially changed since 20.04 LTS, although they have been updated a bit and are now given as:

Overall this means that Ubuntu 24.10 should run fine on hardware designed for Windows 7 or later, although I would suggest at least 8 GB of RAM as a working minimum.

New

This release does not have a lot new for desktop users. The Power Profiles Manager now supports multiple optimization drivers and has battery awareness to automatically increase the optimization levels when running on battery. The App Center has been updated to show installation progress and also now has support for installing third party .deb files.

There is also a new Security Center (desktop-security-center) with "permissions prompting" for home directory permissions. It is marked "experimental" and is a work in progress, with more features to be added over time. It is installed as a Snap file and is free software under the GNU Affero General Public License 3.0.

The desktop is now based on GNOME 47 and includes some applications from that set. GNOME 47 now has accent colours included, something Ubuntu has had since Ubuntu 22.04 LTS and which GNOME has now incorporated. Ubuntu now uses the upstream GNOME accents instead of its own. GNOME 47 also brings new floating dialogue buttons, an improved interface on low-resolution displays, hardware encoded screen recording, better GTK rendering when using older hardware and persistent remote logins.

The Ubuntu dock also now shows the progress on Snap file background updates in place of the dock icon just disappearing as it previously did. It also has a redesigned icon right-click menu that includes an "app details" option which opens up the Ubuntu App Center to present the details. I am not sure how useful that really is, though as you already have the application installed.

Support for fingerprint enabled devices has also been improved, too.

Ubuntu 24.10 now uses a Wayland display server by default instead of X.org for machines using Nvidia graphics, although X.org is still available on boot-up.

Of course this release comes with a new oriole-themed light wallpaper, which changes to a dark wallpaper when the window colour theme is switched. There are also additional oriole wallpapers, plus the 20th anniversary Warty Warthog wallpaper.

There are many behind-the-scenes changes that most desktop users will probably not notice, including:

Applications

As in recent Ubuntu releases, if you install the default minimal installation you will get only Firefox, Nautilus, GNOME Text Editor and not much more, although any desired applications can easily be added from the repositories. The ISO file includes the extended selection of applications, though, in case you would rather do the full installation.

Some of the applications included with the full 24.10 extended selection installation are:

* indicates same application version as used in Ubuntu 24.04 LTS
** supplied as a Snap, so the version depends on the upstream package manager
*** indicates included on the ISO for boot-up, but not included in a full installation

The application collection is a mix of GNOME versions, this time mostly from GNOME 47, with a few GNOME 44, 45 and 46 leftovers.

GNOME Terminal now runs the APT 3.0 package manager, which has a friendlier user interface, spacing the lines and items out for better clarity, at least for users who do their package management from the command line.

The GNOME Files 47.0 (Nautilus) file manager has some upgrades, including a sidebar redesign with the bookmarks for local folders further down and "trash" moved up, similar to Nemo. Bookmarks can now be removed with a right click, plus added and reordered by drag and drop. Internal drives are now displayed directly, instead of being under "other locations". File searches have also been redesigned, including a new info button.

Conclusions

Ubuntu certainly has changed over the twenty years since Warty Warthog first came out. That first release was certainly a bit warty, but Ubuntu has evolved over time, including through three desktops. It is still with us, has become very successful, popular and influential.

Ubuntu 24.10 is another solid release with no obvious flaws. The next release will be Ubuntu 25.04, due out in April, as we follow this release cycle and see what it will bring.

Q4OS 5.5 TDE Aquarius

By Adam Hunt

I recently had a reader request that I have a look at Q4OS and do a review on it. I am usually up for any Linux challenge and so I thought "why not?" In general I have found at least something to like in every Linux distribution I have ever reviewed. Some are better than others, but most of them have their virtues, even if they have a few shortcomings. Q4OS, at least in its TDE version, is in a different ballpark, however, as I found it virtually unusable. I will explain why.

Q4OS is not a newcomer to the Linux scene, as it was started ten years ago in in Germany. It was started to be an alternative to Windows XP, which was then running out of its extended support period. Today Q4OS is headquartered in Prague, Czech Republic.

Q4OS is based on Debian stable and this 5.5 version uses Debian Bookworm 12.6 as its starting point. Initially it offered a choice of the KDE or LXQt desktops. In the Trinity Desktop Environment (TDE) was added. Today the desktop choice is KDE Plasma 5 or TDE.

TDE is actually a fork of the old KDE 3.5 desktop, with the idea of preserving it as a fast and lightweight desktop that would appeal to Windows XP users. Being a fork of KDE, it uses the Qt toolkit and Qt applications. That all sounded appealing, plus the chance to try a new desktop out, so that was the version I tried.

I have not found an explanation of what Q4OS means. "OS" is obviously "operating system", but Q4? In business that usually means "fourth quarter" but development of Q4OS started on . At least one past review thought it sounded like a sneeze....

Installation

I downloaded the Q4OS 5.5 TDE r2 ISO file from the official website via HTTP, as there was no BitTorrent download. The ISO file was 1.1 GB in size, which is fairly small for a desktop distribution these days.

Once the file was downloaded, I carried out an MD5 sum check on it from the command line to make sure it was good, since MD5 was the only check sum provided. These days MD5 sums are not as secure as SHA256 sums are, but they are better than nothing, at least.

I put the ISO file onto a USB stick, equipped with Ventoy 1.0.98 and booted it up from there. Q4OS is officially supported by Ventoy and it ran perfectly.

System requirements

None that I could find.

Features

Being based on Debian, Q4OS has a nice, reliable, stable base. The Trinty desktop is simple, but it is not easy to use. While it has a basic menu-driven system for finding and launching applications, the menu requires you to click though many deep layers to find an application. Using the search feature is much quicker, as long as you know what you are looking for. If not then good luck. In my testing most applications were five clicks deep in the menu and that was if you knew where to look. While looking though the menu for some applications it sometimes took me ten or more clicks to locate them. There are many Linux desktops with menu systems that work better than TDE, including KDE Plasma 5 and Cinnamon. Even LXQt's menu is better than this one is. The Trinity menu was just slow and very frustrating to use.

Settings

Q4OS TDE comes with a wide range of customization options including 33 window and panel colour themes, with the default colour scheme unsurprisingly called "TDE Default". I tried out a few of the options, including dark blue and Atlas green and there are some nice choices there, including some that will look familiar to migrating Windows users.

The default wallpaper is a pretty inoffensive blue one called "Lineart Logo", but there are a total of 30 to choose from, or you can use your own.

Overall the look and feel settings are good and will make Windows escapees feel at home.

Applications

The applications included with Q4OS 5.5 TDE are:

The list of included applications is intentionally short and that is not a bad thing. It helps keep the ISO download small and also means while you will probably need to add applications, you probably won't have to remove many.

There are applications that will be needed by most desktop users. The included "software centre" only has 57 applications which it offers for quick download, although these are much of what you will want, including LibreOffice, audio and video players and a choice of browsers: Chrome, Chromium and Firefox. Yes, Chrome is proprietary software (I can hear the teeth grinding). Synaptic is also offered for package management and it is needed to leverage the rest of the Debian repositories. Synaptic is also needed to install that one thing we reviewers need, a screenshot tool. I opted for Screengrab 2.5.0 to get the job done.

The applications that are included are a weak spot though. First is Konqueror as both a web browser and file manager, with interfaces for each. You are warned that it is "basic", but it is not really very functional in either role. In its web browser guise it does not interpret CSS, which means that every website I tested it on did not look or work right, usually messing up navigation. In its file browser iteration Konqueror is really hard to use, with no bookmarks to start from and so you always have to open it at home and navigate fresh each time: very slow and cumbersome. If you open a new tab it opens as "blank" and with no bookmarks you cannot navigate to a different page and have to start over opening it from the desktop instead.

An alternate file manager is included, Krusader 1.90.0, which is a dual-column monstrosity that looks like it came from Windows 1.0. It is no more functional than Konqueror is.

The good news here is that once you have Synaptic installed you can replace all these failed efforts with some functional applications, like the KDE Dolphin file manager and perhaps the Firefox web browser.

Conclusions

Out-of-the-box Q4OS 5.5 TDE is probably the worst Linux distribution I have ever reviewed. It is basically nonfunctional on arrival. This is definitely not an inspiring introduction to Linux for migrating Windows users. For that you want something slick, that works from the first click.

Now, that said, it is possible to fix Q4OS up with a proper web browser, file browser, screenshot tool, package manager and other applications, but you are still stuck with the cumbersome KDE 3.5 menu system. You may be able to find a better freestanding menu to install, like Whisker, but wouldn't it be just easier to use the KDE Plasma 5 version of Q4OS, or, for that matter, if you want a solid Qt-based, KDE distribution just install Kubuntu 24.04 LTS instead?

My bottom line advice on Q4OS 5.5 TDE is: save yourself the aggravation and pick another Linux distribution.

Ubuntu MATE 24.04 LTS verses Linux Mint 21.3 MATE Edition

By Adam Hunt

Linux Mint 21.3 MATE Edition and Ubuntu MATE 24.04 LTS really do have a whole bunch in common. Both are based on Ubuntu, both use the same MATE 1.26 desktop and both are available as current releases today for installation. They are much more alike than they are different, so how do you pick one to install? Let's have a detailed look! There are many areas where they are the same, but this is going to be a list of where they are different:

Releases & support periods

There are some differences in this area. Linux Mint comes out every two years as an LTS version, with point releases in between that are basically there to help new people installing. The point releases incorporate cumulative changes and thus reduce the number of updates required after installation. Support for each major Mint version is for five years.

On the other hand Ubuntu MATE conforms to Ubuntu's release schedule and so there are new versions out every six months. Like Mint, Ubuntu MATE is available as an LTS release every two years, but it also has three "interim" releases in between. These LTS versions are supported for three years, while the interim versions have nine months of support.

This does mean that if you want the MATE desktop, but have new hardware that the most recent version of Linux Mint MATE does not yet support, that the newest interim release of Ubuntu MATE may have you covered, due to its newer Linux kernel version. Mint does have an "Edge" version with a newer kernel, but with the Cinnamon desktop, not MATE.

These support periods sound different, but in practice probably don't make much difference to most users. Ubuntu users generally seem to stick to the LTS versions, unless they need newer hardware support. With five years support versus three, that seems to give an edge to Linux Mint, but most users tend to upgrade to the latest LTS and, with one button upgrades available, that is easy to do. While these release schedules and their support periods differ, in practice they are probably equivalent, as anyone using either distribution can be running the current LTS version.

Default applications

Both Linux Mint and Ubuntu MATE have well thought out lists of their included applications that will probably keep most desktop users happy. In both cases there is not much duplication of applications, either. Overall there is not much to choose here, so this is a tie.

Customization

Both Linux Mint and Ubuntu MATE have a large number of customization choices. Mint has more, though. Here is a comparison:

Customization

Item

Linux Mint

Ubuntu MATE

Window & icon themes

65

23

Wallpapers

101

28

Linux Mint definitely gives more user choices here than Ubuntu MATE does, but I should add that a large number of wallpapers is not necessarily a big deal, as wallpapers are easy to find on the internet. Both Ubuntu MATE and Mint also have additional themes that can be installed from the MATE Look website, so if your favourite theme is missing from the default it can probably be quickly found.

Snaps vs Flatpak

Ubuntu MATE inherits Ubuntu's use of Snap packages and even comes with a few installed, like Firefox and the Ubuntu App Center. Mint does not use Snaps, but it does have Flatpak enabled, although none installed.

Snap and Flatpak are both competing Linux application packaging formats and these days they are both fairly comparable for their ease of use and the range of applications available. It is worth noting that Flatpak can be also installed on Ubuntu MATE and Snaps on Linux Mint, so I think this issue is another tie game.

Panels

Mint MATE comes out-of-box with a single, bottom panel, while Ubuntu MATE by default has the standard MATE desktop two panel setup. The single panel configuration certainly saves space on your screen, while looking a bit more modern, too.

In doing some work with Ubuntu MATE's panels I found that they are quite easy to configure. For instance you can add the top panel icons to the bottom one, including the menu button and then just delete the top panel entirely. If you don't like the result, it is easy to reset them all back to the default two panel configuration with just one click on the remaining panel.

The only advantage Mint has here is that is is pre-configured for a single panel. Giving Ubuntu MATE the same single panel setup takes a bit of work.

Menus

Mint's MATE menu menu is, unsurprisingly called the mintMenu and it is different from Ubuntu MATE's Brisk menu. Brisk is a simpler menu, but both are easy to understand and use, both include searching for applications and I think neither one has any real advantage here. It should also be mentioned that alternative optional menus can be quickly installed on either panel, including the classic GNOME 2 triple menu system.

Download size

Linux Mint 21.3 has a download size of 3.1 GB, while Ubuntu MATE 24.04 LTS is 4.2 GB. That is a bit of a size disparity, but Linux Mint 21.3 is based on Ubuntu 22.04 LTS and the Ubuntu base has grown in the two years between those releases. I suspect that Linux Mint 22, which will be based on Ubuntu 24.04 LTS, will be bigger, so this too is probably not any real advantage for either distribution. As long as you have a reasonable internet connection speed and the disk space, then the download size is probably pretty much immaterial anyway.

Conclusions

Both Linux Mint and Ubuntu MATE are ready for use out of the box, but Mint is already set up for a single panel which saves screen space. With a bit of work Ubuntu MATE can be configured the same as Mint, however. With the same Ubuntu base and the same desktops, that means that there is really not much to choose between these two Linux distributions. Take your pick, as both provide very similar nice, simple MATE desktop experiences on top of an Ubuntu base.

External links

Linux Mint 21.3 MATE Edition

By Adam Hunt

This is my second look at a version of Linux Mint 21.3 "Virginia", after my recent review of the Cinnamon Edition. This time around it is the MATE edition, so the underlying base is the same, we just have a new desktop to consider. My next review is a comparison of Linux Mint 21.3 MATE to Ubuntu MATE 24.04 LTS, which I also recently looked at.

As I noted in the Cinnamon review, Linux Mint has been around since 2006, 18 years ago. Today it has a loyal fan base due to its focus on the desktop experience and its wide selection of user customization options.

Linux Mint originally started out with the GNOME 2 desktop and MATE is really the the modern version of GNOME 2. There are also Cinnamon and Xfce Mint editions, plus a Debian-based version and an "Edge" Cinnamon version which has a newer Linux kernel, to support the newest latest hardware.

Even though it is based on Ubuntu, which comes out every six months, Linux Mint only puts out one long term support release every two years, based on the last Ubuntu LTS version. Each major Mint release has five years of support, just like Ubuntu does. In between the two-year Mint versions there are point releases so that new users can download an updated version. Existing users will get these as updates automatically. These point releases each get new code names, but they do not extend the support period.

Linux Mint 21.3, code named "Virginia", came out on . It is an updated point release to the original 21.0 "Vanessa" from . There have been two other point releases: 21.1 "Vera" and 21.2 "Victoria", with all of them based on Ubuntu 22.04 LTS.

Installation

I downloaded the Linux Mint 21.3 MATE Edition ISO file from the official website via BitTorrent. The ISO file was 3.1 GB in size, the same as the Cinnamon version was. Once the file was downloaded, I carried out an SHA256 sum check on it from the command line to make sure it was good.

I dropped the ISO file onto a USB stick, equipped with Ventoy 1.0.98 and booted it up from there. Linux Mint is officially supported by Ventoy and it ran perfectly.

System requirements

The officially listed Linux Mint system requirements for all editions are:

Features

Linux Mint 21.3 MATE edition has some interesting features. These include that the desktop has only one panel, at the bottom, whereas stock MATE installations usually have two panels, top and bottom. On Mint the functions of both panels have been combined, which saves screen space.

The menu is called mintMenu and it is different from Ubuntu MATE's Brisk menu. The Mint MATE menu has a "favourites" display and an "all applications" display. It is also sectioned by "places", "system" and "applications", very much reminiscent of GNOME 2's separate menus.

New

This Linux Mint 21.3 point release only has a few updates, the same as for the Cinnamon edition. These are full support for SecureBoot and with a wider compatibility with more BIOS and EFI set-ups, with Grub used in EFI mode and Isolinux/syslinux used in BIOS mode. The Mint tools and the framework employed to produce ISO images has been updated and are now based on the latest version of live-build. Also the differences between the Debian version and the other ISO images have been reduced for compatibility.

This release uses MATE desktop version 1.26.0.

Settings

Linux Mint 21.3 MATE Edition includes a lot of user customization options. The MATE desktop really only has two areas for user changes, themes and wallpapers. The themes control window colours, icon sets and highlight colours. Mint offers users 65 themes and 101 wallpapers to choose from, both of which may be Linux records.

The default wallpaper is the same one used right across the Mint editions. With 101 wallpapers to choose from, including many Mint-branded ones, there is probably something that will appeal to everyone here, although you can always use your own, too, of course.

Like other implementations of the MATE desktop, Mint has no desktop scaling, zoom or specific "large text" feature, which can potentially be a problem for users with small screen, high resolution laptops, like the common laptop combination of 14 inch screens with 1920 X 1080 pixel resolution. MATE does have the ability to easily adjust system fonts at Control Center → Appearance → Fonts. I did try this out and it actually solves the problem reasonably well, at least as well as GNOME's "large text" accessibility option does. You need to increase all the font default sizes from 10 point to 14 or 16 and then also set the default zoom in Firefox to 133%, LibreOffice Writer to 160%, plus bump up the font in the xed text editor to 16 pt or so and it all works fine. This is probably a better solution than dropping the selected screen resolution below the default one.

Applications

Some of the applications included with Linux Mint 21.3 MATE Edition are:

Linux Mint 21.3 MATE Edition comes with a good assortment of applications installed, many of which are the same as the Cinnamon Edition comes with, the only differences being the MATE-specific applications, like the Caja file manager. As with the Linux Mint Cinnamon Edition, the MATE Edition comes with most of what a desktop user needs, without much duplication. As in the case of Mint Cinnamon Edition, some of the included applications are "genericized" versions of GNOME applications, with some "debranded" and others forks. One example is the xed text editor, which is a fork of MATE's Pluma, which is, in turn, a fork of GNOME's gedit text editor.

All the default applications provided are .deb files, including the customized version of the Firefox web browser, although Flatpak is enabled as well. Package management can be done using the MintInstall software store or the more technical Synaptic APT package manager graphical user interface.

Linux Mint comes with the complete LibreOffice 7.3.7.2 office suite, including LibreOffice Base, the database application.

There is no launcher or dock provided in the MATE Edition, such as Plank, although it can always be added.

Conclusions

Linux Mint 21.3 MATE Edition is a very polished desktop Linux distribution, that comes with a wide range of desktop applications. In many ways it is a worthy successor to the old GNOME 2 desktop that was the most popular desktop of its day, 2002–2011. It will have great appeal to the user who wants a simple, easy to use distribution without a lot of flashy effects. The only drawback is its lack of desktop scaling or zoom that takes more setup to get working effectively on small screen, high resolution laptops.

My next article is a comparison of Ubuntu MATE 24.04 LTS with Linux Mint 21.3 MATE Edition.

External links

Ubuntu MATE 24.04 LTS

By Adam Hunt

, updated

Out on , Ubuntu MATE 24.04 LTS is the 21st release of this Ubuntu derivative with a desktop that was originally a fork of GNOME 2. As an LTS version it is supported for three years, until .

Installation

I got the 4.2 GB ISO file from the official website via BitTorrent. It turned out to be 15% bigger than the 3.6 GB download size for the last release, Ubuntu MATE 23.10. Once I had the file downloaded, I carried out an SHA256 sum check on it from the command line to make sure it was a good download.

I dropped the Ubuntu MATE 24.04 LTS ISO file onto a USB stick, equipped with Ventoy 1.0.98 and booted it up from there. Ubuntu MATE is listed as officially supported by Ventoy and it worked fine.

System requirements

The listed the minimum hardware has not changed and is still:

The recommended hardware is:

As well Raspberry Pi B models are supported, including Raspberry Pi 2, 3, 3+ and 4 (all memory sizes).

New

The improvements incorporated in this LTS version are minimal over the last release. It uses MATE Desktop 1.26.2, the new Flutter-based installer used in Ubuntu 24.04 LTS, GNOME Firmware and the Ubuntu App Center package management system, which replaces the Software Boutique. Also gone is the Ubuntu MATE Welcome.

The initialization system is systemd 255.4.

Settings

Ubuntu MATE retains its default green-coloured theme, including the default wallpaper for 24.04 LTS, which has not changed. It does have 23 window themes and 28 wallpapers provided, including four numbat wallpapers, as this release is Noble Numbat. It is not hard to change the themes or wallpaper using the MATE Control Center, which conveniently gathers all the settings into one central location.

The default menu used on Ubuntu MATE is the simplified Brisk menu and it is different from Mint MATE's mintMenu. The panel options do include several other menus though, including the classic GNOME 2 triple menu, although it does lack a search feature that all modern menus have.

As in the past, if you want a launcher, the Plank desktop dock is already installed and can easily be turned on by opening the Plank preferences. It is easy to turn off, too, just right click "quit" on it. As docks go it is fairly unobtrusive, as it hides when a window touches it.

Ubuntu MATE comes with the default MATE desktop's two panels, one at the top and one at the bottom of the screen. This does look a bit "2002 GNOME 2" and wastes screen space. In testing it though, I found it is quite easy to configure, adding the top panel icons to the bottom one, including the menu button and then deleting the top panel entirely. If you don't like the result it is just as easy to reset them all back to the default two panel configuration with just one click, as well.

It is worth noting the the MATE desktop does not include a "large text" feature, desktop zoom or scaling control, which has been identified as a problem if you have a laptop with small, but high resolution screen. MATE does however have the ability to adjust system fonts at Control Center → Appearance → Fonts. I tried this and it actually solves the problem reasonably well. You need to increase all the font sizes from the 11 point defaults to 14 or 16 and then also set the default zoom in Firefox to 133%, LibreOffice Writer to 160%, plus increase the font for the Pluma text editor to 16 pt or so and it all looks fine. Overall this is probably a better solution than adjusting the screen resolution below the default one.

Applications

Some of the applications included with Ubuntu MATE 24.04 LTS are:

* indicates same application version as used in Ubuntu MATE 23.10
** supplied as a snap, so version depends on the upstream package manager

As can be seen, many of the application versions have been updated.

The file browser is the MATE desktop's own Caja file manager, in place of the standard GNOME file manager, Nautilus. Caja is an earlier fork of Nautilus, with some of Nautilus' deleted features reinstated, like the "up one level" button. It also includes useful features, like bulk file renaming.

Ubuntu MATE 24.04 LTS has the LibreOffice 24.2.2 office suite, complete except for LibreOffice Base, the database program. It is probably the least-used part of LibreOffice, but it can be installed if needed.

The default applications provided are quite a complete list, with pretty much everything that most desktop users will need to get started. Additional applications can be added with the Ubuntu App Center, which, as noted, replaces Software Boutique in the release.

Conclusions

Ubuntu MATE 24.04 LTS is a very stable and polished operating system for users looking for a simple Linux distribution with a classic menu system, like the old GNOME 2 desktop. For people with small screen, high resolution laptops it will take some extra setup time to adjust the fonts so that the desktop looks more legible.

Also have a look at my a comparison of Ubuntu MATE 24.04 LTS with Linux Mint 21.3 MATE Edition.

External links

Ubuntu Budgie 24.04 LTS

By Adam Hunt

, updated

The new LTS version of Ubuntu Budgie, numbered 24.04 LTS, came out on to complete this ambitious release cycle. This marks the distribution's 17th release and is supported for three years, until .

Installation

I downloaded the ISO file for Ubuntu Budgie 24.04 LTS from the official website via BitTorrent and did a command line SHA256 sum check on it to make sure it was a good download, which it was. The ISO file was 4.1 GB, which is 200 MB bigger than Ubuntu Budgie 23.10 was.

I put the Ubuntu Budgie 24.04 LTS ISO file onto a USB stick, equipped with Ventoy 1.0.98 and booted it up. Ubuntu Budgie is officially supported by Ventoy and it worked fine.

System requirements

The recommended minimum system requirements for Ubuntu Budgie 24.04 LTS have changed since the last release and are now:

New

Being an LTS, this release does not include a lot that is new over Ubuntu Budgie 23.10, but it does end a development cycle that has brought many overall changes and introduced the updated Budgie Desktop, bumped to 10.9 from 10.8.

Since the last LTS, Ubuntu Budgie 22.04 LTS, the changes have included improvements to several desktop applets, the window shuffler, the default user indicator, a new status notifier applet, updated hot corners, a new Budgie control centre, an updated Budgie Desktop with many interface improvements, the introduction of the Magpie window manager (forked from Mutter), redesigned Bluetooth and trash applets, privilege escalation dialog improvements, better performance and power modes in the battery status applet, a new Budgie welcome, updated and additional themes, changing the audio controller from Pulseaudio over to Pipewire, changes to the default applications provided, a new Flutter-based installer and lots more smaller details.

In general the changes to the default applications mix has been to move away from GNOME applications to avoid the GNOME use of libadwaita and the associated adwaita theme. As a result, over this development cycle, most of the previously included GNOME applications have either been dropped entirely or replaced with others, often from the MATE desktop.

This release's default wallpaper is once again a modified version of the standard Budgie spacey-looking wallpaper ("ubuntu_budgie_wallpaper1") that has been in use since Ubuntu Budgie 19.04. For recent releases the designers have been adding a code name motif and for Noble Numbat, the Ubuntu numbat crown has been added to the space wallpaper. This release has 28 wallpapers, (down from 35 in the last release) and there is a second one with a numbat theme included, even if it is a bit garish.

The initialization system is systemd 255.4.

Settings

This release adds just a few minor theme updates and changes over 23.10.

As always, Budgie Desktop Settings is where you find the window themes, oddly under Style → Widgets. There are 14 window themes provided, with the default one still Pocillo-dark. There are also some nice light themes provided, including Pocillo-light. There are also styling preferences (light or dark); ten icon styles, with Pocillo as the default; three cursor styles and four notification screen positions to choose from, one in each corner, with top right as default.

Budgie Makeovers & Layouts is where you find complete one button wallpaper, window theme and icon packages, now with ten to choose from, one more than last release. Only three of these are installed, though; the remaining ones have to be downloaded first for use. I guess this is to keep the ISO file download smaller. There are also eight desktop layouts, each of which includes launchers and menus that mimic most desktop set-ups. The choices are Ubuntu Budgie, Classic Ubuntu Budgie, Redmond, Eleven, Chrome, Traditional Budgie, The One and Cupertino. I tried out the Chrome layout, which, yes, looks like Google Chrome's interface. Redmond is a classic windows-style and Eleven looks like that Windows version.

Budgie Extras is where the desktop applets are hidden. This time there are 38 applets included, three more than in the last release. These add things like clocks, calendars, weather and other functionality to the desktop. Confusingly, in Kubuntu these would be called "widgets".

The Budgie Control Center is a modified GNOME Settings. Here you can configure such features as WiFi, wallpaper, sound and power settings.

As has been the case for a while in Ubuntu Budgie, the settings are widely scattered in many places and are quite confusing. This is still the one area where Ubuntu Budgie could really use some serious work. Putting the settings all in one place would make life a lot easier for users, especially for new users trying to figure out where everything is.

As in past releases, there is a small Mac-like dock at the bottom of the screen, called Plank, which works okay, if you like docks. It will hide if a window touches it. Settings for it can be accessed by right clicking on the dock itself. One of the settings is "quit" which closes it, but then closing it also means you have no list of open applications or access to minimized applications, other than using alt-tab. It can be turned on again, just by opening Plank Preferences.

The main menu can be set to either show application tiles in alphanumerical order or as icons by category.

Applications

Some of the applications included with Ubuntu Budgie 24.04 LTS are:

* indicates same application version as used in Ubuntu Budgie 23.10
** supplied as a snap, so version depends on the upstream package manager

Once again in this release there are no changes to the suite of default applications provided, just some updated versions, so it looks like the applications switchover plan has been completed. At one time Ubuntu Budgie was basically a new menu-driven interface for GNOME, but as can be seen that is no longer the case and the applications are now a real mix from the GNOME 46, MATE and Cinnamon desktops, plus independent projects such as Guvcview and Mozilla's Thunderbird and Firefox.

Ubuntu Budgie 24.04 LTS continues to use the Cinnamon desktop's Nemo file manager. Nemo looks good and works well, but in Budgie's implementation it has no integral bulk file renaming. Adding a stand-alone bulk file renamer, like GPRename is a good way to address that.

Ubuntu Budgie 24.04 LTS includes the LibreOffice 24.2.2 office suite, complete except for LibreOffice Base, the database program. It is probably the least-used part of LibreOffice, but it can be installed if needed.

Conclusions

Ubuntu Budgie 24.04 LTS will appeal to users looking for a distribution with a classic-style menu system and optional dock, along with three years of support. Its only drawback remains its very scattered user settings.

External links

Ubuntu Lomiri 24.04

By Adam Hunt

The Ubuntu Unity 24.04 LTS release announcement mentioned that a test version of Lomiri is now available as Ubuntu Lomiri 24.04, so I thought I would download it and give it a try.

Just to fill in some background, Lomiri was once known as Unity 8. This was originally Canonical's holy grail of desktops, the famous "convergence desktop" that would scale equally well on a smart phone, tablet, laptop or desktop. In fact part of the concept was that you would be able to plug your phone into a screen and keyboard and it would become a desktop computer. It was a grand vision, but it was not to be. A number of factors, including the failure of the Ubuntu Edge phone to gain sufficient public GoFundMe backing, the need to cut losses at Canonical to take the company public and the technical challenges as well. Canonical ended development of Unity on and two days later, on , UBports founder Marius Gripsgård announced that that organization would carry on work on Unity 8, intending it for use as a phone OS, along side Ubuntu Touch. On , Unity 8 was renamed Lomiri.

More recently the Ubuntu Unity desktop distribution has run into the issue that Unity 7, which it uses, is tied to the X11 display server due to some complex dependency issues, especially Nux, as is its successor, Unity X. In an attempt to move Ubuntu Unity towards the goal of using the Wayland display server in place of X11, Rudra Saraswat and the Ubuntu Unity developer team have been working with UBports' Lomiri to create a version of Ubuntu Unity that uses Lomiri and Wayland. In particular the UBports team worked to get all the Lomiri packages into the Debian repositories and then they flowed down to the Ubuntu repositories as well.

I should point out even though "Ubuntu Lomiri 24.04" sounds like the release of a new flavour of Ubuntu, this is just a test release and there is no intention to make this a regular distribution. The aim is simply to get Ubuntu Unity working with Wayland. Saraswat says about Ubuntu Unity, "while Unity7 isn’t going away anytime soon, Lomiri would act as a suitable replacement if there ever arose a need."

Saraswat notes that this version of Ubuntu Lomiri is mostly usable, writing, "unlike the half-broken testing Lomiri ISOs I have built in the past, this one’s quite stable and can be installed on real hardware, while also including the Ubuntu Touch LightDM greeter and for that matter, several apps you’d only expect to find on Ubuntu Touch. Do bear in mind, however, that you may encounter occasional crashes here and there." He is right there, too.

Installation

I downloaded the Ubuntu Lomiri 24.04 ISO file from the official webpage using HTTPS, as there is no BitTorrent download. There is also no SHA256 or even MD5 sum to run a check on it with to see if it was downloaded okay.

The Ubuntu Lomiri 24.04 ISO file was a 5.9 GB download, which is fairly big for what you get. The download ran very slowly.

I tested it in a live session, from a USB stick equipped with Ventoy 1.0.98. Even though it is not listed as supported by Ventoy, it booted up just fine.

System requirements

None published.

Features

This test version of Ubuntu Lomiri 24.04 is pretty bare bones, with not a lot of features. There is no graphical package manager, but APT works from the command line. Furthermore snapd is installed, which allows installing and running Snap applications, again from the command line.

In fact I had to install and run one Snap. The screenshot utility works fine and I collected up some nice screenshots, but had a hard time getting them off the live session. The distribution will not mount any external drives, including USB drives, so that was not an option. Next I tried uploading them to a cloud service, but the Morph web browser supplied did not communicate with the file browser, meaning I could sign-in, but not navigate to upload. Next I tried installing the Snap version of FileZilla and uploaded them to the web and then downloaded them to my laptop and that worked. Overall this was more of a bug than a feature.

On the plus side, I was able to confirm that it does run on Wayland in place of X11!

Settings

Settings are also pretty minimal. Like a phone OS, it has a light and dark mode and 20 wallpapers and that is about it. Even the desktop is pretty minimalist.

Applications

Some of the applications included with Ubuntu Lomiri 24.04 are:

Again this application list is pretty bare bones, as it lacks a text editor and a package manager, among other things. The Zutty terminal emulator crashed any time it was opened, but the other terminal worked fine, fortunately.

LibreOffice 24.2.2 is supplied complete, including LibreOffice Base, the database application, which is a rarity in Ubuntu derivatives.

Conclusions

Given that this is a test release I will just say it boots up, runs and has some promise for the future. It will be interesting to see if there are more releases and, if not, how and when Ubuntu Unity makes the transition to Wayland.

External links

Ubuntu Unity 24.04 LTS

By Adam Hunt

Released on , Ubuntu Unity 24.04 LTS is this distribution's ninth overall release and its third LTS version. As an LTS release, 24.04 LTS is supported for three years, until .

Ubuntu Unity 24.04 LTS actually brings very little that is new, which is actually what you want to see in an LTS release. At least in theory, the changes should have made in the three interim releases that made up the development cycle, so that the LTS is already perfected when it comes out, with nothing experimental added.

Installation

I downloaded the Ubuntu Unity 24.04 LTS ISO file from the official source using Transmission, via BitTorrent. Once I had the file, I ran a command line SHA256 sum check on the file and verified it was good.

I tested it from a live session, from a USB stick equipped with Ventoy 1.0.98. Even though it is still not officially listed as supported by Ventoy, it booted up just fine.

The Ubuntu Unity 24.04 LTS ISO file was a 3.5 GB download, the same as the last release, Ubuntu Unity 23.10.

System requirements

Ubuntu Unity does not specify any system requirements, but it is probably safe to assume that it is the same as Ubuntu 24.04 LTS, a minimum of:

New

According to the release announcement the development team has been working on a few projects. The first is to get Lomiri (formerly known as Unity 8) working on Ubuntu Unity, since it can facilitate the transition to Wayland and is not stuck on X.org as a display server, unlike Unity 7 and the under-development Unity X. Lomiri is not included in this release, but there is a test ISO available as Ubuntu Lomiri 24.04.

Otherwise Ubuntu Unity 24.04 LTS has moved to using the Calamares installer, the same as Lubuntu and Kubuntu 24.04 LTS use. It is a good installer and works well. The Unity 7.7 desktop has had some minor fixes incorporated, as well.

That is it for announced changes, but there are some unannounced changes in the application line-up.

Settings

As in the past, this release has the settings again spread out between the regular settings menu, the panel brush icon and the included Unity Tweak Tool. Once you find them though, the settings all work. The Unity Tweak Tool offers four window themes: Ambiance, Radiance, Yaru and Yaru-dark, plus 37 icon themes and seven cursor styles. The regular settings menu has only two window themes, Yaru and Yaru-dark. The settings menu has 20 accent colours to chose from and brush icon has ten, instead of twenty in the last release. I am not sure this really matters, though, as most users will probably just find one they like and use that.

This release is code named "Noble Numbat", so there is a new default numbat crown wallpaper. Also provided are 14 other wallpapers, six of which have numbats on them.

The initialization system is systemd 255.4.

Ubuntu Unity continues to offer a high degree of user customization, setting it apart from mainstream Ubuntu, which has very limited choices in comparison.

Applications

Some of the applications included with Ubuntu Unity 24.04 LTS are:

* indicates same application version as used in Ubuntu Unity 23.10
** supplied as a snap, so version depends on the upstream package manager

Not mentioned in the release announcement is the fact that the Gnome System Monitor and the Thunderbird email client have been removed for unexplained reasons. Lubuntu removed its email client a while back as well, so this is not that unusual. These days most people probably use webmail anyway.

The file manager remains Nemo, taken from the Cinnamon desktop environment. Nemo works very well and has a lot of settings, but still lacks bulk file renaming. Adding a stand-alone bulk file renamer, like GPRename is a good idea.

LibreOffice 24.2.2 is still supplied complete, lacking only the LibreOffice Base database application, which can be installed from the Ubuntu repositories, if it is needed.

Conclusions

Ubuntu Unity 24.04 LTS is a well-polished release with a lot of user customization options. It works well and comes with a reasonable suite of default applications. This long term support version is very similar to Ubuntu Unity 23.10, with only a couple of small differences. It should keep Unity fans happy for the next couple of years of desktop use.

External links

Kubuntu 24.04 LTS

By Adam Hunt

, updated

Kubuntu 24.04 LTS was released on and comes with three years of support, until . This is Kubuntu's 39th release and the 18th with the Qt-based Plasma 5 desktop.

This LTS release completes a development cycle that has brought very few changes and I contend that is a good thing. Kubuntu has a dedicated user base and most fans think it works really well and there is not much need for change.

Installation

I downloaded the ISO file via BitTorrent from the official source and ran an SHA256 sum check from the command line, to confirm that the file was not corrupted.

After shrinking in size between the previous two releases, this ISO file is now 4.1 GB, up slightly from the last release, Kubuntu 23.10 which was 3.9 GB.

I cut and pasted the ISO file onto a USB stick equipped with Ventoy 1.0.97 and it booted up fine. That was not a surprise, as it is officially supported by Ventoy.

Unlike the last release, where the screen would lock after 15 minutes of inactivity and demand a password that no one seemed to know, Kubuntu 24.04 LTS has fixed that issue and has more user-friendly, no password live sessions once again. It also does not lock out drives from the live session, which is useful, unlike Ubuntu Cinnamon 24.04 LTS and Xubuntu 24.04 LTS.

System requirements

The recommended minimum system requirements for Kubuntu 24.04 LTS are the same as for Ubuntu and have not changed for this release:

Once again, that recommended 4 GB of RAM is probably less than ideal for web browsing and 8 GB is probably more realistic.

New

The last release did not get a new default wallpaper, which was odd for Kubuntu, as most releases rate a new one. This release returns to that tradition and has a new default wallpaper, Kubuntu Light by Fabio Maricato and Micheal Mikowski. There are 44 wallpapers provided, many of them from past Kubuntu releases. Given that the code name for the 24.04 LTS Ubuntu family of releases is "Noble Numbat", it is worth noting that there are no numbat-themed wallpapers.

Kubuntu 24.04 LTS uses the Qt 5.15.13 toolkit, KDE Frameworks 5.115.0, has applications from KDE Gear 23.08.5 and the KDE Plasma 5.27.11 desktop. Like all the Ubuntu 24.04 LTS family of releases, Kubuntu 24.04 LTS comes with Linux kernel 6.8 and systemd 255.4 as its initialization system. This release also switches to using the Calamares installer which Lubuntu uses, instead of moving to Ubuntu's new Flutter-based installer.

It was previously noted that the Plasma 5.27 series would probably be the end of the line for the Plasma 5 desktop, as Plasma 6 was scheduled for release in , so it was not clear then whether Plasma 6 would make into into this LTS or not. The conservative decision was of course to use Plasma 5.27.11 in this LTS release rather than take a chance on a new desktop and so it looks like Plasma 6 on Kubuntu will have to wait for the release of Kubuntu 24.10 or later.

Kubuntu still has Wayland on test and so this release continues to use the venerable X.org display server instead. The release notes do say, "a Plasma Wayland session is available for testing by installing the plasma-workspace-wayland package, but is not supported. A Wayland session can then be started by selecting it at the login screen."

Settings

Kubuntu remains highly customizable, giving users a wide choice of how they want it to look. Kubuntu 24.04 LTS has even more choices than earlier releases, with five global themes, four application styles, six Plasma styles, six window colours, three window decoration styles, eight icon sets, 14 cursor styles, two splash screens and ten boot splash screens. And those are just the installed options, as most of the settings pages have one-button downloads for many more. Kubuntu retains its reputation of providing an embarrassment of riches in terms of user choices, which is just one reason for its popularity.

One suggestion I do have for Kubuntu users is that if you find a combination of themes and colours that you like you had better write it down for any future installation, as otherwise you will never duplicate it!

Kubuntu 24.04 LTS has 68 pre-installed desktop widgets, the same number as in the last few releases. These are small applications that can be added to the desktop to improve functionality, like clocks and weather reports. Hundreds more of them can be downloaded, too, with the main limit being the the user's tolerance for desktop clutter.

Applications

Some of the applications included with Kubuntu 24.04 LTS are:

* indicates same application version as used in Kubuntu 23.10
** supplied as a Snap, so version depends on the upstream package manager

As usual the lack of asterisks shows that almost all of the applications included are updated versions from KDE Gear 23.08.5.

Not mentioned in the release notes are a few changes to the list of default applications. Removed are the Muon package manager and the Ktorrent BitTorrent client. The removal of Muon leaves the Discover software store to handle package management, but the removal of Ktorrent leaves no default BitTorrent client installed, although there are several available for installation in the repositories, including Ktorrent itself. Also unannounced was the addition of the NeoChat Matrix chat client and the addition of SkanPage, a multi-page scanning utility. The latter is really to make up for shortcomings in the provided Skanlite scanning utility, though. The GTK toolkit-based Document Scanner (Simple Scan) optical scanner actually works better, though.

As in past releases, Kubuntu 24.04 LTS does not include a webcam application, an image editor or video editor by default, although there are many options in the repositories, if needed.

LibreOffice 24.2.2 is once again supplied complete, lacking only LibreOffice Base, the office suite's database application. Base is probably the least used component of the suite, but it can be added from the repositories, if required.

Conclusions

Kubuntu 24.04 LTS is another very solid and polished release of this popular Linux distribution. I think the lack of any major changes will keep most Kubuntu fans happy during its three year support period.

External links

Ubuntu Cinnamon 24.04 LTS verses Linux Mint 21.3 Cinnamon Edition

By Adam Hunt

Both Linux Mint 21.3 Cinnamon Edition and Ubuntu Cinnamon 24.04 LTS have a lot in common. Both are user-friendly, desktop-oriented Linux distributions, both are based on Ubuntu, use the same Cinnamon 6.0 desktop developed by Linux Mint and both have current releases, so either can be installed today. They are far more alike than they are different.

So which one to choose? Let's have a look! There are a lot of areas where they are the same, but here is a list of the areas where they are different:

Releases & support periods

There are some differences here. Linux Mint comes out every two years as an LTS version, with point releases in between. Support for each major version is five years. If you need the latest hardware support for a new computer than you can install the "Edge" version instead.

Ubuntu Cinnamon comes out every six months, so a new kernel is always available. Like Mint, Ubuntu Cinnamon has LTS releases every two years, with three "interim" releases in between. The LTS versions are supported for three years, while the interim versions have nine months support. These sound like significant differences, but in practice they are probably not.

Most Ubuntu users stick to the LTS versions anyway, unless they need newer hardware support. With five years support versus three, that seems to give an edge to Mint, but most users probably run the latest LTS anyway and with one button upgrades available that is easy to do. While these releases and their support periods seem different, in practice they are probably a wash. On either distribution any user can be running the current LTS version without much effort.

Default applications

Linux Mint has a carefully curated list of default applications, with almost no overlap or duplication. While the Mint application list is fairly long, it does provide a complete desktop out of the box. Ubuntu Cinnamon's list of default applications is much longer, but not better. It has a lot of odd duplication, although in 24.04 LTS at least a few duplicate applications have been removed. Every Ubuntu Cinnamon user will have to do some application cleanup or else live with the extra clutter. Linux Mint is ahead on applications.

Customization

Both Linux Mint and Ubuntu Cinnamon have a large number of customization choices. Mint has more, though. Here is a comparison:

Customization

Item

Linux Mint

Ubuntu Cinnamon

Simplified window themes

3

3

Wallpapers

95

43

Icon themes

70

33

Cursor themes

14

6

Detailed window themes

67

35

Desktop themes (bottom panel)

65

28

I guess this is only critical if your favourite theme is not there, as wallpapers can be added from anywhere. Ubuntu Cinnamon is more "Ubuntu-themed" for logos, wallpapers and colours, if you consider that a good thing, while Mint has its own particular grey, green and black aesthetic.

Snaps vs Flatpak

Ubuntu Cinnamon inherits Ubuntu's use of Snap packages and even comes with a few installed, like Firefox and Thunderbird. Mint has no Snaps, but has Flatpak enabled, although none installed. Snap and Flatpak are competing Linux application packaging formats and these days they are both fairly comparable for ease of use and the range of applications available. It is worth noting that Flatpak can be also installed on Ubuntu Cinnamon and Snaps on Linux Mint, so I think this issue is a wash.

Nemo bulk file renaming

As implemented on Linux Mint, the Nemo file manager has Bulky file bulk renaming integrated into it and it works, too. In Ubuntu Cinnamon, Nemo comes without that integration, although it can be installed by the user. Also more flexible applications like GPRename can be used, but without file manager integration. I would say Linux Mint has the edge here, at least straight out of the box.

Download size

Linux Mint 21.3 has a download size of 3.1 GB, while Ubuntu Cinnamon 24.04 LTS has a download size of 5.2 GB. That is quite a size disparity, but I do have to note that Linux Mint 21.3 is based on Ubuntu 22.04 LTS and its equivalent, Ubuntu Cinnamon 22.04 LTS was 3.9 GB. I suspect that Linux Mint 22, which will be based on Ubuntu 24.04 LTS, will be bigger, so this too is probably not an advantage for either distribution. As long as you have a reasonable internet connection speed and the disk space download size is probably immaterial anyway.

Live session

The Ubuntu Cinnamon live session has some limitations, particularly that it locks out all drives, including USB drives, making it useless as a rescue disk. Mint live sessions do not have this same issue, as it mounts all drives and allows transferring files to them.

Conclusions

Linux Mint is basically ready for use out of the box, while Ubuntu Cinnamon needs a bit of user configuration to get it ready for work. For that reason Linux Mint is the better distribution today. That said though, with some user time investment, Ubuntu Cinnamon can be as good as Linux Mint.

External links

Linux Mint 21.3 Cinnamon Edition

By Adam Hunt

One distribution I have wanted to review for a while is Linux Mint and so this seemed like a good time to have a look at it and compare the current release, Linux Mint 21.3 Cinnamon Edition to Ubuntu Cinnamon 24.04 LTS which I just installed on all my own machines.

Linux Mint has been a round for a while, this being the 39th release, all of them based on Ubuntu. With the first version out in 2006 this Linux distribution is now 18 years old. It does seem to have a winning formula, with a focus on the desktop experience and user friendliness, which consequently has brought it a loyal fan base.

Linux Mint started out with the GNOME 2 desktop and today is available in three regular editions, each with a different desktop. First and foremost there is the flagship, in-house developed Cinnamon edition, plus there are MATE and Xfce editions. All of these are menu-driven desktops, none of them have launchers. There is also a Debian-based version and an "Edge" Cinnamon version which has a newer Linux kernel, for the latest hardware.

Even though it is based on Ubuntu, Linux Mint only puts out long term support releases using the Ubuntu LTS versions as a base. Each major Mint release has five years of support, just like Ubuntu does. New major releases come out every two years, following the Ubuntu LTS releases. Even though the point releases within a major release have new code names, they do not extend the support period.

Linux Mint 21.3, code named "Virginia", came out on and is an updated point release to the original 21.0 "Vanessa" from . There have been other point releases, too: 21.1 "Vera" and 21.2 "Victoria", each based on Ubuntu 22.04 LTS. Yes, each point release has a girl's name for a code name and within a major release all begin with the same letter of the alphabet. The future Linux Mint 22.0 will be "Wilma". I am not sure what they will do after they hit Z with Linux Mint 25.0, though, so stay tuned.

Installation

I downloaded the Linux Mint 21.3 ISO file from the official website via BitTorrent. The ISO file was 3.1 GB in size. Once I had the file, I carried out an SHA256 sum check on it from the command line to make sure it was not corrupted and it tested fine.

I dropped the ISO file onto a USB stick, equipped with Ventoy 1.0.97 and booted it up from there. Linux Mint is officially supported by Ventoy and it ran without any issues.

System requirements

The officially listed system requirements are:

New

As a point release Linux Mint 21.3 only brings a few new updates, including full support for SecureBoot and with a wider compatibility with more BIOS and EFI set-ups, with Grub used in EFI mode and Isolinux/syslinux used in BIOS mode. Furthermore the Mint tools and the framework employed to produce ISO images were updated and are now based on the latest version of live-build. Also the differences between the Debian version and the other ISO images have been reduced.

This release uses Cinnamon desktop version 6.0 which adds more file manager actions from the Nemo file manager's right click menus. Work on support for a Wayland protocol display server has also commenced, although it is not yet complete. The new desktop version also brings a host of smaller improvements, like 75% scaling, window opacity keybinding and additional mouse gestures.

Settings

Linux Mint has a dizzying array of user customization options available, including three Window themes (mixed, dark and light); 95 wallpapers, arranged in five categories; 70 icon themes; 14 cursor themes; 67 window themes and 55 desktop themes (which control the bottom panel colour). It is hard to think of another distribution that has more choices than Mint.

The default wallpaper is very dark and Mint-themed. With 95 wallpapers to choose from, including 11 Mint-themed ones, there is probably something to appeal to anyone here, although you can always use your own, too.

I suspect the high degree of customization accounts for at least some of Mint's popularity, as distributions with high levels of user options seem to generate more fans.

Applications

Some of the applications included with Linux Mint 21.3 Cinnamon Edition are:

Linux Mint 21.3 Cinnamon Edition comes with a wide assortment of applications installed, including most of what a desktop user probably needs and without a lot of duplication. Many of the included applications are "genericized" versions of GNOME applications. Some are just "debranded", while other are forks. One example is the xed text editor, which is a fork of Pluma, which is, in turn, a fork of GNOME's gedit text editor.

All the default applications provided are .deb files, although Flatpak is enabled as well. Package management is through the MintInstall software store or the more technical Synaptic APT package manager graphical user interface.

Linux Mint has the complete LibreOffice 7.3.7.2 office suite, including LibreOffice Base, the database application.

In its Mint implementation, the Nemo 6.0.2 file manager includes bulk file renaming through integration with the Bulky 3.2 file renamer.

Conclusions

Linux Mint 21.3 Cinnamon Edition is a well thought out and well put together desktop Linux distribution, which comes with a wide range of desktop applications. The large number of choices for customization and its overall user friendliness probably helps account for its popularity.

My next article is a comparison of Ubuntu Cinnamon 24.04 LTS with Linux Mint 21.3 Cinnamon Edition.

External links

Ubuntu Cinnamon 24.04 LTS

By Adam Hunt

, updated

Ubuntu Cinnamon 24.04 LTS was out on and marks the 10th release for this Cinnamon desktop version of Ubuntu. This was also the third release as an official Ubuntu flavour.

This new LTS release is the final product of a development cycle that brought very little new, overall. As someone who uses Ubuntu Cinnamon I am happy with that, as I think this Linux distribution works very well right now and doesn't need much in the way of changes.

Installation

I downloaded the ISO file from the official website via BitTorrent. Once I had the file, I carried out an SHA256 sum check on it from the command line to make sure it was a good download. The ISO file was 5.2 GB in size, 27% bigger than the last release, Ubuntu Cinnamon 23.10, which was 4.1 GB.

I put the Ubuntu Cinnamon 24.04 LTS ISO file onto a USB stick, equipped with Ventoy 1.0.97 and booted it up from there on my System76 Galago Pro and my Gateway DX4860 desktop computers just fine and I did a fresh installation on both. On my Dell Latitude 7490 it would not boot, producing either a blank screen or an interference pattern and I ended up doing a command line upgrade instead using:

$ sudo do-release-upgrade -d

which got the job done. There are a number of forum posts that have indicated that the Dell Latitude 7490 hardware seems to be having some issues with certain Linux USB boot media and some ISO systems are not working. It is a bit odd though, as it booted Ubuntu Cinnamon 23.10 from the same stick with Ventoy 1.0.96.

I tried it again later with Ventoy 1.0.98 and the same blank screen issue showed up. The same USB stick with Ventoy booted up fine on two other computers, so I knew it was hardware specific. I managed to solve it by booting to safe graphics mode instead and that worked fine, including testing for an installation.

For the fresh installation on my System76 Galago Pro and desktop, I selected the new "minimal" installation feature in the flutter installer, but it still created a full installation for both anyway, so I conclude that feature is not operational, which is too bad, as it is needed.

After a fresh boot the idle RAM was 1.6 GB. The actual installation took only six minutes, plus another 1:20 to get it all configured.

System requirements

None listed, that I could find, but it is probably safe to assume that it is the same as Ubuntu 24.04 LTS, a minimum of:

New

This release brings only a few very small number of improvements. These include an upgrade to the Cinnamon 6.0.4 desktop and a new flutter-based installer for the live image. The new installer is very simple, clear and easy to use. This release also adds experimental support for Wayland and a few other minor fixes and upgrades.

The initialization system is systemd 255.4.

Another thing that is new and quite unwelcome is that the live session version of this release will not mount any drives, including USB drives, just like Xubuntu 24.04 LTS. As is the case with Xubuntu, this thwarts using this as a rescue disk and also makes doing screenshots for reviews more complicated.

Settings

Ubuntu Cinnamon continues to offer a wide range of user customization and in fact 24.04 LTS has even more choices than 23.10 did. Options now include four different mouse pointer themes, 35 window colour themes, 33 icon themes, 28 desktop themes (which set the panel colours) and 43 wallpapers organized into 24 categories! That is a lot of choices.

The default wallpaper for 24.04 LTS includes the Ubuntu numbat crown design in cinnamon colours. The rest of the wallpapers provided are an eclectic collection from many sources, including Ubuntu and even some from Debian with the Debian curl logo on them.

The bottom panel can be adjusted in size over quite a large range, allowing it to be made much narrower or wider and the icons on the panel size automatically to fit. The menu continues to be adjustable in size as well.

Applications

Some of the applications included with Ubuntu Cinnamon 24.04 LTS are:

* indicates same application version as used in Ubuntu Cinnamon 23.10
** supplied as a Snap, so version depends on the upstream package manager
*** only present in the live session version, not in the normal installation

Across the Ubuntu world, including in Ubuntu Cinnamon, the Thunderbird email client is now supplied as a snap package instead of the previous .deb file.

One unannounced addition to this release is the Blueman Bluetooth controller. This makes sense, as Ubuntu Cinnamon previously lacked a Bluetooth controller. Another unannounced new addition is the Shotwell photo organizer.

Unannounced application removals from this release are the Celluloid and MPV video players, as well as the GNOME Photos photo manager.

Ubuntu Cinnamon uses the Cinnamon desktop's own Nemo file manager. It does not, however, have bulk file renaming, so adding a standalone bulk file renamer, such as GPRename is a good idea.

Ubuntu Cinnamon 24.04 LTS includes the LibreOffice 24.2.2 office suite, which is complete, except for LibreOffice Base, the database program. It is probably the least-used part of LibreOffice, but it can be installed if needed.

As in the past, the list of default applications included in Ubuntu Cinnamon is very long and has just about anything a desktop user could want, except perhaps a video editor. There are still a lot of applications included that duplicate other applications, like two terminal emulators, two image viewers, two image editors and two software package managers. There are also 19 games included. A real "minimal installation" option, like Ubuntu and Xubuntu have, would be a welcome installation option. I have a long list of applications to remove to make Ubuntu Cinnamon lighter and its menu lists shorter:

$ sudo apt remove aisleriot alacritty brasero deja-dup five-or-more four-in-a-row gimp gnome-2048 gnome-calendar gnome-chess gnome-klotski gnome-mahjongg gnome-mines gnome-nibbles gnome-robots gnome-sudoku gnome-taquin gnome-tetravex gnote gthumb iagno imagemagick imagemagick-6-common imagemagick-6.q16 hexchat hitori lightsoff pidgin quadrapassel remmina shotwell sound-juicer swell-foop tali

plus

$ sudo snap remove thunderbird

since that is a Snap package now. Those removals get rid of all the games, unneeded applications and other duplication.

My choice of applications to add from the Ubuntu repositories was:

One of the Ubuntu repository's .deb applications I tried adding, the FileZilla 3.66.5 FTP client, did not work right, as this version consistently crashed on attempted file transfer. It seems it was not properly tested by the package manager. There were a number of possible solutions, including using gFTP, which has recently been updated, but I decided to take the easy way out and install the FileZilla snap package version. The command used to install it was:

$ sudo snap install --beta filezilla

This provides FileZilla 3.41.2, an older version that works perfectly.

I can happily note that an Ubuntu update on brought new versions of two FileZilla library files and this fixed the issue with FileZilla 3.66.5.

Conclusions

Ubuntu Cinnamon 24.04 LTS is a very solid release, with no new issues noted. I am planning to run it for the next two years, until Ubuntu Cinnamon 26.04 LTS comes out.

Because this distribution is already very good, I am not expecting to see any big changes in the next development cycle leading to Ubuntu Cinnamon 26.04 LTS. A true "minimal installation" feature would be a welcome addition, though.

Also have a look at my comparison of Ubuntu Cinnamon 24.04 LTS with Linux Mint 21.3 Cinnamon Edition.

External links

Xubuntu 24.04 LTS

By Adam Hunt

The new LTS release, Xubuntu 24.04 LTS, came out on as the culmination of this latest development cycle.

This is Xubuntu's 37th release and, as it is an LTS, it carries three years of support, until .

All of the three interim releases in this cycle brought only small changes and this LTS also just has some incremental updates, not all of them welcome ones, either.

Installation

I downloaded Xubuntu 24.04 LTS from the official source via BitTorrent, using Transmission and then carried out an SHA256 sum check on it from the command line to ensure I had a good download.

This Xubuntu release is 4.1 GB in size, which 28% bigger than the last release, Xubuntu 23.10's 3.2 GB. There is no explanation as to why this release has jumped so much in size.

I tested Xubuntu 24.04 LTS from a USB stick equipped with Ventoy 1.0.97, by dropping the ISO file onto the stick. Ventoy officially supports Xubuntu, so you know it will work flawlessly.

When downloading Xubuntu you have a choice of two ISO files, xubuntu-24.04-desktop-amd64.iso which is the standard desktop and xubuntu-24.04-minimal-amd64.iso which provides the Xubuntu Minimal installation, which leaves out most of the desktop applications, although it retains snapd and some snap packages. I downloaded and tested the full desktop version.

Here is a real annoyance, with this ISO file, though: the developers have locked out USB devices and all other drives in a Xubuntu 24.04 LTS live session and, yes, this is something new. This means that Xubuntu 24.04 LTS is pretty worthless to use as a rescue disk. It also makes it impossible to take some screenshots, like you would do for a software review, and then transfer them to a USB stick to use in your review. I ended up having to use Firefox to sign into a cloud file upload service and upload the screenshots there as a .zip file. Hint for developers: annoying reviewers is not a good way to get good reviews of your work. Is there any good reason to lock out USB devices and all other drives from a live session? I can't think of any.

System requirements

The recommended system requirements for Xubuntu 24.04 LTS have not changed since 21.04 and remain:

Just Firefox alone will use two GB of RAM, with just a few tabs open, and so 8 GB of RAM is probably a more realistic minimum for decent performance these days. More RAM is always good.

New

Like Xubuntu 23.10, 24.04 LTS uses the GTK-based Xfce 4.18 desktop, with some components from GNOME 46 and MATE 1.26. The Linux kernel is version 6.8 and the initialization system is Systemd 255.4.

This release has many small fixes incorporated. The Xfce Power Manager and Screensaver were updated to eliminate some identified screensaver issues. Many Xfce libraries, including garcon, libxfce4ui, tumbler and xfconf have received bug fixes to correct race conditions and memory leaks, which all adds up to a Xubuntu desktop that is more responsive and has improved stability. The settings now have improved support for dark themes and will synchronize dark theme settings with those applications that support dark themes.

This release also adds the Ubuntu Firmware Updater as a separate utility, like Ubuntu does.

Settings

This new Xubuntu release still uses Greybird as its default window colour scheme, although it has once again been improved to version 3.23.3. There are still a total of six window themes provided in the "Appearance" manager: Adwaita, Adwaita-dark, Greybird, Greybird-dark, High Contrast and Numix. The separate Window Manager also has 11 window themes: Daloa, Default-hdpi, Default-xhdpi, Greybird, Greybird-accessibility, Greybird-compact, Greybird-dark, Greybird-dark-accessibility, Kokodi, Moheli and Numix. Oddly some of those themes with the same names in two different places are the same themes, while some are quite different. There are now 11 icon themes, three more than in the last release, with Elementary Xfce Darker still the default.

The default Xubuntu 23.10 wallpaper is a very modernist abstract design and unusual for Xubuntu in that it is green. It was designed by Pasi Lallinaho, who has done all the release wallpapers since Xubuntu 9.04. There are also 12 additional wallpapers provided, plus all the old release wallpapers are now available in repository packages for installation as well, in case you miss an old favourite. Even though this release is code named "Noble Numbat", there are no numbat-themed wallpapers.

Just like all Xubuntu releases made in the last ten years since 14.04 LTS, this one employs the Whisker Menu as its menu system. In the past Whisker was the main feature that made Xubuntu distinctive from the other Ubuntu flavours. For some reason though in this release the Whisker Menu can no longer be resized. This was one of the main things that set it apart from other Linux menu systems, except for Cinnamon which has a re-sizable menu. With this ability now gone, Whisker is now just another Linux menu, like all the rest.

Applications

Some of the applications included with Xubuntu 24.04 LTS are:

* indicates same application version as used in Xubuntu 23.10
** supplied as a Snap, so version depends on the upstream package manager

Package management has changed in this release with a combination of the new Ubuntu App Center and Gdebi replacing the previous Gnome Software package management system. Synaptic 0.91.3 is still included for people who would rather use that more technical .deb installer. You can always do package management from the command line using APT and snap, as well.

The Thunderbird email client is now included as a snap package. Also Xubuntu now has a new installer, the Flutter-based Ubuntu Installer, which replaces the older Ubiquity installer. It is worth noting that Xubuntu does not yet have an OEM installation capability, although it is under development and expected to be added to the ISO as a feature of point release 24.04.1.

Many of the included applications have new versions with minor updates.

Xubuntu 24.04 LTS includes LibreOffice 24.2.2, which is, as usual, lacking only LibreOffice Base, the database application, which is probably the least-used component.

As in recent Xubuntu releases, the list of default applications is very complete and comes with pretty much everything that any new Linux user just starting out could want. For more experienced users who want a lot fewer applications pre-installed, there is the Xubuntu Minimal (formerly called Xubuntu Core) download available, instead.

Conclusions

Xubuntu 24.04 LTS is a good release, with just minor changes over the last release. Just don't try to use it as a rescue disk or expect the Whisker Menu to be able to be resized.

External links

Lubuntu 24.04 LTS

By Adam Hunt

The new Lubuntu LTS release was out on . Lubuntu 24.04 LTS marks the 12th LXQt release and the 29th overall Lubuntu release. As an LTS release, Lubuntu 24.04 LTS is supported for three years, until .

The three interim releases that made up this development cycle only introduced a few very minor changes, but this LTS does bring some worthwhile new things here at the last minute in the development cycle.

This new Lubuntu version remains a relatively lightweight, but full-featured, menu-driven desktop.

Installation

I downloaded Lubuntu 24.04 LTS via BitTorrent from the official source and did a command line SHA256 sum check on it to make sure it was good, which it was. I then booted it up using Ventoy 1.0.97 on a USB stick, which worked perfectly, as it always does since Lubuntu is listed as being officially supported by Ventoy.

The Lubuntu 24.04 LTS ISO file is 3.1 GB to download, while 23.04 was 3.0 GB in size, 23.04 was 2.9 GB, Lubuntu 22.10 was 2.7 GB and Lubuntu 22.04 LTS was 2.5 GB, so they are getting noticeably bigger over time. For comparison, the latest mainstream Ubuntu 24.04 LTS release is 6.1 GB to download, though.

System requirements

Since the release of Lubuntu 18.10 the project announced that it would no longer publish any minimum system requirements.

New

There is quite a bit new in this release. It starts on boot-up, where you see a new "try or install" screen that is actually nice and clear. If you decide to install Lubuntu, the Calamares installer now includes a "customize" menu that gives options for a normal or minimal installation. The new minimal option follows the lead of Xubuntu and Ubuntu, but is truly minimal as it omits snapd, the snap package system and even a web browser. For people who like Lubuntu, but not snap format packages, this will be a real boon. You just have to figure out how to get a web browser. There is also a checkbox option to install any of the Krita painting program, Thunderbird email client, the Virtual Machine Manager or Element encrypted messenger. Another new installation option is an OEM installation, designed for people shipping computers to users. This allows a complete set up, with the end user creating their own account and password.

There are also some welcome new utilities added to Lubuntu. These include a proper bluetooth manager, Blueman, an SDDM Configuration Editor that allows editing the log-in screen, a brand new Lubuntu Software Updater, Redshift-Qt for night-day screen adjustments and the Picom Configuration Utility for desktop effects, which allows window transparency, titlebar transparency, shadows and fade-in/fade-out effects.

Blueman is actually GTK-based, but the Lubuntu developers plan on rewriting it in Qt to fit Lubuntu's Qt emphasis.

The Lubuntu desktop is now LXQt 1.4.0, based on the Qt 5.15.13 toolkit. Work has begun on Qt 6 basing, but the lack of a stable version of KF6 has further delayed this. Visually 24.04 LTS still looks similar to the other recent LXQt releases and uses the same Lubuntu Arc default theme with ePapirus icons.

The included Linux kernel is version 6.8 and systemd 255.4 is the initialization system.

The default wallpaper features a night sky scene, although there is also one rather elegant numbat wallpaper. There are also 16 other wallpapers included, with, once again, many of them from recent Lubuntu releases. As well there are 19 window themes, 13 icon themes, 15 LXQt themes, three cursor themes and ten GTK3 and GTK2 themes, providing users with a broad range of customization possibilities.

Applications

Some of the applications included with Lubuntu 24.04 LTS are:

* Indicates the same version as used in Lubuntu 23.10
** supplied as a Snap, so version depends on the upstream package manager

As far as application changes go, the Muon package manager has been removed and the PDF viewer has been switched from qPDFview to Okular instead.

Conclusions

Lubuntu 24.04 LTS is a good release, with just enough innovation to make this feel like a step up, without changing too much. I am sure Lubuntu users will be happy to use this new LTS for the next few years, at least until Lubuntu 26.04 LTS comes out in !

External links

Ubuntu 24.04 LTS

By Adam Hunt

was a date that was much anticipated in the Ubuntu community, that one day that occurs only every two years, when a new LTS release comes out. This is important because most Ubuntu users skip the three interim releases and only use the LTS ones instead, with their longer support periods. Ubuntu 24.04 LTS is the final product of this latest release cycle of three interim releases: 22.10, 23.04 and 23.10.

This is Ubuntu's 40th release and the 14th with the current modified GNOME 3 desktop. Because it is an LTS release, it is supported for five years, until . There is also another optional five years of Ubuntu Pro extended security coverage and Ubuntu enterprise customers can purchase two years more, for a total of 12 years support, taking it out to .

The first two interim releases in this cycle only introduced some small, incremental changes, but the final interim release added much that was new, as does this LTS release, although many of the changes will not be evident to desktop users, as they mainly consist of behind-the-scenes improvements.

This release is code named Noble Numbat and so many users will be asking "what exactly is a numbat?" It turns out to be an Australian marsupial and no, it does not have wings. The main release wallpapers show a (noble) crown, decorated with numbats, plus two more of the 13 wallpapers included feature numbats. That is probably all you need to know about numbats, other than that they eat bugs.

This is actually the second Ubuntu release with an "N" code name, the previous one being Ubuntu 11.04 Natty Narwhal, which was released on , 13 years ago. There are 26 letters in the English alphabet and two Ubuntu releases per year and so the letters naturally repeat on a 13 year cycle.

Installation

I downloaded Ubuntu 24.04 LTS from the official source using BitTorrent and carried out an SHA256 sum check to ensure that the ISO file download was good, which it was.

The release notes claim "a 200MB reduction in image size", but this is just not true. Ubuntu 23.10 was 5.2 GB, and this one is 6.1 GB, which is 17% bigger. Ubuntu has now more than doubled in size in the two and a half years since Ubuntu 21.10, which was 2.9 GB. Why this bloat has happened is not clear.

I did not install Ubuntu 24.04 LTS on my hard drive, and instead tested it from a USB stick, using Ventoy 1.0.97, which, as usual, worked perfectly.

It is worth noting that any current Ubuntu 23.10 users will be offered an automatic upgrade to Ubuntu 24.04 LTS soon after the release date, but users of Ubuntu 22.04 LTS will only be offered the automatic upgrade when 24.04.1 LTS is released, which is tentatively scheduled for . If 22.04 LTS users want to upgrade sooner they can force an upgrade via the command line:

$ sudo do-release-upgrade

and accept the risk, since it has not been fully tested yet, or do a fresh installation using the ISO file.

System requirements

The recommended minimum system requirements for Ubuntu 24.04 LTS have not changed since 20.04 LTS and remain:

This means that Ubuntu 24.04 LTS should run fine on hardware designed for Windows 7 or later, although I would suggest at least 8 GB of RAM as a working minimum.

New

Once again, there are so many things new in this release, that I am just going to present them in two lists.

First, these are the changes that desktop users will probably notice:

These are many more behind-the-scenes changes that most desktop users will probably not notice:

Applications

As with Ubuntu 23.10, the 24.04 LTS ISO file boots up to the extended selection installation and not just the minimal default installation. This once again means that the full suite of applications is present in the ISO, but does not install under the default installation. As I noted before this means you still get a huge download for a minimal installation, which is fairly dumb. The good news at least is that neither installation option includes games! They are still in the repositories if you want to install them, though.

Some of the applications included with 24.04 LTS extended selection installation are:

* indicates same application version as used in Ubuntu 23.10
** supplied as a Snap, so version depends on the upstream package manager
*** indicates included on the ISO for boot-up, but not included in a full installation

If you install the new default minimal installation you will get only Firefox, Nautilus, GNOME Text Editor and not much more, although any desired applications can easily be added from the repositories.

As is is often the case, the application collection is a mix of GNOME versions, this time mostly from GNOME 46, with a few GNOME 43 and 44 holdovers. As noted above, the swapping of Gnome Snapshot for the old Cheese webcam application is the only change to the suite of default applications.

As in the past the default email client remains Thunderbird, but it is now a snap package instead of a .deb, making support easier for Mozilla and providing more timely updates.

While the App Center replaced the old Snap Store in Ubuntu 23.10, it took me some digging to figure out how it was installed. It turns out that it is a snap package, but even though it is developed as app-center it is installed as snap-store, the same name as the old package used. That is a bit confusing, but at least the mystery has been solved. It is worth noting that due to security changes the app-center will not install randomly downloaded .deb files and this has generated some loud whining in the tech media, even though these can still be installed using gdebi graphically or from the command line, depending on the changes incorporated in the unprivileged user namespaces security upgrade. Many of these sorts of download applications, like Zoom for instance, are already available as as snap packages, too, so check there first.

The Files 46.0 (Nautilus) file manager has some fixes, including that the file transfer dialogues are moved to the bottom left of the window and no longer obscure the tabs, a definite improvement. It also has new file search capabilities, the path box can be now be edited, custom folders can be more easily reset and there is a new option to display file and folder timestamps.

Conclusions

Ubuntu 24.04 LTS is the sort of solid release that you would expect from an LTS, given that most Ubuntu users will be using it for the next few years.

The next release will be Ubuntu 24.10, due out on . Not only will it be the start of a new release cycle, but it will also mark the 20th anniversary of Ubuntu's very first release, Ubuntu 4.10 Warty Warthog. Ubuntu really has come a long way in those two decades.

External links

Damn Small Linux 2024 Alpha 1

By Adam Hunt

, updated

Here is a very old Linux distribution that has been recently resurrected after a 16 year absence! I thought that alone warranted a look.

Damn Small Linux (often just called "DSL" for short) was started by John Andrews and had its first release 19 years ago, on . It went through 18 releases over three years before the project ended with version 4.4, which came out on .

Back then DSL was an experiment to see what kind of Linux distribution could be created in a 50 MB download, so it was a real lightweight and could be booted from media like bootable business cards, which typically had 50 MB of space. In those days it was based upon Knoppix.

Now here we are, 16 years later and there is a new alpha release of DSL that has been put out by Andrews on , but there are lots of changes. For one thing it is no longer a 50 MB download. His new aim is for it to fit on a CD and thus needs to be under 700 MB, or about 14 times bigger that the original was. Today you would not get much of a Linux distribution for 50 MB! His 700 MB limit still makes it relatively small here in . In comparison the most recent Ubuntu release, Ubuntu 23.10 is 5.2 GB, more than seven times bigger than DSL 2024 is.

DSL is also no longer based on Knoppix and has moved to being based on antiX 23 i386 instead. AntiX is in turn based on Debian Stable. It could be argued that there is not much in common between the old DSL and the new one, beyond the name and the main developer involved. AntiX itself is a very small distribution with similar aims, as are Puppy Linux and SliTaz, too, so it is a bit of a crowded field of offerings for what may be quite a small potential market.

Available only in 32-bit, this time around DSL is aimed at old 32-bit hardware from the Windows XP era, which ended about . This new DSL version is intended for boxes with 256 or 512 MB of RAM and which cannot be booted from a USB drive (well without using Plop, anyway) and only have a CD drive, not a CD/DVD combination drive, hence the maximum size limitation.

To get it down to under 700 MB, Andrews limited the installed languages to a few varieties of English and eliminated a lot of the source code, help manuals and other bloat. He also, of course, picked very lightweight applications with very few dependencies, all to save space.

I will also note that I do not usually review pre-release software and especially not alpha releases, for the simple reason there is usually much that does not work right and that is the case with DSL 2024 alpha 1. I will note what I found. It might be interesting to come back, though and look at the final release when it does come out and see if everything was fixed.

Installation

I downloaded the 698.1 MB ISO file for DSL 2024 alpha 1 from the official website via https, since there is no BitTorrent version. An MD5 sum is provided for confirming the download is correct and it tested as valid.

I ran DSL from a USB stick, equipped with Ventoy 1.0.97. DSL is not listed as officially supported by Ventoy, but AntiX is and predictably it booted up flawlessly.

System requirements

The official website does not state any minimum system requirements, but I can say with several applications open I never saw RAM use over 325 MB, although that was without web pages open. Basic idle RAM was 182 MB.

Features

As advertised, DSL does provide a basic and functional desktop, with a mix of applications that offer the sort of functionality expected. Everything is lightweight and that means most applications have minimal features.

The good news is that APT works fine from the command line and it is connected to the antiX repositories, which provide a wide range of applications available for installation. I was able to run updates and also interrogate the repositories easily from the command line. It should also be possible to install a graphical package manager, such as Synaptic, if you don't want to manage your packages with APT on the command line.

Systemd haters will be overjoyed to learn that the initialization system is runit.

The very conventional style menus can be actuated from the menu button on the task bar, or with a right click anywhere on the desktop, which is a nice labour-saver.

Because this is is alpha software there are many features that are not yet working right. I found that these included:

Hopefully all of these items will be fixed by the time the stable release comes out.

Settings

DSL boots up with Fluxbox as the window manager, although JWM is also available. Fluxbox is quite minimal in its settings, but it does have 22 alternate window colour and text size themes, which is good, because the default Radiant-small theme is a pretty garish assault on the eyes. There are more toned-down themes and with bigger fonts provided.

The default desktop wallpaper is a scene showing two mice working on a clock interior. It is cute and whimsical, but, as wallpaper goes, cluttered and busy. Personally I prefer cleaner wallpapers. In the alpha 1 release you can't change it, either. That should be possible from the zzzFM file manager, with a right click on an image file, but that feature is broken.

Applications

Some of the applications included with DSL 2024 Alpha 1 are:

The mix of applications provided actually does cover most desktop user's needs, although the ones provided are are very lightweight and therefore feature lacking. I do have to wonder if most users will use APT to install LibreOffice, Firefox and other similar applications, but then to run those you will need considerably more RAM.

When I first booted DSL up I went looking for the screenshot tool, so I could create a Wiki Commons gallery of them. A quick check of the menus did not show one, but an inquiry on APT showed that command line screenshot tool scrot was actually already installed. There was no key binding to the "Prt Scr" key, though, which would have been helpful, but scrot worked fine from the commend line using a programmed delay to allow me to get the terminal window out of the picture:

$ scrot --delay 5
User base

As with other recent reviews, I have to ask the question, "who is this distribution aimed at?" It seems to me that if you have the hardware to run a more fully-featured distribution you probably would do so, so the main user base must be people with old 32-bit Windows XP computers. Is that a large number of people? I wouldn't think so. Perhaps it will appeal to Linux fans who have an old XP box that they want to get back into use as a back-up, a garage computer or similar.

That said, there are quite a number of Linux distributions aimed at old hardware like this, so when it gets to a stable release, DSL will be competing with Puppy Linux, antiX and also SliTaz, too, among others.

Conclusions

Being an alpha release (and this one really is), DSL 2024 alpha 1 is not ready for daily use yet, as there are too many broken elements still to be fixed. It does show some potential though and while I was preparing this review a new alpha 2 was released on . I presume there will be another alpha or two and then a beta, before the stable release comes out later in . I may just have a look at the stable version when it comes out and see how it has progressed.

External links

iBuntu 2.1

By Adam Hunt

Here is the fourth in my series of looks at Ubuntu derivatives that use the Ubuntu name or at least parts of it.

iBuntu is, as most people would guess, an Ubuntu variant that looks like MacOS. In fact this version, 2.1 is called "Lix Sur" and is intended to resemble MacOS 11 Big Sur. It does a pretty good job, too:

iBuntu is not the first attempt to make a Linux distribution that looks like MacOS. In the past there was Macbuntu another Ubuntu-based attempt, which seems to have died out about 2015 and PearOS, another project that is still active here in .

I have to start off my look at iBuntu by noting that this Linux distribution is actually pretty good, but the developer behind it might give users some pause to reconsider, however. I have no issue with the developer remaining anonymous, as quite a number of Linux developers do that for various reasons. The project website does not project confidence, however. There are the multitude of spelling and grammar errors (Why making a own distribution?" - can't anyone edit that for him?), some web hosting rants and I won't even get into the cringe-worthy legal issues page, which you can read for yourself.

Then there are the issues around the 3.0 release. On the developer released iBuntu 3.0 Monterix, but the release announcement is antithetical to confidence inspiring:

It took us several months, more than 30 builds and the bitter feeling that we had to recognize the fact, that we couldn't get rid of "all" the bugs we found - at least in the Live-Version. So this is also the first big thing I want to point out here to all Youtubers, Testers etc. : Please don't cry and wine about the error messages, popping up in the Live-ISO. Yes we know it's annoying. No, there is nothing we can do against this right now. No, this is nothing you need to cherrypic to rant against iBuntu since this is a known issue. So you don't have to "warn" your audiences from it - we do the job for you here with this announcement. And also, the most important thing: This only happens in the Live-Version. Once you installed the system, there won't be error messages anymore. And if you say now that you don't want to install iBuntu permanently and therefore this would be a big issue for you.. well too bad for you. This we don't support. Never did, never will. iBuntu always was and is intended to be installed on either real hardware or a virtual machine and not to be used only as a Live-Version.

What is even less confidence inspiring is that the release was actually withdrawn and is no longer available:

iBuntu 3.0 Monterix – Ubuntu like it should be! Attention! This version of iBuntu is very unstable and we don't promote or recommend it anymore since it just won't work together with Ubuntu 22.04 as planned. Since as of now and until further notice we won't have time to adress [sic] the bugs within Monterix, we recommend, using Lix Sur 2.1 instead!

After reading all that I am sure most Linux users would just flee, but, as I noted, iBuntu 2.1 itself is actually quite good.

Installation

I downloaded the large 6.0 GB ISO file for iBuntu from the official MediaFire hosting page via https, since there is no BitTorrent version. No SHA256 or MD5 sum is provided for confirming the download is correct, which is a serious oversight.

I ran iBuntu from a USB stick, equipped with Ventoy 1.0.96. iBuntu is not listed as officially supported by Ventoy, but it booted up flawlessly.

System requirements

There are no published system requirements that I could find, including an answer to one question I had: "will it run on a Mac?"

Features

iBuntu 2.1 is the ninth iBuntu release, with the earliest dating from . That does not count the withdrawn release, iBuntu 3.0, which was the tenth one. As a ninth release iBuntu 2.1 should be pretty refined and, in fact, it is.

Once booted up you end up with a very Mac-like desktop and it functions well. Under this Mac-like interface this is Ubuntu with the KDE Plasma 5 desktop and so very similar to Kubuntu. With the sole exception of the Google Chrome web browser in its Linux version, the rest is all from common Linux repositories. Making it all look like a Mac does produce a few surprises, though. For instance, clicking the launcher icon for "Finder" launches the KDE Dolphin file manager, clicking the "Safari" icon launches the Firefox web browser, the "Apple Books" icon launches the Calibre ebook reader and the "Apple Photos" icon launches the Gwenview image viewer.

One quick fix was required on boot-up and that was setting the keyboard to English-US instead of the default German.

By default iBuntu 2.1 has a KDE effect turned on called Wobby Windows, which has been around for many years and is really awful. I would recommend turning that one off!

It is also good to note that the off, reboot, etc, selection menu is hidden at the very top left of the screen, marked with an apple icon.

Settings

Because iBuntu is Kubuntu right underneath it offers a lot of user choices. It has two global themes: bright or dark, eight Plasma styles, four application styles, (including one from Windows 9, of all places!), 19 colour sets, 11 icon sets, three cursor styles and 58 wallpapers, including many Mac-like ones and even a Debian one!

Applications

Some of the applications included with iBuntu 2.1 are:

* indicates proprietary software
** indicates a Snap file

The default applications provided here are all free software with the sole exception of Google Chrome, which is proprietary, but at least available in a native Linux (.deb or .rpm) version. Firefox is also provided.

Otherwise, the software mix is a curious collection of KDE and GNOME applications, with duplication in file browsers, terminal emulators and web browsers. The remainder provides a good selection for desktop users, including the LibreOffice suite (less Math and Base) and also including the GIMP image editor.

The Mac-like dock used is actually a Linux application called Latte, which has a wide range of configuration options. Out of the box it looks and works much like the actual Mac dock, so was probably an easy choice to employ in iBuntu.

User base

As in my review of the Windows 11 lookalike Wubuntu 11.4.3, I have to ask the same question about about iBuntu, "who is this distribution aimed at?"

The developer is a bit vague, saying: "Purpose of iBuntu: Simplicity, Stability, Usability all combined in a macOS-like environment which just looks beautyful [sic]. We want to give you the closest macOS-like feeling you can get with Linux."

My take is that this is not going to appeal to most Linux users, as they generally like Linux to look like Linux and would rather be running Kubuntu "as is", than with Apple camouflage. While the desktop does look like a Mac, it doesn't really offer any operational advantages over vanilla Kubuntu.

I would also think that most Apple fans would probably own a real Mac, rather than a PC running iBuntu. It is possible that there are Mac fans who have an old PC around that they want to have a similar interface on to their main Mac computer or even an old Mac that won't run a currently supported version of MacOS. It is also possible that iBuntu may appeal to people aspiring to be Mac users who can't afford a Mac. At least one reviewer suggested this might be a way to introduce Mac users to Linux, but I tend to think this would probably run the other way, instead.

Overall iBuntu does look like this would be a distribution for a small niche user market, rather than one with general appeal inside either the Linux or the Mac worlds. I won't even suggest Windows users might like this.

Conclusions

iBuntu works well and is very functional as a desktop distribution, as long as you ignore the issues and rants that the developer himself introduces on the official website. Hopefully he gets the next release sorted out and actually released once again at some point!

Wubuntu 11.4.3 LTS

By Adam Hunt

, updated

Wubuntu (also called "Windows Ubuntu") is not the first attempt to come up with a Linux desktop distribution that looks like Windows, but it is the latest. I thought it might be interesting to have a look at the most recent release of Wubuntu, which is 11.4.3 LTS, out on .

The background on this distribution is missing some details, but here is what I have found. Wubuntu is based on Linuxfx with new icons, themes and Microsoft software added. Linuxfx is in turn based on Ubuntu 22.04 LTS. Both Wubuntu and Linuxfx are developed by the same anonymous developer, who seems to be from Brazil.

Wubuntu 11.4.3 LTS seems to be the second release of Wubuntu, having been preceded by 11.3.22.04.2 LTS, which was also Ubuntu 22.04 LTS-based and released on . The wubuntu.org website was active as early as 2014, although it is unclear if it then belonged to another project.

The version numbering indicates that both releases are intended to resemble Windows 11, and indeed they do:

The previous 11.3.22.04.2 release offered a choice of downloads for either the KDE Plasma 5 or Cinnamon desktops, while version 11.4.3 has only the Plasma desktop. A developer post indicates that a Cinnamon version will be available in "the first weeks of ", although it has not appeared yet.

Wubuntu 11.4.3 LTS uses the KDE Plasma 5 desktop, much like Kubuntu does. Being highly customizable it is not that hard to make KDE emulate Windows, although Wubuntu has gone as far as to duplicate the Windows menu and other features. Some serious effort has obviously been expended in customizing this distribution.

Installation

I downloaded the rather weighty 5.1 GB ISO file for Wubuntu from the official SourceForge page via https, since there is no BitTorrent version. No SHA256 or MD5 sum is provided for confirming the download is correct, although the previous version had an MD5 sum available.

I ran Wubuntu from a USB stick, equipped with Ventoy 1.0.96. Wubuntu is not listed as officially supported by Ventoy, but it booted up without any issues.

System requirements

The recommended system requirements are:

These minimum system specs are actually very close to those specified for Windows 11, although Windows has specific requirements for processor types and additional items such as TPM 2.0.

Features

Wubuntu does indeed look and work very much like Windows 11. Its main differences are that it is more secure and stable, doesn't run Windows malware, doesn't come with all the crapware and bloatware and may run on some older hardware that does not support Windows 11, despite the similar specs.

Of note, while exploring Wubuntu, I did discover that cancelling and closing the Wubuntu PowerToys Register dialogue box deletes all your saved documents. I had to redo all my screenshots as a result.

Overall Wubuntu looks attractive and works well for what is there, even if it is a bit incomplete without paying for the PowerToys extras.

Settings

Wubuntu does come with settings available for some degree of user customization, similar to Windows 11. It has 98 wallpapers, the most of any Linux distribution I have seen, including many from Kubuntu, as well as some Windows-like ones. It has three window colour themes: light, dark and one which has light windows and a dark bottom panel. From Kubuntu it also has 73 desktop widgets, small programs that can be put on the desktop and provide such things as a calendar, clock or weather.

Applications

Some of the applications included with Wubuntu 11.4.3 are:

* indicates proprietary software

There are quite a lot of proprietary applications here, with an emphasis on Microsoft products or at least access to them, which will not thrill free software advocates, but which are naturally quite normal for Windows users. Some of these are Windows programs running on the Wine compatibly layer.

The list of included free software applications is a bit odd and includes several redundancies, such as two web browsers, two webcams, two office suites and two email clients. The two office suites are both only on-line ones, too.

The list of default applications does reveal that at its core Wubuntu is basically Kubuntu, as it has many applications from KDE Gear 23.08. Using APT from the command line or the Discover software store it is easy to install more familiar KDE applications and other common Linux desktop applications, such as Firefox or LibreOffice. In fact it would not be that hard to delete all the proprietary software and replace it with free software alternatives from the Ubuntu repositories, but if you were going to do that wouldn't you just install Kubuntu instead?

User base

One question that arises is "who is this aimed at?" It is pretty obviously not going to appeal to your average Windows 11 user, as I am sure they would rather actually run Windows 11, even with all its disadvantages. It is not going to appeal to Linux fans either, as it doesn't offer much of value and is contaminated with Microsoft's proprietary software as well. Most Linux users certainly don't want to run something that looks like Windows. The main market for Wubuntu may well be wanna-be Windows 11 fans who have older hardware that does not meet the Windows 11 requirements.

One factor that may shed some light on the point of this distribution that is the developer's provision of a package of extras, called the PowerToys Professional Key. This carries a one-time fee of $35. The official website says: "PowerToys is a powerful toolset that implements a software layer based on Microsoft Windows applications. Tools like Control Panel, Network Settings, One Drive, Android Support and many others are available through PowerToys". So in effect Wubuntu is being offered as a freemium product. This release had 10,000 downloads when I checked, which is not much by Linux standards and certainly will not have resulted in 10,000 installations, but if even 10% of those bought keys that would be $35,000 in the bank. The same PowerToys package is also offered for Linuxfx. This "freemium" model is unusual in the Linux user world and is probably another indication that the intended audience is not conventional Linux users.

Interestingly there are numerous forum complaints about installing Wubuntu and then getting "nag screens" about buying PowerToys. One user noted, "anytime you try to change the desktop it Nags for you to purchase Powertoys!! It's actually INFURIATING it's so often! IF I can actually get this OS setup on my PC, the way I want, I'll be happy to support your work, but right now, NO WAY! Right now, this OS is NOT ready for Prime Time!". Another user noted, "worse than running an unactivated copy of Windows 11. Had to uninstall and move on. If you don't plan on buying the $35 key I can't recommend Wubuntu." Another wrote, "When does the nagging stop? It is relentless, every single time." There are some indications that this issue was at least dialed back via updates.

Conclusions

While Wubuntu looks good and works well enough as provided, it seems to be aimed at that subset of Windows users who really would like to be using Windows 11, but can't afford new hardware to run it on. In that regard it is really competing with Windows 10 more than anything else, which is still supported until . As Windows 10 runs out of support there may well be a market opening for Wubuntu to keep something like Windows 11 running on that old Windows 10 hardware.

Wubuntu users have also complained about the constant marketing of the PowerToys paid upgrade package within the installation, which makes it look the main aim of this distribution is to generate income for the developer.

Overall there doesn't seem to be a large base of enthusiastic users for Wubuntu yet, but it has only been six months since its first release, so it will be interesting to see how it fares over time. It is encouraging that a newer update, 11.4.4 came out on .

External links

All Those 'buntus

By Adam Hunt

, updated

Here is a table of all the variants of Ubuntu that I have found, that bear the Ubuntu name or at least parts of it, in chronological order. The Ubuntu variants with non-Ubuntu-related names are not included.

Distribution names that have current releases are marked in red. Distribution names that are no longer being developed are in grey.

Ubuntu Variants

Name

First version
or year

Latest version
or year

Status

Developer

Notes

Ubuntu

4.10

23.10

Official project

Canonical

modified GNOME desktop

Ubuntu Server

4.10

23.10

Official project

Canonical

No graphical interface

Kubuntu

5.04

23.10

Official flavour

Community

KDE Plasma desktop

Edubuntu

5.10
23.04

14.04
23.10

Official flavour

Canonical and community contributors

modified GNOME desktop

Ubuntu Lite

2005

2009

Discontinued unofficial

Unknown

later called U-Lite, used Openbox window manager

Xubuntu

6.06

23.10

Official flavour

Community

Xfce desktop

nUbuntu (Network Ubuntu)

6.06

8.12 beta

Discontinued unofficial

unknown

penetration testing

Fluxbuntu

6.10 (1 rev2)

7.10

Discontinued unofficial

unknown

Fluxbox window manager

Geubuntu

7.04

9.04

Discontinued unofficial

Luca De Marini

GNOME and Enlightenment window manager, renamed OpenGEU

Ubuntu Studio

7.04

23.10

Official flavour

Ubuntu Studio Project

multimedia production

UbuntuME
(Ubuntu Muslim Edition)

7.04

11.10

Discontinued unofficial

Unknown

later called Sabily

Estobuntu‎

7.04

14.04

Discontinued unofficial

Märt Põder

Estonian language version

Elbuntu

1.1/7.04

1.1/7.04

Discontinued unofficial

Ubuntu community

Enlightenment window manager

Gobuntu

7.10

8.04

Discontinued official project

Canonical

all free software version, rolled into mainstream Ubuntu

Mythbuntu

7.10

16.04

Discontinued official flavour

team

MythTV media centre

Ubuntu JeOS (Just Enough Operating System)

7.10

8.04

Discontinued official project

Canonical

virtual machine appliance, merged into Ubuntu Server

Scibuntu

0.41 beta (2007)

0.41 beta (2007)

Discontinued unofficial

Urban Anjar

science workstation

Bubuntu

2007

2009

Discontinued unofficial

Rémi Vernay

French

UbuntuCE
(Ubuntu Christian Edition)

1.5.3 (2007)
5.0 (2009)

12.04
22.04.2

Unofficial

Jereme Hancock

GNOME Desktop

Ubuntu Netbook Edition

8.04

10.10

Discontinued official project

Canonical

Netbook interface, merged into mainstream Ubuntu with Unity interface

Eeebuntu

8.04

4.0-beta1 (2010)

Discontinued unofficial

Steve Wood

later called Aurora

Ubuntu Privacy Remix (UPR)

8.04r1

2016.1-beta1

Discontinued unofficial

Unknown

later called Discreete Linux

Fredubuntu

8.10

8.10

Discontinued unofficial

Unknown

French live DVD for education

GendBuntu

2008

18.04

Unofficial

National Gendarmerie

for use by France's National Gendarmerie

Runtu‎

3.0 (2008)

22.04

Unofficial

Unknown

Russian language, KDE Plasma, LXDE desktops

Учи Свободен с Убунту
(Learn Free with Ubuntu‎ - LFU)

2008

2016

Discontinued unofficial

Svetoslav Stefanov and Krasimir Stefanov

Educational version based on Kubuntu

Ubuntu Rescue Remix

9.04

12.04

Discontinued unofficial

Unknown

command-line interface only

Buddhabuntu‎
(Ubuntu-Buddha or Ubuntu Buddhist Remix)

2009

2010

Discontinued unofficial

Unknown

Project started in 2007

Zenbuntu

2009 beta

2009 beta

Discontinued unofficial

bodhi.zazen

Ubuntu with a Buddhist Theme

Ubuntu EEE

1.1 (2009)

2.0 (2012)

Discontinued unofficial

Jon Ramvi

Ubuntu Netbook Remix interface. In 2009 called EasyPeasy

Goobuntu

2009

2018

Discontinued unofficial

Google

for Google's own internal use, replaced by gLinux

Moebuntu

2009

23.10

Unofficial script set

Unknown

To convert Ubuntu to pink anime theme

Lubuntu

10.10

23.10

Official flavour since 11.10

Community

LXQt desktop

ABCbuntu‎

10.10

10.10

Discontinued unofficial

Unknown

privacy-focused, live CD distribution

Macbuntu

10.10

2015

Discontinued unofficial

Unknown

Mac-like interface

BlackBuntu

0.3 (10.10)

22.04.2

Discontinued unofficial

Unknown

penetration testing distribution based on Ubuntu

Fuduntu

2010

2013

Discontinued unofficial

Andrew Wyatt

GNOME 2 desktop, a fork of Fedora

Miniubuntu
(Ubuntu Mini Remix)

2010

2017

Discontinued unofficial

Unknown

Ubuntu CD custom builder

Cobuntu‎

2010

2011

Discontinued unofficial

Unknown

Korean language version

Ubuntu Satanic Edition

666.9 (10.10)

666.11 (2012)

Discontinued unofficial

Unknown

Heavy metal themed

Emmabuntüs

10.10

DE 5 1.00 (2023)

Unofficial

Collectif Emmabuntüs

Originally based on Ubuntu, then Lubuntu, Xubuntu and Now Debian

Mubuntu

12.04

12.04

Discontinued unofficial

griffinwebnet

MATE desktop

Ubuntu Booloki Remix

3.2 (12.04)

3.2 (12.04)

Discontinued unofficial

Unknown

Command line interface, minimal live CD

Cubuntu

12.04

16.04.3

Discontinued unofficial

Eric Kranich

Ubuntu with Cinnamon desktop, Unity and MATE optional at installation

SecUntu

0.7 (12.04)

0.7 (12.04)

Discontinued unofficial

Unknown

Security focused live CD, Unity desktop

Matuntu‎

PP32-M1.6 (12.04)

J-20-04-22 (22.04)

Unofficial

Unknown

Russian language, MATE desktop

Ubuntu GNOME

12.10

17.04

Discontinued official flavour

community

discontinued when mainstream Ubuntu switched to GNOME

Ubuntu Kylin

13.04

23.10

Official project

National University of Defense Technology
Canonical
Ubuntu Kylin Community

UKUI (Ubuntu Kylin User Interface)

Ubuntu Touch

1.0/13.10

20.04 OTA-3

Discontinued official project, now unofficial project

Canonical/UBports

Mobile OS

XPubuntu

14.04

14.04

Discontinued unofficial

ubuntu-james

Microsoft Windows XP lookalike

Ubuntu MATE

14.10

23.10

Official flavour since 15.04

Ubuntu MATE team

MATE desktop

Wubuntu
(Windows Ubuntu)

2014

11.4.3 (2023)

Unofficial

Unknown

Microsoft Windows 11 lookalike, with KDE Plasma 5 or Cinnamon desktop

Ubuntu Budgie

16.04

23.10

Official flavour since 16.10

Ubuntu Budgie Team

Budgie desktop

Retrobuntu

1.2 (16.04)

1.2 (16.04)

Discontinued unofficial

Unknown

For retrogaming, based on based on Xubuntu

Slybuntu

1.0 (16.04.2)

1.0 (16.04.2)

Discontinued unofficial

clatterfordslim

Based on Lubuntu

Kodibuntu

2016

2016

Discontinued unofficial

Unknown

Media viewer, based on Lubuntu

iBuntu

0.1 (2017)

2.1 (2022)

Unofficial

bofh85

Mac lookalike, KDE desktop

Ubuntu Unity

20.04

23.10

Official flavour since 22.10

Rudra Saraswat

Unity user interface

Bluebuntu

19.04.1.5.1

19.04.1.5.1

Discontinued unofficial

Louis Rosenblum

Windows 7 lookalike

UwUntu‎

19.05

22.10

Discontinued unofficial

Two anon Spanish IT students

Japanese themed

Ubuntu Cinnamon

19.10

23.10

Official flavour since 23.04

Joshua Peisach

Cinnamon desktop

Ubuntu Web

20.04

20.04.4

Discontinued unofficial

Rudra Saraswat

ChromeOS competitor

UbuntuEd

20.04

20.04

Discontinued unofficial

Rudra Saraswat

Edubuntu fill-in, discontinued when it was restarted


External links

Cubuntu 16.04 LTS

By Adam Hunt

, updated

Cubuntu is a Linux distribution that I always wanted to take a look at, but its development ended before I had a chance to try it out. It was developed by Eric Kranich of France, from to . It was only recently through ArchiveOS that I discovered that the last Cubuntu release, 16.04.3 LTS, out on , is still available!

Cubuntu was the first attempt to bring the Cinnamon desktop to Ubuntu and even though it did not become an official flavour and ultimately didn't survive, it did point the way for the later success of Ubuntu Cinnamon. Ubuntu Cinnamon was started in , two years after the Cubuntu project ended and ultimately went on to become an official flavour in early .

Cubuntu was started specifically to bring the then brand new Cinnamon desktop to Ubuntu. Cinnamon had been developed starting in 2011, by the Linux Mint developers, as a direct reaction to the GNOME Project introducing GNOME 3 as a replacement for the hugely popular GNOME 2, which Linux Mint and many other distributions used. At its introduction in GNOME 3 was hugely unpopular and Cinnamon was one of many answers to creating something better, along with MATE and Unity, as well. Project Cinnamon was started in and later that year Kranich started Cubuntu with the first release 12.04 LTS. It was also one of the first distributions to offer MATE, another GNOME 3 alternative that had only been launched in the summer of .

Kranich's vision was not to remove anything from Ubuntu, which by then was using the Unity interface. Instead he wanted to enhance Ubuntu, by offering a choice of desktops at installation, with Cinnamon as the default, plus many proprietary drivers, plugins and media codecs, GPU drivers and a slate of propriety applications, as well as extra free software applications. He termed it a 100% Ubuntu Ultimate Edition. The result is a very complete distribution, but one with some drawbacks, too.

Installation

I downloaded the 2.8 GB ISO file for Cubuntu from the official SourceForge page via https, since there is no BitTorrent version, and carried out an MD5 sum check on it from the command line to confirm the download was good. The MD5 sum was provided by ArchiveOS, but it did pass. No SHA256 sum is provided.

I ran Cubuntu 16.04.3 LTS from a USB stick, equipped with Ventoy 1.0.96. Cubuntu is not listed as officially supported by Ventoy, but it booted up just fine, regardless.

System requirements

None listed that I could find.

The most important consideration in running Cubuntu 16.04 LTS in is to use it on older hardware, as the included Linux kernel 4.10.0 does not include support for newer devices.

Features

As advertised, Cubuntu boots up to a live session with the default Cinnamon desktop. Cinnamon is a simple and easy to use interface that most people can figure out quickly. On installation, though, you get a choice of Cinnamon, Unity or MATE.

Cubuntu also comes with an applications dock that can be turned on from an icon on the panel and turned off from the dock itself. The dock is very Mac-like in that the icons swell when moused-over. Personally I find these docks annoying, as they add desktop clutter, but the good news is that this one is very easy to turn off.

One oddity is that on boot-up the splash screen says "Ubuntu". I guess it was never customized during Cubuntu's release history.

Even over several reboots I had issues with the Cinnamon menu. It worked fine with keyboard inputs, but didn't accept mouse clicks, just closing the menu instead of opening applications. Perhaps it was just my hardware, but this would be very annoying in an installation intended for daily use.

The keyboard layout on a live session is by default French, but this can be switched to English from the panel, which is good as an English keyboard does not work in French.

One of Cubuntu's biggest drawbacks is that out-of-the-box it only supports the French language, including for installation. This leaves a newly installed system as French-only, although other languages can be installed afterwards via Synaptic. Of course that does mean you have to be able to read enough French to accomplish that.

I think that these drawbacks explain why Cubuntu never caught on to any great degree and probably why as a project why it only lasted five years, before dying out.

Settings

Cubuntu does come with a wealth of settings available for user customization, including 48 wallpapers, five cursor styles, 13 icon sets and an amazing total of 56 window colour themes, although most of them don't work right. The default window theme is called Cubuntu and is an attractive light theme.

Applications

Some of the applications included with Cubuntu 16.04 LTS are:

* indicates proprietary software

There are three proprietary applications here, the Google Chrome web browser, Skype video conferencing client and the Spotify audio streaming client. I suspect these inclusions did not thrill free software advocates, especially Skype which these days is considered spyware.

Otherwise the list of included free software applications is very complete, although it does include some redundancies, such as two web browsers and three terminal emulators!

Because this is the Cinnamon desktop the file manager is Nemo 2.8.6, a fork of Nautilus, with much of the functionality and user customization settings that had been removed from Nautilus restored.

Cubuntu includes the LibreOffice office suite, which, as in mainstream Ubuntu itself, is complete except for the LibreOffice Base database program. It is probably the least-used part of LibreOffice, but can be installed if required.

Conclusions

Overall Cubuntu was not a bad concept in that it aimed to provide a choice of desktops, with the excellent Cinnamon desktop as default, plus MATE and Unity. It provided a lot of applications in the ISO file and most of the needed media codecs as well. Its downfall seemed to be its default French language-only installation and its unnecessary inclusion of non-free applications, which tends to annoy Linux users.

With Cubuntu 16.04.3 LTS still available for download, today you could still run it on older hardware, although standard support has run out and it only has extended support available. That said, these days Cubuntu is mostly just a piece of Linux history. In many ways it was a predecessor of three modern and currently quite successful Ubuntu-based distributions, Ubuntu MATE introduced in , Ubuntu Cinnamon in and Ubuntu Unity in . Cubuntu was a good effort for its time, now gone, but not totally forgotten.

External links

The Dell Latitude 7490 Laptop

By Adam Hunt

, updated

After only 27 months, my System76 Galago Pro laptop was showing some premature aging, as it landed in a local repair shop for a month, needing a keyboard replacement. The delay was getting parts from System76, not installing them which took under an hour. Given its hefty price tag, I was hoping it would last at least five years in service. Perhaps now that it is fixed it will last some time yet.

I have a desktop computer running Ubuntu 22.04 LTS that I use for a back-up, but it is now 12 years old and may not last much longer, either. I thought having a newer back-up computer might be a smart idea.

I found a pretty good deal on a refurbished Dell Latitude 7490 laptop at The Trailing Edge, here in Ottawa. They sell refurbs that have been returned from government or business use. The price for a used Dell Latitude 7490 was one third of the new price and also one third of the price of my Galago Pro.

Features

The Dell Latitude 7490 was sold from until about and intended for business use. It is a tough unit, well-built and solid, including a robust keyboard.

I had the laptop upgraded to 32 GB of RAM with a Sandisk 512 GB NVMe solid state hard disk and combined with the Intel quad core, eight thread i7-8650U 4.2 GHz Kaby Lake R processor it runs very smoothly.

The laptop has some interesting features, like a 180° hinge, a caps lock light, dual mouse buttons above and below the touchpad, and a keyboard-mounted cursor slew button. The case is rubberized, too, which makes it quite non-slip.

Advantages

In using the Dell Latitude 7490 now for seven months I can say that these are the advantages it has over my System76 Galago Pro:

Operating systems

The laptop came with a brand new, clean hard drive, with no operating system installed, which suited me fine. Prior to installing the operating system the BIOS required two adjustments: turning off secure boot and setting the new drive so it was not listed as a RAID array.

I had planned to use Pop!_OS 22.04 LTS on it, but ran into the widely-reported crash issues with Pop and so I switched over to Ubuntu Cinnamon 23.10. Ubuntu Cinnamon is very elegant, easy to use and also is less of a RAM-hog than Pop is, idling at only 1.4 GB instead of Pop's 3.9 GB. The next release of Pop may fix that problem with its new Rust-based COSMIC DE, whenever it comes out, as a release date has not been announced yet.

Ubuntu Cinnamon also seems to to totally fix the Pop Firefox-spellchecking-menu-overlapping-the-top-panel-issue, as the menus stay on the screen and Ubuntu Cinnamon has no top panel to cause menu interference. Furthermore, the Alt-Tab application switcher works much better on Ubuntu Cinnamon than on Pop, too.

Dell Latitude 7490
Booting to Ventoy

When I first installed Ubuntu Cinnamon 23.10 on my Dell Latitude 7490 I used Ventoy 1.0.96 and it booted up and installed just fine. When I tried installing Ubuntu Cinnamon 24.04 LTS using Ventoy 1.0.97 it would not boot up and instead produced either a blank screen or an interference pattern. I tried it again with Ventoy 1.0.98 and the same blank screen issue showed up. The same USB stick with Ventoy booted up fine on two other computers, so I knew it was hardware specific. I managed to solve it by booting to safe graphics instead and that worked fine, including testing an installation.

Crash on waking

One issue I ran into with the Latitude 7490 was crashes on coming out of sleep, plus some random lock-ups and crashes, that often required several reboots to get it working again.

There is a lot of documentation about this issue, including:

I did not find any consistent answers, but lots of suggestions. Some people said disabling swap fixed it, others said a BIOS adjustment for eliminating deep sleep, reverting to an earlier Linux kernel 5.4 (or earlier - we are on 6.5.0-14) or upgrading to a newer kernel, adding kernel parameters, plus some other possibilities. Also some Windows users reported the same crash-on-wake issue.

I tried temporarily disabling swap and then disabling the BIOS deep sleep settings, but those didn't solve it.

The next thing I tried was editing the Grub boot parameters, since a number of the above links mentioned that as a successful solution. In particular Linux Reviews indicated: "Intel "Baytrail" chips and some other low-powered chips have a hardware flaw which makes them randomly hang when deeper CPU sleep states are enabled. Using the intel_idle.max_cstate=1 kernel parameter is a known workaround. Some Kaby Lake Refresh chips are also affected" and also "i915.enable_dc=0 disables GPU power management. This does solve random hangs on certain Intel systems, notably Goldmount and Kaby Lake Refresh chips. Using this parameter does result in higher power use and shorter battery life on laptops/notebooks." Arch Linux wiki agreed. However, at least one commenter said: "It's been recommended to set enable_dc=0 for certain Intel CPUs to prevent catastrophic crashes. However, the statements about the power usage penalty are misleading. That parameter only controls the power management for the Display Controller and NOT the GPU core power, so the power usage is penalty is not that high. In fact, the penalty for doing so is likely to be minuscule (in the order of a few hundred milliwatts at worst)."

So I tried it. I opened the Nemo file manager as root with:

$ sudo nemo

navigated to:

/etc/default/grub

opened it in the gedit text editor and then went to line 10, which says:

GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX_DEFAULT="quiet splash"

and then added the two new boot parameters:

intel_idle.max_cstate=1

i915.enable_dc=0

to read:

GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX_DEFAULT="quiet splash intel_idle.max_cstate=1 i915.enable_dc=0"

Note the syntax, as the new parameters go inside the quotation marks. After adding that I then ran:

$ sudo update-grub

to cause the boot-up sequence to use that and it fixed the issue, no more crashes or lock-ups!

Conclusions

Overall I really like the Latitude 7490, it is a solid and well-built laptop and with the crash issue fixed, it is pretty much an ideal Linux laptop computer.

External links

Pop!_OS → Ubuntu Cinnamon

By Adam Hunt

, updated

On I picked up a refurbished Dell Latitude 7490 laptop while my System76 Galago Pro is in the shop with a keyboard issue and also to keep as a back-up. The Latitude 7490 is quite nice and solidly put together.

My initial intention was install Pop!_OS 22.04 LTS, which I did, but it just kept locking up and crashing and was completely unusable, even crashing on many boot-ups. I had seen this too, on the Pop installation on my Galago Pro, but I did a re-installation on that laptop and that seemed to solve it.

In searching the internet I discovered many dozens of posts and bug reports with hundreds of users reporting the same issue. Many suggestions have been made on how to fix it, but none of them seem to work. Likewise, where the fault lies is also a matter of debate, too, but gnome-shell may possibly be implicated. Many people just seem to have given up and moved on to other distros. The developers seem to be addressing it by working on a new version of the Pop desktop, COSMIC DE, written in Rust, which will hopefully solve it some time soon, but there is no release date yet.

Since I had to move to something else, my solution was to install Ubuntu Cinnamon 23.10, as I had the ISO file on hand and since it does not use gnome-shell in its desktop, unlike Ubuntu 23.10. The installation went well and I created a new checklist for it, including addressing the main criticism in my review, that it comes with a lot of duplicate software and a ton of games, which makes for a lot of menu clutter. Obviously tastes vary, but I really like much more minimal installations, with only what I need for work and without any games. As a result I wrote an APT command to remove what I didn't want:

sudo apt remove aisleriot alacritty brasero celluloid deja-dup five-or-more four-in-a-row gimp gnome-2048 gnome-calendar gnome-chess gnome-klotski gnome-mahjongg gnome-mines gnome-nibbles gnome-photos gnome-robots gnome-sudoku gnome-taquin gnome-tetravex gnote gthumb iagno imagemagick imagemagick-6-common imagemagick-6.q16 hexchat hitori libmagickcore-6.q16-6 libmagickwand-6.q16-6 lightsoff pidgin quadrapassel remmina sound-juicer swell-foop tali thunderbird

That certainly cleaned out the menus! Feel free to use it, if it would help scrub your installation, too.

I also added some applications which I do use:

sudo apt install filezilla gufw gprename imgp kdenlive mtpaint whois

I have found the Nemo 5.8.4 file manager is actually quite impressive. It is, of course, a fork of Nautilus (GNOME Files) and brings back a lot of the functionality and user configuration choices that Nautilus once had, before it was greatly oversimplified. I think a feature that is unique in file managers is the choices at Edit→ Preferences→ Toolbar, which allows adding more tools or removing them all one-by-one, for a resulting very simple interface. If you remove the "views" and navigation buttons these features are still available via keyboard shortcuts; very elegant and flexible. The only thing Nemo lacks is bulk file renaming, which is why I added GPRename. GPRename is very flexible and offers almost every way of bulk renaming files. The only thing it lacks is a thumbnail capability, which would be handy.

The snap version of Firefox is actually working much better in 23.10 than it did in 22.04 LTS. It opens much more quickly, downloads updates in the background and the lets you know to close Firefox and then when it has been updated and may be reopened. As a bonus Firefox also no longer crashes when opening files from the browser. It is actually quite functional and not annoying!

Outstanding issues

Interestingly Ubuntu Cinnamon actually works better than Pop!_OS 22.04 LTS in many ways:

Idle RAM
The Pop!_OS 22.04 LTS idle RAM after a fresh reboot, with no applications open, is quite high at 3.9 GB. Ubuntu Cinnamon idles at 1.4 GB.
In use RAM
With a few typical desktop, daily use applications open, such as Firefox, OpenOffice Writer and gedit, Pop!_OS 22.04 LTS typically uses about 12 GB of RAM. With the same applications open Ubuntu Cinnamon uses about 6 GB.
Firefox spellchecking menu overlap with top panel
With no top panel, Ubuntu Cinnamon does not suffer from this issue.
Alt-Tab functioning
In most Linux distros, using Alt-Tab shows and cycles through all open windows, but Pop is configured differently so that this features does not work well. It shows only one entry per application, even if multiple instances are open, requiring selecting those by touchpad. This makes this feature pretty cumbersome and useless. For instance, cycling between normal and private Firefox windows is not possible. You need to use the Pop launcher instead, which is not as efficient. On Ubuntu Cinnamon Alt-Tab works properly.
Window snapping
With Ubuntu Cinnamon this annoying feature can be turned off.
New issues

I have only found one new issue:

Opening files in Eye of Gnome
When opening images in the Eye of Gnome (EOG) image viewer, it will start with the first image in the file, not the one you clicked on, although you can arrow key to the one you want. If there are a lot of images in the folder it can take a while, though. I have found a workaround for this issue, by setting the default application to open images to mtPaint instead of EOG, it is possible to right click on an image and open it in EOG and then it will display the correct image. This also makes opening images for editing much faster.
Conclusions

As I noted in my detailed review, Ubuntu Cinnamon is a very clean, elegant and simple distribution with lots of customization available. It is easy to use and works well. Since the hardware lock-up and crash issues were fixed by changing the Grub boot parameters, it has run smoothly and reliably. I am happy running it as an alternative to Pop.

UwUntu 22.10

By Adam Hunt

UwUntu is an unofficial Ubuntu derivative that was started as a class project by two Spanish student developers. So far it has had two releases, 21.05 "Mochi Mango" based on Ubuntu 20.04 LTS and 22.10 "Leo Dango" based on Ubuntu Budgie 22.04. It is not clear if there will be further releases to follow or not.

The background is summed up as:

We really did this as a school project on our free time, cause we wanted to create an OS that was to our exact liking, but then we invested more and more time in the project like, built the website, released the OS on the internet just to see if people liked it, etc and as it was a good name to play with, we were lucky enough to find people who liked it.

They also stated in their initial 21.05 release announcement on Reddit, "we wanted this distribution to be as weaboo as possible, furthermore, we wanted to use it once we ended the development, so we gave everything we had into the project."

It is worth explaining that "Weeaboo is a mostly derogatory slang term for a Western person who is obsessed with Japanese culture, especially anime, often regarding it as superior to all other cultures."

So given that cultural positioning, let's see how the end result turned out.

UwUntu was built using Cubic (Custom Ubuntu ISO Creator), which is a GUI-based wizard that allows easy creation of a customized live Ubuntu or Debian-based ISO image.

Installation

I downloaded the 5.0 GB ISO file for UwUntu from the official Google Drive page (yes, Google Drive) via https, since there is no BitTorrent version, and carried out an SHA256 sum check on it from the command line to confirm the download was good.

It is worth noting that the official downloads are hosted in three places, each of them file sharing sites that provide free services: Google Drive, MediaFire and Mega.nz. I guess that is one way to save hosting bandwidth costs.

I ran UwUntu 22.10 from a USB stick, equipped with Ventoy 1.0.96. UwUntu is not listed as supported, but Ubuntu Budgie is officially supported by Ventoy and it booted up just fine.

System requirements

The recommended system requirements for UwUntu 22.10 are:

Features

Given the background and the aims stated, you would think that UwUntu would look a lot like Moebuntu, which "is a customized Ubuntu (Linux OS) desktop environment for Moe-fan. This site tells you how to customize your desktop looks moe-moe." Moe-moe is "a Japanese word that refers to feelings of strong affection mainly towards characters in anime, manga, video games, and other media directed at the otaku market." And if you thought that UwUntu would look like that, you would be dead wrong.

In fact, out-of-the-box UwUntu has no indications of Japanese culture. Instead what you get is a close-to-stock version of Ubuntu Budgie 20.04 LTS, with some additional Japanese wallpapers and an application mix that favours gaming, some new window themes and that is about it. Sure you can use the provided alternate wallpaper of Mount Fiji in place of the default dog wallpaper, but does that make you a weeaboo?

UwUntu does seem to have simplified Ubuntu Budgie's messy and confusing user settings and that is a good thing.

Settings

UwUntu 22.10 has an expanded range of 22 window colour themes, with the default one a dark theme, Vimix-dark-beryl. There are light themes, though, like Vimix or Vimix-ruby.

There are also 12 icon sets, four cursor styles and 16 included wallpapers. The wallpapers are three UwUntu ones, 12 Japanese themed ones and one Windows XP Bliss wallpaper parody which at least shows the devs do have a sense of humour.

Applications

Some of the applications included with UwUntu 22.10 are:

* indicates proprietary software
** supplied as a flatpak, so version depends on the upstream package manager

There are a few unexpected packages here, including two proprietary ones, the Discord messaging voice and video client and the Spotify audio streaming client. While practical, this will not thrill free software advocates. Also notable is the free software Steam 1.0.0.75 gaming platform. It is worth adding that while the client is free software, most of the games available are proprietary.

Unlike all the official Ubuntu flavours, UwUntu 22.10 provides Firefox as a flatpak instead of as a snap package.

UwUntu 22.10 includes the LibreOffice 7.3.6 office suite, which is complete except for the LibreOffice Base database program. It is probably the least-used part of LibreOffice, but can be installed if needed.

Conclusions

UwUntu 22.10 is a Linux distribution that does not really offer much over its Ubuntu Budgie base than a few extra packages, some wallpapers and themes. While it does simplify some Budgie settings, I think it is hard to make the case that this is a new distribution and not just Ubuntu Budgie with a few tweaks and new wallpaper. Wallpaper does not a Linux distro make. That said, it does work for daily use.

One unanswered question is, will UwUntu continue? With only two releases, will there be a third one? Time will tell if this has some following or whether it was just a school project that did not survive graduation.

External links

Ubuntu MATE 23.10

By Adam Hunt

, updated

Another official member of the Ubuntu family that I have never reviewed before is Ubuntu MATE. It is yet another result of the introduction of GNOME 3 and the people who hated it.

From its introduction in , GNOME 2 quickly became a very popular desktop and was widely used across many Linux distributions, including being Ubuntu's first desktop. When the GNOME developers decided to take something that was just about perfect and completely break it, that caused users and developers to rebel, resulting in a plethora of new desktops as solutions, including Cinnamon and Unity and MATE.

The MATE desktop was started by a developer from Argentina, named Perberos, who decided to fork GNOME 2 and continue it, as his solution to GNOME 3. The initial release of the new desktop was on , just four months after GNOME 3 came out. It became an official Debian desktop on and part of Arch Linux in .

Developers Martin Wimpress and Alan Pope decided to create an Ubuntu derivative using the MATE desktop, with the motto, "for a retrospective future". They started with a base of Ubuntu 14.10 and a first release on . In an unusual move, Ubuntu MATE 14.04 LTS was released 19 days later, on , after 14.10, to provide the benefits of a long term support version. With version 15.04 Ubuntu MATE became an official Ubuntu flavour. Today they have lots of help as a community of developers has coalesced around Ubuntu MATE.

Wimpress has also been working on a project to produce a dedicated spin of Debian that will have a MATE desktop that is as good as the version that Ubuntu MATE has.

Incidentally the desktop is named for a traditional South American high-caffeine tea drink, mate, made from the yerba mate (Ilex paraguariensis) plant, so it is properly pronounced mah-tay and not the English mate, although that term for "friend" does not seem at all inappropriate for this user-friendly desktop. Because of its South American origins, many components of the desktop, forked from GNOME, were given Spanish names. For instance the Atril PDF viewer means "lectern", the Caja file manager means "box" and the Engrampa file archiver is Spanish for "staple".

Of note, the project writes MATE with all capital letters, even though it is not an acronym, just to make it fit in with some of the other desktop names, like GNOME, KDE and LXDE (but not like LXQt, Xfce or Cinnamon). It also later devised an English recursive backronym to retroactively explain the use of the capital letters: "MATE Advanced Traditional Environment".

Even though the original GNOME 2 three menu system has more recently given way to a single MATE menu, Ubuntu MATE is the flavour that is still closest to the original version of Ubuntu 4.10 Warty Warthog, which came out in with the GNOME 2 desktop. The use of GNOME 2 on Ubuntu lasted six years, with the last version Ubuntu 10.10. In , Ubuntu 11.04 switched to Unity to avoid GNOME 3 and then, with the release of Ubuntu 17.04, in turn dropped Unity for a modified version of GNOME 3, which had somewhat improved by then. So if you liked the early GNOME 2 Ubuntu releases from 4.10 to 10.10, you will probably love Ubuntu MATE.

Ubuntu MATE 23.10 is the project's 20th release and after ten years this can now be considered a pretty mature distribution. 23.10 is an interim release and so is supported for just nine months. Next out will be the LTS release, Ubuntu MATE 24.04 LTS, due out on .

Installation

I downloaded the 3.6 GB Ubuntu MATE 23.10 ISO file from the official website via HTTP, as the BitTorrents had been shut down. Once I had the file downloaded I carried out an SHA256 sum check on it from the command line to make sure it was an uncorrupted download.

I dropped the Ubuntu MATE 23.10 ISO file onto a USB stick, equipped with Ventoy 1.0.96 and booted it up. Ubuntu MATE is listed as officially supported by Ventoy and, as expected, it worked fine.

System requirements

The Ubuntu MATE website lists the minimum hardware as:

The recommended hardware is:

As well Raspberry Pi B models are supported, including Raspberry Pi 2, 3, 3+ and 4 (all memory sizes).

Features

MATE is very close to the old GNOME 2 desktop, with the exception of the menu. Originally it had the old GNOME 2 triple menus (Applications, Places and System), but today it has a single, unified menu. The menu is simple to use, allows searching, but cannot be resized. The menu system will make MATE an easy transition for people coming from Windows.

Ubuntu MATE retains the two panels that GNOME 2 had, one at the top of the screen and the other at the bottom. Most other desktops have moved to a single panel. The bottom panel can be deleted, but then you have to rely on alt-tab to find open applications. It can be restored by right-clicking on the remaining panel and then selecting "reset all panels".

Overall what you get with MATE is a very simple desktop that just works, without any gimmicks. It is pretty much as unobtrusive as any desktop can be.

New

As the latest singular release, Ubuntu MATE 23.10 brings only a few very minor bug fixes and small improvements. For example caja-rename 23.10.1-1 has been ported from Python to the C programming language. Most users won't notice!

I think the lack of substantial changes means that after ten years of releases, the developers and the users are pretty happy with how Ubuntu MATE is working these days. Given that MATE was spawned by a group of GNOME developers making radical changes to GNOME 2 to create the debacle of the GNOME 3 rollout, I would not expect to see large scale changes in MATE ever, as it is fundamentally all about not changing things.

This release continues the recent trend of including at least one AI-generated wallpaper. For this release codename of Mantic Minotaur the wallpaper was generated using Stable Diffusion XL by a friend of Ubuntu MATE founder Martin Wimpress, who is the Head of Research Platforms at Queen Mary University, in London, Simon Butcher.

Settings

Ubuntu MATE has a default green-coloured theme, including the default wallpaper for 23.10, but with 23 window themes and 28 wallpapers provided, including the aforementioned Minotaur wallpaper, there are lots of choices here for customization. It is not hard to change it using the MATE Control Center which gathers all the settings into one convenient place.

The Plank desktop dock is installed by default and can easily be turned on by opening the Plank preferences if you want a dock. It is easy to turn off, too, just right click "quit" on it.

Applications

Some of the applications included with Ubuntu MATE 23.10 are:

* indicates same application version as used in Ubuntu MATE 23.04
** supplied as a snap, so version depends on the upstream package manager

Most of the default applications are MATE forks originally from the GNOME desktop. It uses the MATE desktop's own Caja file manager, in place of the standard GNOME file manager, Nautilus. Caja is actually an earlier fork of Nautilus, with some of Nautilus' deleted features reinstated, like the "up one level" button. It also has bulk file renaming, which is useful.

The inclusion of Software Boutique 0+git.0fdcecc is worth mentioning. This is a custom Snap package, but hosted on github and not snapcraft.io, which is the usual place for Ubuntu Snaps. Software Boutique is an attempt to produced a better software store for MATE than GNOME software or Ubuntu Software is.

Like the other Ubuntu flavours, Ubuntu MATE 23.10 includes the LibreOffice 7.6.2 office suite, which is complete, except for LibreOffice Base, the database program. It is probably the least-used part of LibreOffice, but it can be installed if needed.

The list of default applications provided is fairly complete, but not excessive. For most new desktop users there is not much missing, perhaps just a video editor?

Conclusions

Ubuntu MATE is obviously aimed at people who loved GNOME 2, but it will also appeal to users who are looking for a very simple Linux distribution with a classic menu system. In this regard it is competing with Kubuntu, Lubuntu, Xubuntu, Ubuntu Cinnamon and Ubuntu Budgie , all of which have very similar menu systems.

Overall Ubuntu MATE 23.10 is a well-polished and solid release with no real detractions. While it is not going to appeal to users looking for zing, bling and gimmicks, if you are looking for a distribution that stays out if the way and lets you work, Ubuntu MATE is worth a look.

The next release will be an LTS version, Ubuntu MATE 24.04 LTS, with three years of support, out on .

External links

Ubuntu Cinnamon 23.10

By Adam Hunt

, updated

There are a couple of official flavours of Ubuntu that I have never looked at and I thought it was time to rectify that. One of these is Ubuntu Cinnamon, which uses the Cinnamon desktop developed for Linux Mint.

The Cinnamon desktop has a long and storied history and how it came to Ubuntu is a complex story.

Like the MATE desktop and Unity, the Cinnamon desktop was created as a reaction to the switch by the GNOME developers from the traditional GNOME 2 desktop to GNOME 3, which happened in . GNOME 2 had been a simple three menu desktop, while GNOME 3 uses a dock and also simplified many desktop elements to the point of complete non-functionality.

GNOME 3 was what happens when software, like GNOME 2, gets to a state where it is pretty much perfect. Developers can't just leave it alone and they end up breaking it. A lot of people loved GNOME 2, but absolutely hated GNOME 3 when it first came out and that led to a flurry of solutions.

It is probably worth adding that in the 12 years since its introduction GNOME 3 has improved. There are still people who don't like it, but it is more functional now than it was in .

The first reaction by the Linux Mint developers was to create Mint GNOME Shell Extensions (MGSE), but while it did fix some issues with GNOME 3, as a solution it was incomplete and not well received by users. Instead GNOME 3 was forked and Project Cinnamon started in January 2012 instead. Various GNOME 3 applications were also forked, including the Mutter window manager to Muffin and the Nautilus (GNOME Files) file manager to Nemo. With the release of Cinnamon 2.0 in the new desktop became independent of GNOME 3. It remains the main desktop for Linux Mint.

A lot of its popularity on Linux Mint is that Cinnamon is a classic menu-driven desktop and is an easy transition for Windows users to make.

Not long after Cinnamon was started there were a number of calls to create an Ubuntu derivative using the new desktop. One early effort was called Cubuntu, which was started by Eric Kranich in 2012. Its first release was Cubuntu 12.04 and the last was Cubuntu 16.04.3, out on .

Developer Joshua Peisach started another effort in , with a first release as Ubuntu Cinnamon Remix 19.10, out on . It was soon renamed just Ubuntu Cinnamon and gained official Ubuntu flavour status on in time for Ubuntu Cinnamon 23.04, its eighth release.

Ubuntu Cinnamon 23.10 was released on and is the distribution's ninth release. As an interim release it is supported for nine months, until . Next up will be the long term support release, Ubuntu Cinnamon 24.04 LTS which is due out on .

Installation

I downloaded the ISO file for Ubuntu Cinnamon from the official website via HTTP, as BitTorrent was not working this late after the official release date, due to lack of participants. Once I had the file I carried out an SHA256 sum check on it from the command line to make sure it was a good download. The ISO file was 4.1 GB in size.

I put the Ubuntu Cinnamon 23.10 ISO file onto a USB stick, equipped with Ventoy 1.0.96 and booted it up from there. Ubuntu Cinnamon is not listed as officially supported by Ventoy, but it worked fine, regardless.

System requirements

None listed, that I could find, but it is probably safe to assume that it is the same as Ubuntu 23.10, a minimum of:

Features

The key feature in Ubuntu Cinnamon is the menu, which replaces GNOME 3's launcher and menus. The Cinnamon menu has some quick links down the left side for things like Firefox and the reboot switch, and then specific lists of all applications, accessories, games, graphics, internet, office, sound and video, administration, preferences, places and recent files, all on the right side. Like in Xubuntu, the menu can also be resized.

The preferences section of the menu provides a list of each setting area and then clicking on one opens the individual setting box. Unlike on the GNOME 3 desktop, which has a single, long settings interface, on Cinnamon each setting box stands on its own, linked only from the main menu or from the System Settings box. From a user perspective, it actually works well like that and probably makes it more modular and thus easier to maintain as well as add to for the developers.

While it is not GNOME 2, with its three menu system, Ubuntu Cinnamon is very simple and easy to use, and makes up for the deficiencies in both GNOME 3 and Ubuntu.

As in mainstream Ubuntu and unlike in vanilla GNOME, Ubuntu Cinnamon has three buttons on its windows for minimize, maximize and close.

New

New in this release is Cinnamon 5.8.4 which replaces 5.6.7 used in the last release. This new version supports gestures using KDE's touchegg and brings some changes to the themes module that allows making simplified themes.

One other change is to the Plymouth Theme displayed text at sign-in, which now says Ubuntu Cinnamon instead of ubuntucinnamon, and that the bottom of the text is not truncated.

Otherwise, this release uses Linux kernel 6.5 with its new hardware support and has updated applications from the Ubuntu repositories.

Settings

Unlike mainstream Ubuntu 23.10, which has very limited user choices, Ubuntu Cinnamon gives a lot of scope for customization. User settings are all contained in one main System Settings menu, although the settings boxes themselves are all modular and can be accessed from the Cinnamon main menu directly. It is a unique system that probably makes developer modifications much easier.

Some of the options include three different mouse pointer themes, 35 window themes, 32 icon themes, 29 desktop themes (which set the panel colours) and 37 wallpapers organized into 22 categories! That wide range of choices puts it in the same class as Kubuntu and Ubuntu Unity.

The default wallpaper for 23.10 includes the Ubuntu Minotaur and labyrinth design. The rest of the wallpapers provided are an eclectic collection from many sources, including Ubuntu and even some from Debian with the Debian curl logo on them. I guess that is a fair inclusion, as Ubuntu Cinnamon is a true Debian derivative, via Ubuntu.

One useful setting adjustment is that the bottom panel can be adjusted in size over quite a large range, allowing it to be made much narrower or wider. The icons on the panel size automatically.

Applications

Some of the applications included with Ubuntu Cinnamon 23.10 are:

* indicates same application version as used in Ubuntu Cinnamon 23.04
** supplied as a snap, so version depends on the upstream package manager

As can be seen most of the default applications are from the GNOME desktop. Ubuntu Cinnamon uses the Cinnamon desktop's own Nemo file manager, in place of the standard Gnome file manager, Nautilus. Nemo is actually an earlier fork of Nautilus, with some of Nautilus' deleted features reinstated, like the "up one level" button. It does not, however, have bulk file renaming, so adding a standalone bulk file renamer, such as GPRename might be a good idea.

Ubuntu Cinnamon 23.10 includes the LibreOffice 7.6.2 office suite, which is complete, except for LibreOffice Base, the database program. It is probably the least-used part of LibreOffice, but it can be installed if desired.

As an aside, it is worth knowing that GNOME Tweaks does not work on Cinnamon, as it requires GNOME shell to work.

The list of default applications is quite long and includes just about anything a desktop user could want, except perhaps a video editor. There are a lot of applications included that duplicate other applications, like two terminal emulators, two image viewers, two image editors, two software package managers and three video players. There are also 19 games included. I would probably have a long list of things to remove to make Ubuntu Cinnamon lighter and its menu lists shorter. A "minimal installation" version, like Ubuntu and Xubuntu have, might be a good idea.

I have tried to create my own "minimal installation" version by writing an APT command to remove much of the duplication and all of the games.

Conclusions

Ubuntu Cinnamon will appeal to users who are looking for a simple Linux distribution with a classic menu system. In many ways it is competing with Kubuntu, Lubuntu, Xubuntu, Ubuntu MATE and Ubuntu Budgie , which all have comparable menu systems. With its similarities, Ubuntu Cinnamon would be an easy transition for Windows users to make.

Overall Ubuntu Cinnamon 23.10 is a good, solid release with very few vices. It is quite elegant and simple to use. Perhaps its only drawback is its long list of default applications with many functional duplicates there. I think many users will want to remove at least some of those to reduce menu clutter.

The next version expected will be the LTS release, Ubuntu Cinnamon 24.04 LTS, due out on .

External links

Ubuntu Budgie 23.10

By Adam Hunt

Ubuntu Budgie 23.10 was released on and is the third and final interim release in this release cycle. This is also the distribution's 16th overall release. As an interim release it is supported for nine months, until .

Next out will be the long term support release, which completes this development cycle. Ubuntu Budgie 24.04 LTS is due out on .

Installation

I downloaded the ISO file for Ubuntu Budgie from the official website via BitTorrent and carried out an SHA256 sum check on it from the command line to make sure it was a good download. The ISO file was 3.9 GB to download, which is an increase of 500 MB over Ubuntu Budgie 23.04's 3.4 GB.

I dropped the Ubuntu Budgie 23.04 ISO file onto a USB stick, equipped with Ventoy 1.0.96 and booted it up from there. Ubuntu Budgie is officially supported by Ventoy, so it is no surprise that it works fine.

System requirements

The recommended minimum system requirements for Ubuntu Budgie 23.10 have not changed and remain:

New

The Ubuntu Budgie developers have been busy during this whole release cycle and there have been quite a number of changes incorporated, including some new things in 23.10.

This release uses the new Budgie desktop 10.8, which brings improvements to the alternative Budgie Menu, the alternative application indicator StatusNotifier that can be added to the panel, plus introduces the new Magpie 0.9.3 window manager.

Magpie came about as a result of project issues with how Gnome's Mutter window manager was being administered. Budgie was using the budgie-wm on top of Mutter, to handle specialty Budgie features. Last minute changes in Mutter for each release resulted in a requirement for last minute changes in budgie-wm, plus incorporating older regressions so Budgie can still run on X11, instead of Wayland. As Mutter moved on to Wayland support, this got harder and harder and so the Budgie team decided to fork Mutter at Gnome 43, which saved a lot of regression catch-ups. Future plans include a Magpie 1.0 version with full Wayland support, which will have Budgie's own desktop needs already built in, simplifying making the desktop work right. That is the short version of the tale, but there are a lot more background details on Magpie in the 23.10 release notes.

The Budgie Trash Applet was previously a third party addition developed by Buddies of Budgie team member Evan Maddock. It has now been incorporated into and made a default feature of the Budgie desktop. It improves file deletion and also restoration, when needed.

Other changes include PolicyKit graphical privilege escalation, battery indicator status applet selections added and Appindicators that can be added to the panel in lieu of the Status Notifier applet. The system tray also now uses the Status Notifier specification for better presentation of tray symbols. There is a new design Budgie Control Center with many upgrades and fixes. As well there have been changes to the themes, which are now using green as the highlight colour instead of blue, plus that the Kvantum and Murrine themes are now hidden inside the Budgie Desktop Settings. There are also a lot of other small changes and refinements in this release.

The new default wallpaper, ("budgie-codename"), is a modified version of the standard Budgie spacey-looking wallpaper ("ubuntu_budgie_wallpaper1") that has been in use since Ubuntu Budgie 19.04. In Ubuntu Budgie 23.04 that standard wallpaper included a lobster, which was a nod to the release's code name of Lunar Lobster. This time, for Mantic Minotaur, the Ubuntu 23.10 Minotaur and labyrinth design has been added to the space wallpaper. Perhaps this is a trend? This release has 35 wallpapers provided, only one of which has the Minotaur theme, though.

Settings

This release also has many theme updates and changes.

As before, Budgie Desktop Settings is where you find the window themes, oddly under Style → Widgets. There are 14 window themes provided, with the default one still as Pocillo-dark. There are some good light themes provided, including Pocillo-light. There are also styling preferences (light or dark); ten icon styles, with Pocillo as the default; two cursor styles and four notification positions to choose from, one in each screen corner, with top right as default.

Budgie Makeovers & Layouts is where you find complete one button wallpaper, window theme and icon packages, now with nine to choose from, although only three are installed, while the remaining six have to be downloaded for use.

Budgie Extras is where the desktop applets are hidden. This time there are 35 applets included, one less than in the last release. These add things like clocks, calendars, weather and other functionality to the desktop. On Kubuntu these would be called "widgets".

There is also the Budgie Control Center, which is a modified form of Gnome Settings. Here you can configure such features as wifi, wallpaper, sound and power settings.

As can be seen, the settings are still scattered all over the place and are quite confusing. This is the one area where Ubuntu Budgie could really use some serious work, having the settings all in one place would make life a lot easier for users, especially for new users.

As in past releases, there is a small Mac-like dock at the bottom of the screen, called Plank, which works okay, if you like docks. It will hide if a window touches it. Settings for it can be accessed by right clicking on the dock itself. One of the settings is "quit" which closes it, but then closing it also means you have no list of open applications or access to minimized applications, other than using alt-tab. It can be turned on again, just by opening Plank Preferences.

The main menu can be set to either show application tiles in alphanumerical order or as icons by category.

Applications

Some of the applications included with Ubuntu Budgie 23.10 are:

* indicates same application version as used in Ubuntu Budgie 23.04
** supplied as a snap, so version depends on the upstream package manager

This time around there are no changes to the suite of default applications provided, just some updated versions. As can be seen the applications are a mix from Gnome 43, 44 and 45, MATE, Cinnamon, plus independent projects such as Guvcview, Thunderbird and Firefox.

Ubuntu Budgie 23.10 uses the Cinnamon desktop's Nemo file manager, in place of the standard Gnome file manager, Nautilus. Nemo looks good and works just fine, but is missing integral bulk file renaming, which is a fairly important feature for a file manager to still be lacking today. Adding a stand-alone bulk file renamer, like GPRename would be a good way to address that.

Ubuntu Budgie 23.10 includes the LibreOffice 7.6.2 office suite, which is complete, except for LibreOffice Base, the database program. It is probably the least-used part of LibreOffice, but it can be installed if desired.

Conclusions

Ubuntu Budgie continues to appeal to users looking for a distribution with a more classic menu system and in that regard is really competing with Kubuntu 23.10 and Xubuntu 23.10.

Ubuntu Budgie 23.10 is a nice, solid release; it looks good and it works well. Its only fault is really its highly scattered user settings. It will be interesting to see if the current fast pace of changes continues right into the LTS release, Ubuntu Budgie 24.04 LTS, which is expected on .

External links

Ubuntu Unity 23.10

By Adam Hunt

There are two things that developers behind a Linux distribution can do to help out software reviewers and make it easier for us to tell the story of their latest release. The first one is to provide a screenshot tool in the default ISO file and the second one is to provide release notes with a list of what is new, so we can check over the changes and report on them. At least Ubuntu Unity 23.10 has a screenshot tool....

Out on , Ubuntu Unity 23.10 is this distribution's eighth release. It is the third and final interim release in this development cycle, before the the next LTS version, Ubuntu Unity 24.04 LTS, comes out on .

Because it is an interim release, 23.10 is only supported for nine months, until .

Installation

I downloaded the Ubuntu Unity 23.10 ISO file from the official source using Transmission, via BitTorrent. I ran a command line SHA256 sum check on the file and verified it was all correct and not corrupted.

I tested it from a live session, from a USB stick equipped with Ventoy 1.0.96. Even though it is not officially listed as supported by Ventoy, it booted up just fine.

The Ubuntu Unity 23.10 ISO file was a 3.5 GB download, a 200 MB increase from the last release's 3.3 GB, but still considerably smaller than the mainstream Ubuntu 23.10 which was 5.2 GB.

System requirements

Ubuntu Unity does not specify any system requirements, but it is probably safe to assume that it is the same as Ubuntu 23.10, a minimum of:

New

According to the release announcement the development team has been spending the last six months working on three things, none of which are included in this release. The first is a move to replace the Nux OpenGL toolkit in the next version of Unity, currently referred to as UnityX. Apparently Nux is preventing switching to the Wayland display server, instead of the current workaround of using XWayland. Ubuntu Unity 23.10 uses Unity 7.7.0, the same as Ubuntu Unity 23.04 did. Second, there is work underway to allow Lomiri to work on Ubuntu Unity, but despite being forecast to be out on release day, , it was not ready, due to some application launcher bugs. Lomiri was formerly known as Unity 8 and is currently developed by UBports as part of Ubuntu Touch for phones. The third project underway is noted as "adding support for CUPS 2.0 in Unity (printing), which has now been pushed back by Ubuntu to 24.04." Since this release uses CUPS 2.4.2 and even the very first Ubuntu Unity 20.04 LTS used CUPS 2.3.1, it is not clear what that project is about.

Otherwise the release announcement seems to imply that Ubuntu Unity 23.10 brings no changes at all over 23.04, beyond the usual upstream inputs, such as new repository application versions, Linux kernel version 6.5 and the Systemd 253.5 initialization system. A lack of any distribution-level changes is not necessarily a bad thing. It may just indicate that the developers are happy with where things are for this release and also for the upcoming spring LTS version. Given that Ubuntu Unity 22.10 and Ubuntu Unity 22.04 LTS both introduced a dizzying array of unexplained applications switches, this new default application suite stability is much more reassuring.

Continuing to employ Unity 7.7.0, which was first used in 23.04, means that the menus are still in portrait mode, using only half the screen and often requiring scrolling. As I noted in my look at Ubuntu Unity 23.04 this still seems like a sub-optimal use of screen space. Unity 7.7.0 also uses the indicator-notification system, which I still find intrusive and annoying, compared to other Linux notification systems.

The balance of the release announcement is used to advertise the Ubuntu Unity merchandise shop at HelloTux, which was introduced in the 23.04 release announcement.

Settings

In this release the settings are once again spread out between the regular settings menu, the panel brush icon and the included Unity Tweak Tool, but once you find them, the settings all work just fine. Once again the Unity Tweak Tool offers four window themes: Ambiance, Radiance, Yaru and Yaru-dark, plus 36 icon themes and six cursor styles. The regular settings menu has only two window themes, Yaru and Yaru-dark, as does the panel brush icon, which is intended for quick changes. Both the settings menu and brush icon now have 20 accent colours to chose from, an increase of ten over the last release.

For this release, code named "Mantic Minotaur", there is a new default Minotaur wallpaper. Also provided are 19 other wallpapers, 13 of which have Minotaurs on them. If you want something less Minotaur, you can always use your own wallpaper.

Ubuntu Unity continues to offer a high degree of user customization, setting it apart from mainstream Ubuntu, which has very limited choices in that regard.

Applications

Some of the applications included with Ubuntu Unity 23.10 are:

* indicates same application version as used in Ubuntu Unity 23.04
** supplied as a snap, so version depends on the upstream package manager

As noted, the default applications provided with 23.10 have not changed in this release. The mix of applications mostly come from the Gnome and Mate desktops, with some, like the VLC media player and the Thunderbird email client, from outside projects.

Like 23.04, Ubuntu Unity 23.10 is still using the PulseAudio audio controller and, unlike all the other Ubuntu flavours, has not yet switched to PipeWire.

The file manager is still Nemo from the Cinnamon desktop environment. Nemo works fine, but still lacks bulk file renaming. Adding a stand-alone bulk file renamer, like GPRename would rectify that.

LibreOffice 7.6.2 is once again supplied complete, lacking only the LibreOffice Base database application, which can also be installed from the Ubuntu repositories, if needed.

Conclusions

Ubuntu Unity 23.10 is a solid release with a lot going for it. The development team seems to have stabilized the list of default applications included, which is a good move. The Unity interface works well and is smooth and easy to use. Ubuntu Unity also has a very wide range of user customization, perhaps only second to Kubuntu.

As the last of three interim releases and with no real changes incorporated, that seems to point to Ubuntu Unity 24.04 LTS, scheduled for , being very similar to 23.10, but with three years of support. That should add up to some happy Ubuntu Unity users.

When can we expect Lomiri and UnityX? Perhaps during the next development cycle?

External links

Kubuntu 23.10

By Adam Hunt

, updated

Out on , Kubuntu 23.10 is the final one of the three interim releases leading to the next LTS version, Kubuntu 24.04 LTS, due out on . As an interim release 23.10 is supported for just nine months, until .

This is the distribution's 38th release and the 17th with the KDE project's Qt-based Plasma 5 desktop, so this is really a very mature project and probably the Ubuntu derivative with the most enthusiastic and dedicated user base.

What is new in this release? Like the last two interim releases, the answer is "not a lot". That is not necessary a bad thing, though. That dedicated Kubuntu fan base are pretty happy with Kubuntu and don't see a lot of need for changes and the developers seem to be in tune with that user sentiment.

Installation

I downloaded the ISO file via BitTorrent from the official source and ran an SHA256 sum check from the command line, to confirm that the file was good, which it was.

An anomaly in this period when Ubuntu family downloads are getting steadily bigger, this ISO file is 3.9 GB, compared to 5.0 GB for the last release, Kubuntu 23.04. It isn't clear why this release is 28% smaller, as nothing critical seems to have been removed. That said, smaller downloads are a good thing.

I dropped the ISO file onto a USB stick equipped with Ventoy 1.0.96, booted it up and it worked perfectly.

The one live session anomaly is that the session goes into screen lock after a few minutes of inactivity and demands a password. An extensive search of the Kubuntu website and indeed, the whole internet, finds that no one seems to know what it is. You have to reboot to get back into the live session and will lose your reviewer screenshots. I did, so be warned!

System requirements

The recommended minimum system requirements for Kubuntu 23.10 are the same as for Ubuntu and have not changed for this release:

That recommended 4 GB of RAM is probably less than ideal for web browsing and 8 GB is probably a more realistic amount.

New

Pretty much every new Kubuntu release gets a new default wallpaper, but not 23.10. This release sticks with the default wallpaper from 23.04, Mountain by Andy Betts. While it is a nice enough wallpaper, it kind of begs the question if this is really a way of saying "we are really not changing anything in this release". There are a total of 35 wallpapers provided, many from past Kubuntu releases, so if you have a recent favourite it is probably there. Given that the code name for the 23.10 Ubuntu family of releases is "Mantic Minotaur", at least there are no Minotaur wallpapers.

Kubuntu 23.10 uses the Qt 5.15.10 toolkit, KDE Frameworks 5.110, with updated applications from KDE Gear 23.08 and the KDE Plasma 5.27.8 desktop, which is a bugfix update. KDE Plasma 5.27.8 does include some refinements to hybrid sleep and improved monitoring of NVIDIA GPUs on multi-GPU setups, using the Plasma System Monitor. Like all the Ubuntu 23.10 family of releases, Kubuntu 23.10 comes with Linux kernel 6.5 and Systemd 253.5 as its initialization system.

The Plasma 5.27 series will probably be the end of the line for the Plasma 5 desktop, as Plasma 6 is scheduled for release in . It will be interesting to see which Plasma version ends up being included in the Kubuntu 24.04 LTS release.

Kubuntu still has Wayland on test and so this release continues to use the X.org display server instead. The release notes do state, "a Plasma Wayland session is available for testing, but is not supported. A Wayland session can be started by selecting it at the login screen."

Settings

Kubuntu remains the most user customizable distribution of the Ubuntu-based Linux distributions and probably will be, at least until the next version of Pop!_OS comes out, which may give it some competition. As has been the case for quite a few releases, in Kubuntu 23.10 there are still four global themes, four application styles, six Plasma styles, five window colours, two window decoration styles, eight icon sets and eight cursor styles and those are just the list of installed options, as most of the settings pages have one-button downloads for lots more options. Kubuntu remains an embarrassment of riches in terms of choices, which is probably a factor in its popularity.

Kubuntu 23.10 also offers 68 pre-installed desktop widgets, the same number as in the last release. Widgets are small applications that can be added to your desktop to improve functionality, like clocks and weather reports. Hundreds more of them can be downloaded, too, with the main hazard being the resulting desktop clutter.

Applications

Some of the applications included with Kubuntu 23.10 are:

* indicates same application version as used in Kubuntu 23.04
** supplied as a snap, so version depends on the upstream package manager

As usual the lack of asterisks shows that almost all of the applications included are updated versions from KDE Gear 23.08.1.

Like all the Ubuntu official derivatives, starting with the 23.04 release Kubuntu stopped offering the ability to install Flatpak applications by default, to use debs and snaps instead, as per the Ubuntu policy. However, the release notes continue to detail how to enable Flatpak applications, for anyone who wants them instead.

As in past releases, Kubuntu 23.10 does not include a webcam application, an image editor or video editor by default, although there are many options in the repositories, if needed. KDE's Qt-based Kdenlive remains probably the best choice in a video editor.

One application improvement is that the Gwenview 23.08.1 image viewer can now read the GIMP image editor's native .xcf file format.

LibreOffice 7.6.2 is once again supplied complete, lacking only LibreOffice Base, the office suite's database application. Base is probably the least used component of the suite, but it can be added from the repositories, if required.

Conclusions

Kubuntu 23.10 seems to be another solid release of this popular Linux distribution. This third and final interim release of the development cycle indicates that the LTS release will probably be very similar to Kubuntu 23.10, with just a few small changes, plus three years of support. Overall I think the lack of major changes will be news that will keep Kubuntu fans happy.

External links

Xubuntu 23.10

By Adam Hunt

, updated

Xubuntu 23.10 was released on . This is the third and final interim release (or as the Xubuntu release announcement calls it "regular release") in this development cycle. Next up will be the LTS release, Xubuntu 24.04 LTS, due out on .

This is Xubuntu's 36th release and, as it is an interim release, it is only supported for nine months, until .

All three interim releases in this cycle have brought only small changes, so it is probably a good guess that the LTS will not suddenly add a lot that is new when it comes out.

Overall these conservative release cycles with just little incremental changes are a good thing. It shows that the developers think that Xubuntu is working well and doesn't need a lot of major changes and that approach will keep the users happy as well. Most Xubuntu users are pretty dedicated to this Linux distribution and like it the way it is.

Installation

I downloaded Xubuntu 23.10 from the official source via BitTorrent, using Transmission and then carried out an SHA256 sum check on it from the command line to ensure I had a good download.

This Xubuntu release is 3.2 GB in size, slightly bigger than the last release, Xubuntu 23.04 at 3.0 GB. This compares to 2.8 GB for Xubuntu 22.10 and 2.3 GB for the one before that, Xubuntu 22.04 LTS, so they are getting bigger over time, but as not quickly as mainstream Ubuntu 23.10, which is now a 5.2 GB download!

I tested Xubuntu 23.10 from a USB stick equipped with Ventoy 1.0.96, by dropping the ISO file onto the stick. Ventoy takes care of the rest at boot-up, making testing Linux distributions very easy.

System requirements

The recommended system requirements for Xubuntu 23.10 have not changed since 21.04 and remain:

Two GB of RAM will quickly be used up by Firefox all by itself, with just a few tabs open, and so 8 GB of RAM is probably a more realistic minimum for decent performance these days. More RAM is always better!

New

Xubuntu 23.10 uses the GTK-based Xfce 4.18 desktop, with some components from Gnome 45 and Mate 1.26. This desktop includes some appearance upgrades and fixes. The Linux kernel is version 6.5 and the initialization system is Systemd 253.5. PipeWire audio, with libspa-0.2-bluetooth improves support for Bluetooth headphones, while touchpads are better supported due to the removal of xserver-xorg-input-synaptics.

The newly added colour emoji application works with Firefox, Thunderbird and other newer GTK applications, including the Xfce Mousepad text editor. It can be accessed in any composing application with Ctrl+. (that is Ctrl plus the period key). This could be a really useful feature if you like inserting emojis everywhere.

The screensaver has improved integration and stability. The desktop itself should also be more stable and responsive, due to updates in the associated library files. Xubuntu's default image viewer, Ristretto, now has support for printing. The Xfce4 Screenshooter screenshot tool now has support for AVIF and JPEG XL image formats.

Settings

This new version of Xubuntu once again uses Greybird as the default window colour scheme, although in an upgraded version. There are still a total of six window themes provided in the "Appearance" manager: Adwaita, Adwaita-dark, Greybird, Greybird-dark, High Contrast and Numix. The separate Window Manager also has 11 window themes: Daloa, Default-hdpi, Default-xhdpi, Greybird, Greybird-accessibility, Greybird-compact, Greybird-dark, Greybird-dark-accessibility, Kokodi, Moheli and Numix. Oddly some of those themes with the same names in two different places are the same themes, while some are quite different. There is also a choice of eight icon themes, the same as in the last release, with Elementary Xfce Darker as the default.

The default Xubuntu 23.10 wallpaper is a bit of a modernist abstract design, but is that really a guitar pick? There are also 11 other wallpapers provided, plus all the old release wallpapers are now available in repository packages for installation as well, in case you have a long lost, old favourite. Even though this release is code named "Mantic Minotaur", thankfully there are no Minotaur-themed wallpapers.

Just like all Xubuntu releases since 14.04 LTS, this one employs the Whisker Menu as its menu system. Whisker is the main feature that makes Xubuntu distinctive from the other Ubuntu flavours. The Whisker Menu is highly customizable and can even be resized, which remains almost unique among Linux menus, which the exception of Ubuntu Cinnamon.

Applications

Some of the applications included with Xubuntu 23.10 are:

* indicates same application version as used in Xubuntu 23.04
** supplied as a snap, so version depends on the upstream package manager

Once again, there have been no changes to the default list of applications included in this release, just newer versions provided, many with improved capabilities or at least bug fixes. As in recent Xubuntu releases, there is no default webcam or video editing application, although there are several in the repositories that can be installed. Xubuntu remains almost unique in the Ubuntu family in providing the GIMP image editor in the default installation (as does Ubuntu Cinnamon).

Xubuntu 23.10 includes LibreOffice 7.6.2, which is, as usual, lacking only LibreOffice Base, the database application, which can easily be installed, if needed.

Overall the list of default applications is very complete and comes with pretty much everything that any new Linux user just starting out could want. For more experienced users who want a lot fewer applications pre-installed, there is the Xubuntu Minimal (formerly called Xubuntu Core) download available, instead. It is only 1.7 GB in size, so just 57% of the full desktop download. That minimal installation approach has been successful enough that the Ubuntu project has adopted it as well, calling it their "default installation", with a "full installation" optional.

Conclusions

Xubuntu 23.10 is pretty much a flawless release, with just just a few small refinements over 23.04. While there are some enticements included for users to upgrade, like better Bluetooth headphone support or upgraded hardware support from the new Linux kernel, I am sure most users will wait to upgrade until the next LTS version, Xubunu 24.04 LTS, comes out in six months, in .

External links

Lubuntu 23.10

By Adam Hunt

, updated

Lubuntu 23.10 was released on . This is the 11th LXQt release for Lubuntu and the 28th overall Lubuntu release. As an interim release, Lubuntu 23.10 is supported for nine months, until .

This is the final interim release of three, leading to the next LTS version, which will be Lubuntu 24.04 LTS, due out on .

The three interim releases that make up this development cycle have only introduced a few very minor changes, so this all indicates that the upcoming LTS will look a lot like the last LTS, with just a few tweaks. Overall this is not a bad thing. Most Lubuntu users seem to like the way it works and don't see any big need for changes.

Lubuntu remains true to its vision of being a good relatively lightweight, but full-featured, menu-driven desktop.

Installation

I downloaded Lubuntu 23.10 via BitTorrent from the official source and did a command line SHA256 sum check on it to make sure it was good. I then booted it up using Ventoy 1.0.96 on a USB stick, which worked perfectly, as always.

The Lubuntu 23.10 ISO file is 3.0 GB to download, while 23.04 was 2.9 GB in size, Lubuntu 22.10 was 2.7 GB and Lubuntu 22.04 LTS was 2.5 GB, so they are getting noticeably bigger over time. For comparison, the latest mainstream Ubuntu 23.10 release is 5.2 GB to download, though.

System requirements

Since the release of Lubuntu 18.10 the project announced that it would no longer publish any minimum system requirements.

New

There is not much new to report in this release. The desktop has moved up to LXQt 1.3.0, which is based on the Qt 5.15 toolkit. Work has begun on Qt 6 basing, but the lack of a stable version of KF6 has delayed this. Visually 23.10 looks the same as all the other recent LXQt releases and uses the same Lubuntu Arc default theme with ePapirus icons. The new file manager version, PCManFM-Qt 1.3.0, has some bug fixes included, as does the terminal emulator, QTerminal 1.3.0.

The included Linux kernel is version 6.5 and Systemd 253.5 is the initialization system.

The default Lubuntu 23.10 Mantic Minotaur wallpaper features a Minotaur and labyrinth and was designed by Walter Lapchynski, with help from Erich Eickmeyer of Ubuntu Studio. There are also 10 other wallpapers included, many from recent Lubuntu releases. As well there are 19 window themes, 13 icon themes, 12 LXQt themes, two cursor themes and eight GTK3 and GTK2 themes, providing a really wide range of user customization choices.

Applications

Some of the applications included with Lubuntu 23.10 are:

* Indicates the same version as used in Lubuntu 23.04
** supplied as a snap, so version depends on the upstream package manager

Other than updated versions, there have been no changes to the suite of applications provided in Lubuntu 23.10.

As in previous LXQt releases, Lubuntu 23.10 does not come with a webcam application, email client, CD/DVD burner, photo editor or video editor, although these can be easily added from the repositories, if needed.

The Lubuntu installer remains Calamares 3.3 Alpha 2 which has been used since Lubuntu 22.10. The developers report it works well so there is not much motivation to mess with it, which is always a good philosophy.

Conclusions

This third and final interim release of the Lubuntu development cycle only introduces a few small behind-the-scenes changes that few users will notice. Overall I think that this is good news for Lubuntu users, who don't seem to be clamouring for changes right now for their favourite distribution. That also means that there are very few reasons to upgrade to this release, unless you need a newer Linux kernel version for hardware support. All indications are that the next LTS version, Lubuntu 24.04 LTS, due out in , will be very similar to 23.10, just with three years of support included.

External links

Ubuntu 23.10

By Adam Hunt

, updated

Ubuntu 23.10 is the final of three interim releases, all leading to Ubuntu 24.04 LTS, which is due out on .

Ubuntu 23.10 was released on schedule, on and then quickly withdrawn due to a malicious Ukrainian translation issue in the installer, apparently some propaganda was included. I was lucky to get a copy quickly via BitTorrent, before it was gone, as it was only posted again for download on , as Ubuntu 23.10.1.

This is Ubuntu's 39th release and the 13th since the switch to its current modified Gnome 3 desktop, so it is a pretty mature operating system. As an interim release, Ubuntu 23.10 is supported for nine months, until .

Up until this release, this release cycle had just brought some small, incremental changes, but with this final interim release as the last chance to try out anything new before the upcoming LTS, it looks like the Ubuntu developers have jumped on that opportunity, as this release adds many changes.

This release is code named Mantic Minotaur and so, predictably, there is new Minotaur and maze-themed default wallpaper. This is not the first Ubuntu release to be named for a mythic beast, as we have previously seen Ubuntu 9.04 Jaunty Jackalope, Ubuntu 14.10 Utopic Unicorn and Ubuntu 15.10 Wily Werewolf. It is worth noting that "mantic" means having the power of divination or prophesy. There are a total of 14 wallpapers provided and ten of them have Minotaurs on them.

This is actually the second Ubuntu release with an "M" code name, the previous one being Ubuntu 10.10 Maverick Meerkat, which was released on , 13 years ago.

Installation

I downloaded Ubuntu 23.10 from the official source using BitTorrent and carried out an SHA256 sum check to ensure that the ISO file download was good.

This release has once again grown, this time to 5.2 GB, which is 6% bigger than Ubuntu 23.04's 4.9 GB. Each release seems to get bigger and bigger for reasons that are not clear. This release is now 35% bigger than the last LTS and overall Ubuntu has now almost doubled in size in the two years since Ubuntu 21.10, which was 2.9 GB.

I did not install Ubuntu 23.10 on my hard drive, and instead tested it from a USB stick, using Ventoy 1.0.96, which worked perfectly.

System requirements

The recommended minimum system requirements for Ubuntu 23.10 have not changed since 20.04 LTS and remain:

This means that Ubuntu 23.10 should run fine on hardware designed for Windows 7 or later, although I would suggest at least 8 GB of RAM as a working minimum.

New

There are so many things new in this release, that I am just going to present them in two lists.

First, these are the changes that desktop users will notice:

These are more "behind the scenes" changes that desktop users will probably not notice:

The documentation that accompanied the release of Ubuntu 23.10 included some absolutely cringe-worth PR writing. It is a bit scary that Canonical allows writing this bad to be published under their name, in this case by Product Manager Oliver Smith:

The standout new feature of Ubuntu Desktop 23.10 has to be the new App Center, which replaces Ubuntu Software for users going forward. Combined with the new installer, these two apps give us a much deeper level of ownership of the first time user experience on Ubuntu Desktop and a strong base to iterate on going forward.

The actual developers must be laughing their asses off reading that garbage.

Applications

The Ubuntu 23.10 ISO file actually boots up to the full installation and not just the minimal default installation. This means that the full suite of applications is present in the ISO, but does not install under the default installation, which is a bit odd. You would think that the developers would have used this decision to save a bunch of disk space, but apparently not, as there was concern that new users would get confused. There was a lot of developer debate on how to handle this and the result seems to be a compromise and so you get a huge download and a minimal installation. I actually am in favour of minimal installations for Linux distributions in general, as these allow users to add the applications they want and not have to spend any time removing clutter that they don't want. A nice side effect of this should be a much smaller ISO download, however. In this case, in many ways, the final result here is the worst of both worlds.

Some of the applications included with Ubuntu 23.10 expanded installation are:

* indicates same application version as used in Ubuntu 23.04
** supplied as a snap, so version depends on the upstream package manager
*** indicates included on the ISO for boot-up, but not included in a full installation

As can be seen, the application collection is a mix of versions, but mostly from Gnome 45, with a few Gnome 43 and 44 holdovers. As noted, the addition of Gnome Clocks and the rewritten App Center are the only changes to the suite of applications.

The App Center is a worthwhile update. It is actually just a rewrite of the Snap Store using Flutter, but it does work better. It is faster, lighter and best of all, now allows finding both Snaps and Deb files, which are the preferred combination on Ubuntu today.

The Files 45 RC (Nautilus) file manager now has improved performance, loading and displaying files more quickly, including generating faster thumbnails.

The Firefox web browser is still a Snap package, but now works in Wayland mode by default, instead of Xwayland, meaning that rendering is much more clear and sharp, plus it has full touchscreen support.

Conclusions

Ubuntu 23.04 is a nice, solid release, that brings a large number of small changes at the "last minute" of this release cycle, just before the next LTS release, Ubuntu 24.04 LTS, comes out in . Over the whole release cycle, these changes all add up to my prediction that the spring's LTS is going to look a lot like Ubuntu 23.10, with a long list of small improvements, along with five years of support.

External links

MiniOS

By Adam Hunt

, updated

MiniOS is both a new and an old Linux distribution. Originally introduced in , it was a Mandriva-based distribution that was intended to be run from a USB stick. It lasted four years until and came to an end when Mandriva did. Resurrected as a concept some seven years later, in , it is now based on Debian, instead. It is billed as "lightweight and fast".

With no DistroWatch page or reviews in the tech press, there are some holes in what we know about this relatively new distribution, for instance who is behind it? It does seem from the GitHub pages that it is just one anonymous developer. That can be important, because if it is only one person the distribution may just end without warning, which is less of a risk with a bigger team. Also missing are sha256 sums and minimum system requirements.

We do know that it comes in six different editions:

One of the main features of MiniOS is its use of system configuration modules. These allow easy system customization, including preferences and programs, and allows MiniOS to be run as a live distribution from a USB stick with saved preferences, as an alternative to being installed on a hard drive.

Installation

I downloaded two versions of MiniOS, Minimum and Standard, so I could compare them and also see how they stack up to other live USB distributions, like Puppy Linux and SliTaz. I got both from the official website using HTTP, since there are no BitTorrent downloads. There do not seem to be any SHA256 sums, or even MD5 sums, to use to check to ensure that the ISO file download is good. This is a serious oversight.

The Minimum version, MiniOS Buster Xfce Minimum amd 64 20230815_1045 is based on Debian 10.0 Buster which was released in , more than four years ago. I am not sure why such an old version is offered, as not only is the Xfce desktop old, but all the applications in the repositories are, too. For instance the version of LibreOffice offered for installation is version 6.1.5, whereas the current version today is 7.6.2. Overall, the Minimum version is a bit of a museum piece and was a 391 MB download. It is possible that it is being retained as a smaller-sized alternative than more modern Debian versions.

I also got MiniOS Bookworm Xfce Standard amd 64 20230815_1122, which is based on the much more recent Debian 12.0 Bookworm, from . It weighed in at 596 MB for download. Being based on the current Debian version, all the application versions are much more up-to-date as well.

I tested both versions from a USB stick, using Ventoy 1.0.95, which worked perfectly. MiniOS is not officially listed as having been tested and supported by Ventoy, but MiniOS claims they work and both do. They also note it can be booted from Rufus, UNetbootin, BalenaEtcher and others, too. MiniOS supports EFI and legacy BIOS boot. It comes with its own hard drive installer, which offers a choice of file systems, including btrfs, ext 2, 3 or 4, fat32 and ntfs. Not sure I have ever seen a Linux system running on those last two!

System requirements

None that I could find listed.

Settings

With both using the Debian Xfce desktop, MiniOS Minimum and Standard have normal Xfce settings.

Minimum includes only two green wallpapers, both MiniOS branded, one with the logo and one without. It also has two window themes, Greybird and Raleigh, which makes it look like Windows 98. It has four icon sets: elementary Xfce, dark, darker and darkest, with dark as the default. These are fine, although, yes, minimal.

Standard comes with a few more choices, including 39 wallpapers, all MiniOS themed. It also has only two window themes: Greybird and Greybird-dark.

Applications

MiniOS Minimum includes the rather old version of Xfce 4.12 from Debian Buster. The applications included are:

This is certainly pretty minimal, with no office software, email client or webcam application, not to mention no BitTorrent client, photo or movie editor, video or audio player, nor even a PDF reader. Overall that is a not a bad approach, as you can add what you need and don't have to remove a bunch of unwanted applications.

One of the things it is really missing is any sort of graphical software management system or software store. Being Debian-based, I found that APT worked from the command line and once the updates and upgrades were run it connected to the Debian repositories and offered everything normally found there, like Chromium, LibreOffice, Synaptic and GIMP. The updates also downloaded drivers, including for the wireless card, which was initially missing. One annoyance for software reviewers was that it was also missing the Xfce screenshot tool, xfce-screenshooter, but I was able to install version 1.9.3 from the Debian repositories and use it to get some screenshots. The menu system is the old basic Xfce menu.

MiniOS Standard is based on the current Debian version, Bookworm, adds some elements to the basics found in Minimum, including the more modern Xfce 4.18 desktop. The additional applications included are only:

The inclusion of the screenshot tool was appreciated, but there is still no graphical software management by default, however. Again by running updates and upgrades from the command line with APT, I was able to install Synaptic. The included menu system is the popular Whisker menu.

Because both these versions require command line skills, at least at the level of MiniOS Minimum and Standard, these are not really distributions for beginners. Otherwise they work reasonably well and provide a fairly functional, if vanilla, Debian Xfce experience.

There is some documentation available, but it is pretty minimal, leaving users to rely on the official telegram channel or GitHub forum for support, although they seem to not be used much. There is also the Debian documentation, which is much more detailed and may be helpful.

It is tempting to compare MiniOS to other lightweight live distributions like Puppy Linux or Slitaz, but both of those are actually lighter and more full-featured out of the box. MiniOS is really more similar to SpiralLinux, as a more friendly, prepackaged version of Debian.

Conclusions

Overall MiniOS gives a nice, simple Debian Xfce experience. In its lighter weight versions it is fairly minimalist, but can be added to and customized for daily use and run from either a USB or a full installation. Because of its reliance on more advanced skills and its skimpy documentation, MiniOS is really not aimed at beginners, but may hold some appeal for more advanced Linux users.

I am not sure what the user case for the Minimum version is, just due to it being three Debian versions out-of-date. Unless you are really space constrained, I would suggest starting with at least the Standard version, which uses the current Debian release and building it up from there.

External links

Pop!_OS 22.04 LTS

By Adam Hunt

, updated

On I switched my System76 Galago Pro Laptop over to Pop!_OS 22.04 LTS from Ubuntu 22.04 LTS. I had been running Ubuntu for a year, since and had become more and more dissatisfied with it over time, particularly with the dock behaviour and the snap version of Firefox, plus some software issues with the touchpad buttons and thought Pop!_OS might solve all those issues, as it was designed for my laptop's hardware. I thought this might be a good opportunity to review Pop!_OS 22.04, while I was learning it.

Pop!_OS 22.04 is the latest release, but it does date from , which is 16 months ago. Needless to say there were a lot of updates to install!

This is Pop!_OS's 10th release and the third with the COSMIC (Computer Operating System Main Interface Components) desktop. Based on Ubuntu 22.04 LTS, this is also a "long term support" (LTS) release, apparently supported for two years years, until . The lead POP!_OS developer, Aaron Murphy, has made 22.04 LTS the last release for a while, as the team works on the upcoming Rust-based COSMIC DE for the next release, so, unlike with Ubuntu, there will be no "interim releases" for now. The next release, with the COSMIC DE, may turn out to be 24.04 LTS, which should be here in .

While Pop!_OS is developed by System76 and is aimed at their own retail hardware, it is not your typical vendor "marketing distribution" operating system, like Apple's MacOS is. Pop!_OS is free software and is publicly available as a free download for use on any compatible, 64-bit computer. I am guessing that by freely allowing anyone to install and use it that the company hopes it will lead to increased hardware sales, or at least some positive PR exposure. In fact, that is already happening, as FOSSpost named it the Best Linux Distribution of 2022.

Installation

I downloaded Pop!_OS 22.04 LTS back when it was newly released, from the official source using HTTP, since there are no BitTorrent downloads. I carried out an SHA256 sum check to ensure that the ISO file download was good.

Even though it is based on Ubuntu 22.04 LTS, this release is a significantly smaller download than Ubuntu. Pop!_OS 22.04 LTS weighs in at 2.48 GB for the vanilla version, (2.97 GB for the NVidia version and 2.41 for Rasberry Pi), compared to 3.4 GB for Ubuntu 22.04 LTS and 4.9 GB for the current Ubuntu release, Ubuntu 23.04. That makes it half the size of Ubuntu 23.04!

I tested Pop!_OS 22.04 LTS from a USB stick and then installed it on my hard drive, using Ventoy 1.0.91, which worked perfectly. That was expected, though, as Pop!_OS is listed as having been tested and supported by Ventoy.

The installation went very smoothly, with no issues seen. It is worth noting that the Pop!_OS installer uses disk encryption by default, but does not offer dual booting options. I have never been a fan of dual booting anyway; I figure if you are "in" you are in.

System requirements

The recommended system requirements for Pop!_OS 22.04 LTS are:

In my testing I found a fresh reboot with nothing open was using 3.9 GB and a normal load of applications open was using 9.5 GB of RAM, so 4 GB is really unrealistically low. This compares to Ubuntu 22.04 LTS which has an idle RAM of 1.3 GB.

New

This Pop!_OS release has quite a few new features over the last release, Pop!_OS 21.10 and over my last review, which was Pop!_OS 21.04.

New in this release are:

This release started out with the Linux 5.16.19 kernel, but my installation upgraded to the 6.2.6 kernel.

Like Ubuntu 22.04 LTS, the initialization system for Pop!_OS 22.04 LTS is systemd 249.11. Unlike Ubuntu, which is now using Wayland as its display server, Pop!_OS 22.04 LTS still uses X.org, although the future COSMIC DE will shift to Wayland.

The COSMIC desktop

The COSMIC desktop as used in Pop!_OS 22.04 LTS is well thought out and very functional. Unlike Ubuntu, which really has an enterprise or business focus, Pop!_OS is aimed at software developers and gamers, so it is pretty geeky and quite customizable.

In 22.04 LTS, the COSMIC desktop is based on Gnome 41 and 42, but quite modified from the stock Gnome or even the Ubuntu experience and is expected to become more modified over time, too, with the "rolling-style updates" System76 sends out. Of course the upcoming Rust-based COSMIC DE in a future release will take the Pop!_OS desktop even further from Gnome, into something quite different, as well as hopefully lighter and faster.

COSMIC has its own set of unique keyboard shortcuts, including:

Using the settings → keyboard → keyboard shortcuts input, I created my own keyboard shortcut:

COSMIC breaks the usual Gnome menus down into three different ones: applications, workspaces and the launcher. The launcher is where you will find all running applications, can search for any installed application or document (using ?+file search, or just type in "find" and the document's name). In fact as a file search the COSMIC launcher works better than the one in Ubuntu. In Ubuntu it only finds recently opened documents, while in Pop!_OS it can find any document, which is a great improvement. Once you get used to it, this system of three menus works very quickly, especially using the keyboard shortcuts or mouse gestures. The latter includes four finger left swipe for workspaces, right for applications and down for next workspace. There are top panel buttons for these as well, but they can be removed in settings to reduce clutter.

COSMIC also has fairly sophisticated window tiling capabilities for people who like that sort of thing and have bigger screens. Tiling is not really that useful on a small laptop screen.

So far I have noted that Pop!_OS seems to give better battery life, by perhaps as much as 20% over Ubuntu, giving as much as 5:30 in battery life.

Settings

The Pop!_OS Settings are worth mentioning. Based on the Gnome Settings GUI, in Pop!_OS it is greatly expanded with many new options and all gathered on one place, too. It is quite exemplary, especially compared to some distributions, like Lubuntu and Ubuntu Budgie, which both have rather dispersed settings.

Pop!_OS 22.04 LTS offers users a lot of customization in some areas and less in others. For instance the dock is almost infinitely adjustable for size, location and how it works, while there are only two window colour themes in the settings. The light theme has a dark brown window top, while the dark one is black. Both use light blue highlighting. Gnome Tweaks offers up a total of six window themes, including Pop light and dark, plus Adwaita, Adwaita-dark, High Contrast and High Contrast Inverse. Gnome Tweaks tends to be balky when selecting window themes and often gets stuck on one theme when clicking around trying them out, requiring a system reboot. If you just choose one theme and leave it, it works, though.

There are 53 wallpapers included, all of them System76 custom ones. The default one was a bit too bright for me, but I found some better ones provided and eventually made up my own wallpaper.

I found the default system fonts a bit small, as they were set to 10 or 11 pt, so, as suggested in the Pop!_OS documentation, I installed Gnome Tweaks and then just bumped them up a bit to 13 pt, which was a great improvement for visibility, but caused some related problems. As the Pop!_OS documentation warned: "Be aware that many applications are designed with default fonts. Changing these fonts may result in unwanted positioning and sizing of text in application labels." Indeed, with the fonts increased in size the right-click spellchecking menu in Firefox often overlapped the top panel and would not allow selecting the top item on the list, which, of course, is usually the one you want. I tried setting the font sizes back and also reducing the font zoom, but nothing worked, it stayed broken. After having to do a complete system re-installation on due to a frozen pointer, this time I just selected "large text" in Settings → Accessibility, but did not change the fonts in Gnome Tweaks and this problem was mostly solved, with only a few instances of menu overlap encountered.

I also used Gnome Tweaks to pick a more toned down icon set, a new window colour theme, turn off double clicking on window title bars for maximizing and set day of the week to show on the top panel.

I also went though the settings menu and made some changes, such as large text → on, time format → 24 hour clock, show battery percentage and so on. Lots of choices there.

For me, the best settings included are being able to turn the dock off and declutter the desktop by removing the buttons for workspaces and applications, and then use the keyboard shortcuts instead, plus the ability to create new keyboard shortcuts. Really the only setting from Ubuntu I miss is the ability to choose the system accent colour.

Applications

Some of the applications included with Pop!_OS 22.04 LTS are:

As can be seen, the default application collection includes a mix of software from Gnome 41 and 42.

The suite of default applications with Pop!_OS is fairly minimalist, which I think is a good thing, as it means fewer unwanted applications to remove. I would rather add the things I need, than have to remove a lot of applications I don't want.

Notably not included compared to Ubuntu are:

All are available in the repositories, though, if needed.

System76 does not use the Ubuntu repositories, but has a mirror of them for its own use. This means that any application available for Ubuntu should be available for Pop!_OS.

Software management is via Pop!_Shop, which is a fork of the elementaryOS software centre. It allows graphical installation of applications with a choice of .deb files or Flatpak packages in many cases. With its connection to Flatpak, Pop!_Shop offers some proprietary applications like Google Chrome and Opera. Pop!_Shop is also where you can do system updates. There is a notification presented when updates are available, but the "click" here on it does not work, but you can just open Pop!_Shop and run the updates. Alternatively, you can use APT from the command line for managing applications and updates, which is my personal preference.

One big difference between Pop!_OS and Ubuntu is that, while both include Firefox as the default web browser, Ubuntu uses the snap version, while Pop!_OS uses the the Mozilla tarball instead. This eliminates the difficulties with snaps, as there are no snaps at all on Pop!_OS.

The LibreOffice suite provided is lacking only LibreOffice Base, the database application, but does include LibreOffice Math, the math formula writer, although I have never been sure what the user-case for that inclusion is.

Because I did a full installation, my chosen applications from the repositories were:

The use of the GPRename bulk file renamer makes up for the limitations in bulk file renaming inherent in Gnome Files (Nautilus). For instance Nautilus cannot handle adding sequential numbers to files unless they start at one.

I also installed two extensions for Firefox:

I like to remove any default applications that I don't use, just to save disk space, menu clutter and the need for updates. So I deleted:

Oddly, a later system update reinstalled Gnome-calendar, Gnome-contacts, Gnome-weather and Geary, as well as their dependencies, so I removed them again. I hope this won't be a regular thing.

New issues
Idle RAM
In comparison to Ubuntu 22.04 LTS, the idle RAM after a fresh reboot, with no applications open, is high at 3.9 GB. Hopefully the new COSMIC DE, currently under development, will reduce that to closer to Ubuntu 22.04 LTS's idle RAM of 1.3 GB, which is high enough.
Working RAM
In comparison to Ubuntu Cinnamon 23.10, the working RAM with a typical assortment of applications open is very high. With Firefox and a dozen tabs or so, plus gedit and LibreOffice Writer, Pop can use as much as 13 GB of RAM, versus 6 GB for Ubuntu Cinnamon. Pop is definitely a RAM hog and it is not clear why.
Firefox spellchecking menu overlap with top panel
As described above, I was mostly able to fix this by not adjusting font sizes and just using "large text", but it still occurs occasionally and prevents selecting the top spelling suggestion. It can be quite annoying.
Alt-Tab functioning
In most Linux distros, using Alt-Tab displays tiles and cycles through all open windows, but Pop seems to be configured differently so that this feature does not work well. It shows only one entry per application, even if multiple instances are open, requiring selecting those by touchpad. This makes this feature pretty cumbersome and useless. For instance, cycling between normal and private Firefox windows is not possible. You need to use the Pop launcher instead, which is not as efficient and slows down workflows.
Window snapping
I have not found a way to turn off window snapping. This happens when you try to move a window, where the operating system tries to resize it to maximize it on the move.
Lock-ups & crashes
There seems to be a problem with random lock-ups and crashes, as well as on boot. Sometimes multiple reboots do not work and just result in endless lock-ups. There are dozens of posts and bug reports with hundreds of users reporting the same issue, but no solutions. The Pop installation on my Galago Pro crashed, could not be successfully booted and had to be reinstalled, which has worked so far, at least. On my Dell Latitude 7490 my initial Pop installation was unusable due to repetitive crashes and, rather than reinstalling it, I moved to Ubuntu Cinnamon.
Outstanding issues

Here is a look at how switching to Pop!_OS addressed my outstanding complaints from Ubuntu 22.04 LTS:

Firefox Snap
Pop!_OS uses the Mozilla tarball instead of the snap package and that has fixed pretty much all the snap version issues. This version of Firefox will now open and save files without crashing, can be updated while open and has fixed some of the website keyboard navigation not functioning right. The residual there may just be the website. Overall the tarball version works better than the snap, even if updates are very slow.
Ubuntu dock
The Pop!_OS dock can just be turned off so it does not display, a great improvement as far as I am concerned!
Cursor freeze-ups
I had three in the first three weeks of use and then no more, so this might have been fixed by updates.
Touchpad button issue
Has not reoccurred.

So, overall, Pop!_OS worked better for me than Ubuntu 22.04 LTS did.

Conclusions

Pop!_OS 22.04 LTS is a good Linux desktop release, with some nice features, lots of customization available, including the ability to remove the dock, add keyboard shortcuts, plus no snap packages. Over the first two weeks of daily use I found it quite impressive and easy to use, especially once I had learned some of the keyboard shortcuts.

Aside from the issue of the crashes, Pop!_OS 22.04 LTS is a relatively good distribution. Hopefully the next version Pop version will bring the new Rust-based COSMIC DE and that will fix the outstanding issues. In the end the crash issue and the other listed annoyances persuaded me to drop Pop and move to Ubuntu Cinnamon instead.

External links

System76 Galago Pro Touchpad Button Issue

By Adam Hunt

, updated

I have been having an issue with the touchpad buttons on my Galago Pro laptop. It started early on when I first got the laptop and installed Lubuntu 20.04 LTS and Lubuntu 22.04 LTS on it and it has continued now that it is running Ubuntu 22.04 LTS. Basically the touchpad buttons often interpret single clicks on either button as double clicks. It is annoying and slows work down, as it opens two browser tabs or highlights text, instead of just inserting the cursor, and so on. Mostly I have been just living with it, but recently I decided to get to the bottom of it and got it solved.

At first I thought it was a hardware issue, possibly dirt in the touchpad buttons or defective hardware, but I discovered that a reboot would fix it temporarily and a shutdown and restart would fix it even longer. That seemed to point to a software/firmware issue.

Because it is intermittent and often does not show up until some time after a reboot, it has been hard to troubleshoot. I tried some live sessions from a USB device and it seemed to work fine on those. More recently I tried some extended live sessions over several days, using Ubuntu 22.04 LTS from a USB, which is the same operating system I have installed, and again it seemed to work fine over that live session.

The key question was "what was different?"

Step 1

In doing some online searching I found some information on System76 Open Firmware, which includes touchpad firmware. That led me to wonder if the system76-driver was implicated, as it seems to have touchpad drivers included and since I had installed that on both Lubuntu and Ubuntu.

So to test that out I removed the system76-driver:

$ sudo apt remove system76-driver
$ sudo apt purge system76-driver

and then removed the PPA as well from Software and Updates → Other Software, plus the configuration file it creates at /etc/apt/preferences.d/.

From the command line I then ran:

$ sudo apt update
$ sudo apt upgrade
$ sudo apt autoremove

plus I ran the Software Updater GUI, which had an additional "partial update", which I accepted. I have to admit I was surprised it would even boot like that with drivers removed and I was prepared to do a clean installation if it didn't.

After a reboot things seemed to be working better, but that didn't last. The touchpad button issue often seems to improve with a reboot or shut down and restart, as noted above, but after a few hours it starts misbehaving again.

Step 2

My next step was to reinstall Ubuntu 22.04.2 LTS, which I did on . It took 1:10 to do that and get everything back set-up and running right. It was apparent during the set-up that some settings had survived the re-installation and, unsurprisingly, the touchpad button issue came back within a few hours after the last boot. My next step was to reinstall the system76-driver and see if that fixed it, but it didn't.

Step 3

The next step was to use Gnome Discs to erase the drive and then once again reinstall Ubuntu 22.04.2 LTS, which all went smoothly enough. By now I was getting good at it! Oddly when the installation was done and all updates installed, I had Linux kernel 5.19.0-45, whereas before I had 6.0.2. Regardless it ran fine like that. The touchpad button issues were not entirely gone, but they were pretty minimal, at least to start. As usual they returned as the time from last boot increased.

Step 4

My next test was to see if it was related to using Wayland as a display server, versus X.org. Ubuntu 22.04 allows choosing either one at boot-up with Wayland as default. I did a boot and tried X.org instead. Once again after booting it worked quite well, but over time got worse as usual. So it does not seem to be the choice of display server.

Step 5

To see if I could duplicate the issue on another operating system, I tried a live session with Pop!_OS 22.04 LTS and it ran fine with no issues, but then, all live sessions on any OS have done that. I did test the touchpad with "tap to click" enabled in Pop!_OS and found that worked well, too. I booted back to Ubuntu and then started a test with "tap to click" enabled and that seems to have addressed the problem. Using "tap to click", including using two finger "tap to click" to right click, works fine and reduces needing to use the actual touchpad buttons to a bare minimum (mostly for "dragging" and "highlighting"). So the problem is solved, or at least mitigated so that it is not an issue.

I must admit I usually do not use the "tap to click" and in fact turned it off, as on past laptop computers it has not worked very well, but on the Galago Pro it works really well, with no unintentional clicks and in fact it reduces fatigue versus using just the buttons.

Summary

The following items were tested and eliminated as not causing this touchpad button issue:

  1. Faulty hardware (proven in live sessions)
  2. The system76-driver
  3. Ubuntu installation errors
  4. Choice of display server, Wayland verses X.org

Kdenlive PPA Issue

By Adam Hunt

I have been using Kdenlive as my video editor with good success for seven years, ever since Kdenlive 15.12.3.

In the past I have just installed the version in the Ubuntu repositories and used that, with no updated versions until the next LTS operating system release. Then I discovered that the Kdenlive developers have their own Ubuntu PPA on Launchpad, which provides the latest releases as updates and I installed that instead on Ubuntu 22.04 LTS.

At first it worked just fine, regularly updating versions through APT and each new one worked well. Then I got version 23.04 and it broke not just Kdenlive's updates, but my whole APT package update system. It seems that this version required a newer version of one dependency, Melt, than Ubuntu 22.04 LTS has available and that caused the issue. I waited a week or so to see if it would be resolved through updates, but in fact the broken dependency actually stopped all my Ubuntu updates. It looked like I would have to fix it myself.

My procedure from the command line was:

$ sudo apt remove kdenlive
$ sudo purge kdenlive

I then went to Software And Updates → Other Software, deleted the PPA and then:

$ sudo apt install kdenlive

Which installs the regular deb file format version from the Ubuntu repositories, instead. This is an older version, Kdenlive 21.12.3, but it works just fine and at least is supported on Ubuntu 22.04 LTS.

There are lots of options to get Kdenlive besides the PAA and the deb file from the Ubuntu repositories, including AppImage, Flatpak and also as a Snap.

Given that on Ubuntu the priority is now supporting debs and snaps, I probably would have made the snap version my choice if I needed a newer version than the debs provided. Snaps come packaged with all the required dependencies and so they should not run into this issue.

I learned a useful lesson here about PPAs and their limitations, particularly with regard to dependencies and so in future I'll just stick to debs and snaps.