The most recent edition of the well-known Linux operating system, Ubuntu 23.04 “Lunar Lobster,” was made by Canonical lately. It has a tonne of new features and upgrades to give you a better user experience and improve the performance of the operating system. Additionally, the new packages and the most recent Linux kernel are excellent choices for both professional and personal use. So, whether you are an experienced Ubuntu user or considering giving this Linux distribution a try, here is a detailed summary of the new capabilities and updates in Ubuntu 23.04. You can decide whether or not to upgrade to this version with the aid of this tutorial.
1.New Installer
In Ubuntu 23.04, a new OS installer is included. The new Ubuntu installer is not significantly different from the previous one in terms of features, but the underlying technology most certainly is! The new installer makes use of Subiquity, Canonical’s CLI installer for Ubuntu Server, Curtin, and Flutter (a cross-platform UI framework).
Each installer page has been updated and reworked to be as plain and concise as possible, and the actual installation now includes a newly designed slideshow that includes slideshow controls. Overall, the new wizard built on Flutter leaves a nice “impression”. The installer can occasionally freeze in some places, and I do find several UI interactions to be slow. Still, it’s an upgrade, and if you don’t like it, don’t worry; on the day of release, you may download a legacy build that uses the old.
2.New GNOME 44
Okay, here’s the big one: GNOME 44, the most recent stable version of this enormously well-liked open source desktop environment, is included with Ubuntu 23.04.
In GNOME 44, there are numerous new features. While some of the improvements are minor and some are substantial, they all work to improve the desktop experience. Keep in mind as you scroll down that some of GNOME 44’s new features do appear a little… unfinished/strange while using Ubuntu’s Yaru theme (barring future improvements).
There is now a larger user avatar and a wider password entry field on the login and lock screens. The theme has been tweaked subtly to make it clear to users of keyboard navigation which element is active.
The Quick Settings menu’s shape and functionality have undergone significant upstream GNOME design upgrades, albeit they have been partly masked by Ubuntu’s Yaru theme (solutions are on the way).
‘Split’ buttons make it simpler to quickly identify which features have sub-menus (plus, you can now access sub-menus via the keyboard). Relevant information is now relayed by new subtitles, such as the Wi-Fi network you’re connected to or the power mode you’re using:
The bluetooth button now has a new submenu, thanks to GNOME devs. You can easily connect to and disconnect from previously associated Bluetooth devices using the sub-menu. Although you must go to Settings > Bluetooth to couple new devices, they will show up here once they are paired, which is an awesome addition:
The Quick Settings menu now features a new “background apps” area in GNOME 44. This section only appears when compatible Flatpak apps are left running in the background; pre-installed Ubuntu software, such as Rhythmbox, are not compatible with this feature.
When you explore Settings, you’ll find that many of the included panels have undergone a variety of improvements, reorganisations, and additions.
The GNOME developers have updated the Mouse & Touchpad area, adding new controls (such mouse acceleration), as well as animations that play when you mouse over the options for each behaviour:
GNOME has added the information to the ‘About’ part of Settings; simply scroll to the bottom to discover it. This is done since it is crucial to be able to easily find your kernel version.
The Tiling Assistant extension is something that Ubuntu developers intend to incorporate in the upcoming release. There is a small Easter egg before that. The ‘improved tiling’ settings in Settings > Ubuntu Desktop become available if you install this extension from the Ubuntu repositories in Lunar. To be clear, these only show up after installing the extension.
As I previously gushed, GNOME 44 includes a new version of Nautilus (also known as Files), which brings back the capability to ‘expand’ folders in list view for quicker navigation. You must visit Preferences and turn on this (extremely useful) function if you want to utilise it because it isn’t turned on by default.
Have you ever been annoyed by the GTK file picker’s lack of a thumbnail or icon view? Developers for GNOME have, in fact, added one! Simply click the view button whenever the GTK file picker displays to switch from list view (with its teeny tiny icons) to the new thumbnail mode:
When an application is open in the Dock, the Ubuntu Dock will now show a count badge for (all) unread alerts produced by that application. This is a new feature that app developers don’t have to expressly implement; it’s not the previous Unity unread API that was utilised by programmes like Telegram. Apps that display native notifications can also display unread badges.
This has the drawback that if you use an app (like Telegram) that, for example, displays 1 unread message, if a notification is also delivered, the badge will then read “2,” one for the unread message and one for the notification about the unread message.
Ubuntu Software has been updated to display snap app categories (to be honest, I didn’t know it didn’t already). One annoying peculiarity is that when you click on the Ubuntu Software programme that is pinned to the Ubuntu Dock, a Snap Store app with its own dock icon (unpinned) opens. Strange behavior—what does the orange mark represent?
3. New Visual
Along with a brand-new background image (obviously), Ubuntu 23.04 updates its Adwaita-based Yaru GTK and Shell theme to reflect updates from upstream GNOME developers.
A few notable changes have been made to the icons: the screenshot button in the Quick Settings menu now has a new icon (a response to GNOME developers updating theirs), and Ubuntu’s design team has replaced LibreOffice’s (really rather brilliant) new app icons with an updated set of custom ones.
4.Great Software & Utilities
New versions of Ubuntu’s essential software are included with this release, including:
- Transmission 3.0
- Thunderbird 102
- Shotwell 0.30.17
- LibreOffice 7.5
- Remmina 1.4.29
- Mozilla Firefox 111
The most recent version of GNOME’s new Text Editor is also present, with enhanced scroll-to-zoom, draught handling, and spellcheck functionality. A variety of UI improvements to popovers, menus, status pages, search, and the settings dialogue are also included. Even if Gedit is still (as before) available in the repositories, I really like this.
4. New Kernel version
Linux kernel 6.2 is used by Ubuntu 23.04, and Mesa 23.0 graphics drivers are available to support some of the best gaming experiences.
When is Ubuntu 23.04 available for download?
Release date for Ubuntu 23.04 is April 20, 2023. You may get the final, stable release on this day from the official mirrors, image servers, and Ubuntu website. Additionally, upgrading from Ubuntu 22.10 to Ubuntu 23.04 is an option.
You don’t necessarily have to wait until April 20 to test out Ubuntu 23.04. The Ubuntu 23.04 Beta will be released on March 30, and (as the name suggests) new Ubuntu 23.04 daily builds are released every single day.
Download Link:- https://ubuntu.com/download/desktop
