Ceci est une ancienne révision du document !
This latest Ubuntu release arrives squarely in the middle of the development cycle. Ubuntu 23.04, released on 20 April, 2023, is the second of three planned interim releases leading to the next long term support version, Ubuntu 24.04 LTS, due out in April, 2024.
Being an interim release, Ubuntu 23.04 is supported for just nine months, until January, 2024. LTS versions are supported for five years so, if you do install this version, you will need to upgrade to the next release, Ubuntu 23.10, to carry through to the next LTS version.
Ubuntu 23.04 is the 38th version of Ubuntu, and the 12th with the modified Gnome 3 desktop, so the formula is pretty well established. Ubuntu has come a long way since that first release, Ubuntu 4.10 on 20 October, 2004.
Codenamed Lunar Lobster, this is the second Ubuntu release that has an “L” name, the previous one being Ubuntu 10.04 LTS Lucid Lynx which was released on 29 April, 2010, 13 years ago.
This new version builds on the small changes introduced in the last release and seems to point to an LTS that will have only some small refinements over the last LTS.
Installation
I downloaded a copy of the ISO file from the official source using BitTorrent. Once I had the file, an SHA256 sum check confirmed it was a good download.
At 4.9 GB, this release has unaccountably grown by 1.1 GB over the last release which is 22%! This is also a 30% bigger download than the last LTS version.
As usual, I dropped the ISO file onto a USB stick with Ventoy 1.0.91 on it and booted from there. Ventoy worked perfectly for testing purposes.
System requirements
The recommended minimum system requirements for Ubuntu 23.04 have not changed since the 20.04 LTS and remain: 2 GHz dual-core processor 4 GB RAM 25 GB of hard-drive, USB stick, memory card, or external drive space Screen capable of 1024×768 pixel screen resolution Either a CD/DVD drive or a USB port for the installation media Internet access is useful, but not essential
This means that Ubuntu 23.04 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 is a lot that is new in Ubuntu 23.04, but all the changes are fairly small ones.
For desktop users the biggest switch is to Gnome 44.0, the second major release using the GTK4 toolkit. This brings new versions of almost all the usual desktop applications.
Users who do a fresh installation will notice that this release comes with a new Flutter-based installer that uses Subiquity. It even has an all-new slide show to watch while the installation is running. This new installer also means that a minimal installation is now faster than a full installation which was not previously the case.
This release uses Linux kernel 6.2, with the initialization system systemd 252.5. Systemd has now been the Ubuntu init system since 15.04, through eight years and 17 releases. Despite the occasional nay-saying, it works well and looks here to stay for now, at least.
Many tool packages have been updated including OpenJDK 17, .Net 7.0.105, Golang 1.20, Rust 1.67, Ruby 3.1, and Python 3.11.
Changes in how the dock works include indicating unread notifications for applications as a small number on the corresponding icon, plus a new set of LibreOffice Yaru-style icon designs.
Fonts have been improved too, with the Ubuntu font family now with thinner and sharper fonts that look quite nice.
Changes to Snap package management include downloading updates in the background to be applied when the application is next closed. As a bonus, this reduces those annoying Snap notifications that previously kept popping up, which is a welcome improvement. Snap downloads can also be paused if desired.
Ubuntu 23.04 is also the first Linux distribution that includes native user authentication for Microsoft Azure Active Directory. This enables users with Microsoft 365 Enterprise plans to authenticate their Ubuntu computer using the same M365 or Azure credentials for cloud service access.
Settings
The top-right Quick Settings menu has been updated and now includes fast selection of Bluetooth devices. Flatpak packages are not by default installed, but if any are installed and are running in the background (ie, with no open window), then the Quick Settings menu will show them. The menu also allows quick access to select dark mode.
Since the code name for this release is “Lunar Lobster”, it naturally comes with a default lobster-themed wallpaper. In fact, there are five lobster wallpapers to choose from, plus six other non-lobster ones included, just in case you are not a big Nephropidae fan.
Applications
Some of the applications included with Ubuntu 23.04 are: Archive Manager (file-roller) 43.0 archiver* Cheese 44.0 webcam application CUPS 2.4.2 printing system* Document Viewer (evince) 44.1 PDF viewer Document Scanner (simple-scan) 44.0 optical scanner Duplicity 0.8.22 file back-ups* Files (nautilus) 44.0 file manager Firefox 111.0.1 web browser Gnome Calendar 44.0 desktop calendar Gnome Disks 44.0 disk manager Gnome Terminal 3.48.0 terminal emulator Gnome Text Editor 44.0 text editor Gparted 1.3.1 partition editor* Image Viewer (Eye of Gnome) 44.0 image viewer LibreOffice 7.5.2 office suite PipeWire 0.3.65 audio controller Remmina 1.4.29 remote desktop client Rhythmbox 3.4.6 music player* Shotwell 0.30.18 photo manager Startup Disk Creator 0.3.16 (usb-creator-gtk) USB ISO writer Systemd 252.5 init system Thunderbird 102.10.0 email client Transmission 3.00 BitTorrent client* Ubuntu Software (snap-store) 41.3 package management system Videos (totem) 43.0 movie player* Wget 1.21.3 command line webpage downloader* * indicates same application version as used in Ubuntu 22.10 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
The suite of applications included has not changed this time around. As can be seen from the list, almost all the core Gnome applications are now from Gnome 44, with only the Archive Manager and Videos as holdovers from Gnome 43.
The new GTK4 version of the Files file manager includes a few improvements, too. There are more icon sizes to choose from in icon view and pasting image files into the file manager directly from clipboard is now allowed, which is useful.
This release includes LibreOffice 7.5.2 which, as in the past, is complete except for LibreOffice Base, the database application. As always, it can be installed if desired.
Ubuntu 23.04 retains the Gnome Text Editor, this time upgraded to version 44.0. It replaced the gedit text editor starting in Ubuntu 22.10 and provides a very simple and clean application that has pretty much all of gedit’s features but with better menus and accessibility. For those who miss it, gedit is still available for installation and has even been updated to version 44.0 in this release’s repository. Many other text editors are also available to install, from FeatherPad to Kate, jEdit and Leafpad.
Conclusions
While just an interim release, Ubuntu 23.04 is well-designed, rock-solid and definitely ready for daily use. While it does have some worthwhile incremental changes, with only nine months support, most users will probably wait for the next LTS version to upgrade, due out in April 2024.
Meanwhile, we have one more interim release as the last stop on the road to the next LTS. Ubuntu 23.10 is scheduled for 12 October, 2023, and once out, we will have to look at that one and see what is new there.
External links
Official website: https://ubuntu.com/