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The latest from the Ubuntu Budgie team is version 23.04, which came out on 20 April, 2023. This is the distribution’s 14th release, and is the middle one of three interim releases in this development cycle, leading to the next Long Term Support (LTS) version, Ubuntu Budgie 24.04 LTS, due out in April, 2024.
After a busy release last time, with many default application changes, this release just includes some smaller adjustments.
As an interim release, Ubuntu Budgie 23.04 is supported for nine months until January, 2024.
Installation
I downloaded Ubuntu Budgie 23.04 via BitTorrent from the official sources. The download was 3.4 GB, which by current standards is a modest size. Certainly, it is much smaller than the mainstream Ubuntu 23.04 at 4.9 GB or Kubuntu 23.04 which tips the scales at 5.0 GB.
Once downloaded, I carried out a command-line SHA256 sum check on the ISO file to make sure it was good, and then dropped it onto a USB stick equipped with Ventoy 1.0.91. Ventoy makes testing out Linux distributions really easy as it does all the hard work of unpacking on boot-up.
System requirements
The recommended system requirements for Ubuntu Budgie 23.04 have not changed and are: 4GB or more of RAM 64-bit capable Intel and AMD processors UEFI PCs booting in CSM mode Modern Intel-based Apple Macs
New
This release reflects a fair amount of work put in by a number of Budgie developers in a few specific areas.
Ubuntu Budgie 23.04 uses Budgie desktop 10.7.1 which is a fresh version. Many of the desktop applets (widgets) have seen fixes and improvements including the Clockworks applet and the weather applet, which have better theme integration and scaling.
There has also been a concerted effort to improve and expand hot corners, hotspots, and the associated Window Shuffler, which all provide window tiling effects. For instance, when you move a window to the top of the screen it expands to full width and half the screen vertically. There must be users, or at least developers, who revel in these sorts of effects, but personally I really detest them as distracting and annoying, and so I always turn them off.
The default wallpaper is finally an (almost) new design. Previously, the wallpaper had been the same since Ubuntu Budgie 19.04 and was starting to look like a real distribution fixture. This time around, the developers took the stock wallpaper and added a lobster star constellation in honor of this release’s Lunar Lobster codename. There are 13 wallpapers provided, but only one with a lobster!
There are also a large number of otherwise small changes and refinements in this release.
Settings
Ubuntu Budgie 23.04 brings many theme updates, adjustments and reworks. As in past releases, the settings are scattered over many different places, although everything is there; it just takes some time to learn where to find it.
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 is also Pocillo-light which is quite inspiring for fans of lighter themes. The Pocillo family of themes also come in “thin” versions which make the top bar smaller.
Budgie Makeovers & Layouts is where you find one button wallpaper, window theme, and icon packages. There are still eight of them to choose from although only one is installed and the others have to be downloaded for installation if needed.
Budgie Extras is where the desktop applets are hidden. There are now 36 applets included, three less than in the last release. These add things like clocks and other functionality to the desktop. On Kubuntu, they would be termed “widgets”.
The main menu continues to offer the choice of a switchable icon view and a list view, as well as an application search bar.
Applications
Some of the applications included with Ubuntu Budgie 24.04 are: Archive Manager (File Roller) 43.0 archiver* Atril 1.26.0 PDF viewer* Budgie Screenshot Applet screenshot tool CUPS 2.4.2 printing system* Deja Dup 44.0 backup tool Document Scanner (Simple Scan) 44.0 optical scanner Drawing 1.0.2 image editor Firefox 111.0.1 web browser Goodvibes 0.7.6 internet radio Gnome Disks 44.0 disk manager Gnome Software 44.0 package management system Gparted 1.3.1 partition editor* Gpodder 3.11.1 podcast player gThumb 3.12.2 image viewer* Guvcview 2.0.8 webcam application* LibreOffice 7.5.2 office suite Lollypop 1.4.37 music player Mate System Monitor 1.26.0 system resource monitor* Nemo 5.6.3 file manager Parole 4.18.0 movie player Pipewire 0.3.65 audio controller Text Editor (gedit) 44.2 text editor Thunderbird 102.10.0 email client Tilix 1.9.5 terminal emulator* Transmission 3.00 bitTorrent client* * indicates same application version as used in Ubuntu Budgie 22.10 supplied as a snap, so version depends on the upstream package manager
After a number of application trade-outs in the last release, it looks like the team may have settled on a new default suite of applications, as this time around there are no application changes, just updated versions. The current set is a real mix from Gnome, Cinnamon, MATE, Xfce, and other projects, though.
Ubuntu Budgie 23.04 uses the Cinnamon desktop’s Nemo file manager instead of the standard Gnome file manager, Nautilus (Files). Nemo has a nice intuitive interface, including an “up one level” button, and works fine in every regard, except that it is missing bulk file renaming. This is a fairly important feature for a file manager to still be lacking here in 2023.
Ubuntu Budgie 23.04 includes the LibreOffice 7.5.2 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 desired.
This release still has the standard Budgie application dock, Plank, which is easy to configure or even turn off.
Conclusions
Ubuntu Budgie 23.04 is certainly a solid release with no obvious vices, other than its rather scattered user settings. I am sure most seasoned Budgie users know where to find everything, but, for new users, there is a bit of a learning curve here.
Ubuntu Budgie continues to appeal to users looking for more of a classic, menu-driven operating system than Ubuntu or Ubuntu Unity. This places it in a similar class as Lubuntu, Kubuntu and Xubuntu.
We are expecting the last interim release for this development cycle on 12 October, 2023, and then it is onto the final result of this cycle, Ubuntu Budgie 24.04 LTS, due out in April, 2024.
External links
Official website: https://ubuntubudgie.org/