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It is always an interesting period of time when we get near the end of the Ubuntu release cycle to see if things go quietly into the night or if there is a fury of last-minute activity. Ubuntu 23.10 comes at such a point, and, in this release cycle, the answer is more fury than quietude. This final interim release (in this cycle) came out on 12 October, 2023, and brings a surprising volume of new things, although most of them are small changes. Overall, Ubuntu 23.10 is the 39th release for Ubuntu, and the 13th with the modified Gnome desktop, so it is probably fair to claim that Ubuntu is a pretty mature distribution these days. It comes with nine months of support, until July, 2024. The next Ubuntu release will be the long-term-support version that completes this cycle, 24.04 LTS, due out in April, 2024.
La période où nous approchons de la fin d’un cycle de versions d’Ubuntu est toujours intéressant, car nous voyons si les choses arrêtent tranquillement leur progression ou s’il y a beaucoup d’activité de dernière minute. Ubuntu 23.10 arrive à un tel moment et, dans ce cycle de versions, la réponse est plus d’activité que de quiétude.
Cette dernière version intérimaire (dans ce cycle) est parue le 12 octobre 2023 et apporte une quantité surprenant de nouvelles choses, bien que la plupart soient de petites modifications. Globalement, Ubuntu 23.10 est la 29ème publication d’Ubuntu et la 13ème avec le bureau Gnome modifié ; ainsi, il est probablement correcte de prétendre que Ubuntu est actuellement une très mûre distribution. Elle aura neuf mois de support, jusqu’en juillet 2024. La prochaine publication d’Ubuntu sera celle de la version à support à long terme qui termine ce cycle, la 24.04 LTS, prévue en avril 2024.
Even though Ubuntu 23.10 was out on time, it was not available for long. I was lucky to get a download via BitTorrent right away, as within three hours the desktop version had been pulled due to the post-release discovery of a malicious translation of a political nature in the Ukrainian language installer. It was posted again for download four days later, on 16 October, 2023, as a new version, Ubuntu 23.10.1. It sounds like at least one Ubuntu translation contributor will get the boot. Given the code name “Mantic Minotaur”, Ubuntu 23.10 is not the first release to bear the name of a mythical animal. It follows Ubuntu 9.04 “Jaunty Jackalope”, Ubuntu 14.10 “Utopic Unicorn” and Ubuntu 15.10 “Wily Werewolf”. In case anyone asks, the term “mantic” means having the power of divination or prophesy. The Minotaur of Greek mythology was the half man-half bull that lived in the labyrinth on Crete that was designed by the architect Daedalus and his son Icarus, of aviation misadventure fame. After eating a lot of people, the Minotaur was killed by the Athenian hero Theseus.
Bien que Ubuntu 23.10 soit sortie sans délai, elle n’était pas disponible pendant longtemps. J’avais la chance de pouvoir recevoir un téléchargement avec BitTorrent tout de suite, car, dans les trois heures, la version desktop a dû être retirée à cause de la découverte, après sa sortie, d'une traduction malicieuse de nature politique dans l’installeur en langue ukrainienne. Elle a été rendue disponible au téléchargement quatre jours après, le 16 octobre 2023, comme une nouvelle version, Ubuntu 23.10.1. Je pense qu’au moins un traducteur d’Ubuntu sera licencié.
Ubuntu 23.10, nom de code « Mantic Minotaur », n’est pas la première version à avoir le nom d’un animal mythique. Elle suit Ubuntu 9.04 « Jaunty Jackalope », Ubuntu 14.10 « Utopic Unicorn » et Ubuntu 15.10 « Wily Werewolf ». Au cas où quelqu’un pose la question, le terme « mantic » signifie pouvant faire de la divination ou des prophéties. Le Minotaur de la mythologie grecque était moitié homme-moitié taureau et vivait dans le labyrinthe sur Crète qui avait été conçu par l’architecte Daedalus et son fil Icare, connu pour sa mésaventure d'aviation. Après avoir dévoré une tonne de gens, le Minotaur a été tué par le héro athénien Theseus.
Because the Ubuntu project is now working its way through the alphabet for the second time, 13 years apart, this is the second “M” coded release, following Ubuntu 10.10 “Maverick Meerkat”, which was released on 10 October, 2010. Installation I downloaded the release from the official source via BitTorrent, which probably allowed me to get a copy on release day. It was quickly removed and was no longer available from the normal downloads, although BitTorrent kept working once running. I did an SHA256 sum check to make sure the download was not corrupted, which is always a good idea. I tested Ubuntu 23.10 from a USB stick equipped with Ventoy 1.0.96 and it booted perfectly. The download for Ubuntu 23.10 was 5.2 GB, which is 6% bigger than the last release, Ubuntu 23.04, which was 4.9 GB. Ubuntu 23.10 is now almost double the size of the release from two years ago, Ubuntu 21.10, which was 2.9 GB.
Puisque le projet Ubuntu progresse maintenant dans alphabet pour la deuxième fois, à 13 ans d’intervalle, celle-ci est la deuxième version avec un nom en « M », après Ubuntu 10.10 « Maverick Meerkat », qui est sortie le 10 octobre 2010.
Installation
J’ai téléchargé la publication avec BitTorrent à partir de la source officielle, ce qui m’a probablement permis d’en obtenir un exemplaire le jour de sa sortie. Elle a été supprimée très rapidement et n’était plus disponible à partir des téléchargements normaux, bien que BitTorrent ait continué à travailler une fois démarré. J’ai fait une vérification de somme SHA256 pour être certain que le téléchargement n’était pas corrompu ; c’est toujours une bonne chose de faire. J’ai testé Ubuntu 23.10 à partir d’une clé USB équipée de Ventoy 1.0.96 et la distribution a démarré parfaitement.
La taille du téléchargement d’Ubuntu 23.10 était de 5,2 Go, ce qui est 6 % plus gros que celle de la dernière version, Ubuntu 23.04, à 4,9 Go. Ubuntu 23.10 fait maintenant presque le double de la version d’il y a deux ans, Ubuntu 21.10, qui était de 2,9 Go.
There is a story here, but not one with a truly happy ending. For a number of releases now, Ubuntu’s installer has offered an optional “minimal” installation, which included just the basic desktop, Firefox web browser, Gnome Text Editor, and Gnome Terminal, plus the graphical Snap Store to install any additional software desired. I actually like that approach, as it allows just installing the applications you need and not having to remove a bunch of clutter you don’t want. To cut down the size of the ISO file download, the developers wanted to make the minimal installation the new default and sole installation option. That proposal resulted in some heated debate, with some people arguing that Ubuntu’s greatest strength is its ready-to-use, out-of-the-box configuration, making it easy for beginners to jump right in. In the end, a compromise was reached that the minimal installation would become the new default, but the installer would also clearly offer a “full installation” option, and that it would be within the downloaded ISO file – not just from the internet. That means that all the applications lacking in the minimal installation, such as LibreOffice and Thunderbird, are all still there in the ISO file, just not used – unless a full installation is chosen. The big advantage of a minimal installation is that it results in a small ISO download size but this compromise means you get a huge file to download and then a default minimal installation – probably the worst of both worlds.
Il y a une histoire ici, mais sans une fin vraiment heureuse. Pour plusieurs versions maintenant, l’installeur d’Ubuntu a proposé une installation « minimale » optionnelle, qui ne comprenant que le bureau de base, le navigateur Web Firefox, Gnome Text Editor et Gnome Terminal accompagné du Snap Store graphique pour l’installation de tout autre logiciel désiré. En fait, cette approche me plaît, car il permet de n'installer que les applications dont vous avez besoin et vous n'avez pas à enlever une foule de trucs que vous ne voulez pas. Pour réduire la taille du téléchargement du fichier ISO, les développeurs voulaient rendre l'installation minimale l'unique option d'installation et l'option par défaut. Cette proposition a donné quelques débats très vifs, car certains gens ont insisté que la plus grande force d'Ubuntu est sa configuration prête à utiliser dès l'installation, ce qui rend facile son adoption par des débutants. À la fin, ils ont trouvé un compris : l'installation miniame deviendrait le nouveau défaut, mais l'installeur offrirait également et clairement une option d'« installation complète » et qu'il se trouverait à l'intérieur du ficheir ISO téléchargé et pas seulement sur le Net. Cela signifie que toutes les applications qui ne se trouvent pas dans l'installation minimale, comme LibreOffice et Thunderbird, sont toujours là dans le fichier ISO, mais ne sont pas utilisées à moins que l'installation complète soit choisi. Le grand avantage d'une installation minimale est qu'elle donne une petite taille d'ISO au téléchargement, mais, avec ce compris, vous devez télécharger un fichier énorme, puis faire une installation minimale par défaut - probablement le pire des deux mondes.
It is worth noting that, when booting up the ISO to a live session, you get the “full installation” experience and not the minimal (default) desktop.
System requirements
The recommended minimum system requirements for Ubuntu 23.10 have not changed since 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 23.10 should run fine on hardware designed for Windows 7 or later, although I would suggest at least 8 GB of RAM is needed as a working minimum.
New
As noted, this release introduces a large number of mostly small changes, in time to get them in before the next LTS release. A few are changes that desktop users will notice, and the rest are more “behind-the-scenes”.
The changes that desktop users will notice include the use of the Gnome 45.0 desktop, including associated updated applications; a newly rewritten, Flutter-based, App Center which replaces the old Snap Store; a new standalone Firmware Updater application; the Gnome Clocks application, which is included by default with its world clocks, stopwatch and timers; a new workspace indicator in the top-left of the screen which replaces the previous “activities” menu, and expanded window tiling capabilities, including quarter and half screen tiling.
The more “behind the scenes” changes that regular desktop users will probably not notice so much include “preview support” for hardware backed full-disk encryption with the encryption keys stored in the Trusted Platform Module (TPM) and recovered automatically by authenticated boot software; support for Raspberry Pi 5 and SiFive HiFive Pro P550; Netplan 0.107 networking configuration tool included, Docker 24.0.5 with Docker plugins, docker-buildx and docker-compose-v2; support for ZFS guided installations; updated Ubuntu fonts, and many security improvements including requiring programs to have AppArmor profiles.
Furthermore, many toolkits and other background packages have been updated: Mesa 23.2 graphics drivers; GCC 13.2.0; binutils 2.41; glibc 2.38; Python 3.11.6 with 3.12.0 is available in the archive; Perl 5.36.0; LLVM 16 with 17 is available in the archive; Rust 1.71; OpenJDK 17 is provided with OpenJDK 21 available but not used for package builds; .NET 7 packages were updated to 7.0.110, and .NET 6 packages were updated to 6.0.121; Go 1.21; BlueZ 5.68; Cairo 1.18; NetworkManager 1.44; Pipewire 0.3.79 audio; Poppler 23.08 and xdg-desktop-portal version 1.18. This should add up to better Bluetooth headphone and trackpad support.
This release includes Linux kernel 6.5, while the init system is systemd 253.5.
When combined with the changes introduced earlier in the development cycle, this is going to add up to quite a bit – heading into the upcoming LTS release.
Settings
Predictably, there are new Minotaur-themed wallpapers provided for this release. In fact, of the 14 wallpapers provided, ten of them have Minotaurs on them. One is even an 8-bit Minotaur rendition that looks like it escaped from Super Mario.
Otherwise, Ubuntu 23.10 continues to offer just two window themes: standard (light) and dark. With the default wallpaper in use, switching to the dark window theme also switches that wallpaper to a dark version. Overall, that makes the display so dark it is hard to discern the windows in use. A lighter wallpaper actually works better with the dark window theme.
Applications
Some of the applications included with Ubuntu 23.10 full installation are: Archive Manager (file-roller) 43.0 archiver* Cheese 44.1 webcam application CUPS 2.4.6 printing system Document Viewer (evince) 45.0 PDF viewer Document Scanner (simple-scan) 44.0 optical scanner* Duplicity 1.2.2 file back-ups Files (nautilus) 45 RC file manager Firefox 118.0.1 web browser Gnome Calendar 45.0 desktop calendar Gnome Clocks 45.0 clocks Gnome Disks 45.0 disk manager Gnome Terminal 3.49.92 terminal emulator Gnome Text Editor 45.0 text editor Gparted 1.5.0 partition editor* Image Viewer (Eye of Gnome) 45.0 image viewer LibreOffice 7.6.2 office suite PipeWire 0.3.79 audio controller Remmina 1.4.31 remote desktop client Rhythmbox 3.4.7 music player Shotwell 0.32.2 photo manager Startup Disk Creator 0.3.17 (usb-creator-gtk) USB ISO writer Systemd 253.5 init system Thunderbird 115.3.1 email client Transmission 4.0.2 bittorrent client Ubuntu App Center 1.0.0 alpha 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 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. May be installed from the repositories.
The application collection represents a mix of Gnome versions, but mostly from Gnome 45 with a few holdovers from Gnome 43 and 44. The addition of Gnome Clocks and the rewritten App Center replacing the old Snap Store are the only changes to the provided suite of applications.
The App Center actually is a worthwhile update. This is a rewrite of the Snap Store using the Flutter toolkit, but it works better. It is not only faster and lighter but, best of all, it now allows installing both Snap and Deb files which are the two preferred package formats on Ubuntu these days.
The Files (Nautilus) file manager, version 45 RC, has improved performance – loading and displaying files more quickly and generating faster thumbnails.
The Firefox web browser is still a Snap package but now works in Wayland mode by default instead of Xwayland. This means that web page rendering is much more clear and sharp, plus it includes full touchscreen support.
Conclusions
Ubuntu 23.10 brings a surprisingly large number of last minute changes to this development cycle. This means the next long-term-support version, Ubuntu 24.04 LTS, will be significantly different from the last LTS, 22.04. Ubuntu 24.04 LTS is expected out in April, 2024.
External links
Official website: https://ubuntu.com/