Ceci est une ancienne révision du document !
The biggest news with the release of Kubuntu 23.10 is that there is not much news! I’ll try to make the case that that is a good thing for Kubuntu fans.
This is the third and final release in this Kubuntu development cycle before the next long term support (LTS) version comes out, which will be Kubuntu 24.04 LTS, due on 25 April, 2024.
Kubuntu 23.10 was made available on 12 October, 2023, and, being an interim release, it is on a short leash and supported for just nine months, until July, 2024.
Kubuntu 23.10 tells us quite a bit about what to expect when that LTS does come out. This whole Kubuntu development cycle has introduced only a few small changes. Kubuntu is one of the most popular of the Ubuntu official flavors and it has a dedicated group of enthusiastic users. On the whole, they seem to like the way Kubuntu works and are not looking for a lot new. It seems the developers have received that message and are giving the users what they want, just some bug fixes and minor updates.
This is the 38th Kubuntu release and the 17th one with the Qt toolkit-based KDE Plasma 5 desktop, so it is far from hyperbole to claim that this is a mature Linux distribution.
Installation
I downloaded the Kubuntu 23.10 ISO file from the official source, using Transmission to get it via BitTorrent. After the ISO was downloaded, I carried out a command-line SHA256 sum check to make sure the download was good.
Most of the Ubuntu family of distributions have been quickly growing in download file size in the last few years, but Kubuntu 23.10 actually reverses that trend. It is 3.9 GB, whereas the last release, Kubuntu 23.04, was 5.0 GB. It is not clear where the 28% savings were found, as there doesn’t seem to be anything missing and the release notes give no clue.
I tested this release by dropping the ISO file onto a USB stick equipped with Ventoy 1.0.96 and it booted up perfectly into a live session.
One live session Kubuntu anomaly is that after a few minutes of inactivity, the screen will lock and requires a password to unlock it. No other Ubuntu family live sessions actually lock the screen in a live session. Some other distributions, like MiniOS, will, but they give you the password at boot-up. A search shows that no one seems to know what the Kubuntu live session password is. This is not an issue with an installed version of Kubuntu, as you will have specified your own password during installation. In the live session, a locked screen means you will have to do a reboot and lose any work saved, like screenshots for a review. I know, I did.
System requirements
The recommended minimum system requirements for Kubuntu 23.10 are the same as for Ubuntu and have not changed for this release: 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 useful, but not essential
The recommended 4 GB of RAM is probably less than ideal for web browsing nowadays with 8 GB a more realistic minimum amount.
New
Pretty much each new release of Kubuntu has had a fresh default wallpaper, but not 23.20. It displays the same wallpaper on boot up as 23.04 did, “Mountain” by Andy Betts. It is a nice wallpaper and innocuous enough that it is hard to object to, but it oddly feels like the developers are saying, “we haven’t changed anything in this release”.
A total of 35 wallpapers are included, many from recent releases, so it is hard to complain. You can use your own wallpaper, of course. The code name for this release is “Mantic Minotaur” and while many Ubuntu family releases, like Ubuntu, Lubuntu, and Ubuntu Unity, are sporting Minotaur and labyrinth wallpaper, Kubuntu offers none at all. Probably a good thing, ducking that cliche.
Kubuntu 23.10 is built with the Qt 5.15.10 toolkit. It includes KDE Frameworks 5.110, with updated applications from KDE Gear 23.08 and the KDE Plasma 5.27.8 desktop, which is mostly 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.
Plasma 5.27 will probably be the end of the line for the Plasma 5 desktop, as Plasma 6 is scheduled for release in February, 2024. It will be interesting to see which version lands in the April LTS release.
Like all of the Ubuntu 23.10 family of releases, Kubuntu 23.10 comes with Linux kernel version 6.5 and Systemd 253.5 as its initialization system.
Kubuntu still has Wayland on test and so this release continues to use the X.org display server. Wayland can be selected on boot-up. Plasma 6 will use Wayland by default.
Settings
Kubuntu is the most customizable of the Ubuntu-based Linux distributions. As has been the case for quite a few releases now, in Kubuntu 23.10 there are still four global themes, four application styles, six Plasma styles, five window colors, two window decoration styles, eight icon sets, and eight cursor styles. Those are just the list of installed options, as most of the settings pages have one-button downloads for lots more available. Kubuntu’s high degree of user choice is certainly one of the factors in its enduring popularity. It is easy to change its appearance to suit you.
Kubuntu 23.10 also has 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, such as clocks and weather reports. Hundreds more can be downloaded with the only limitation being screen size and your personal tolerance for clutter.
Applications
Some of the applications included with Kubuntu 23.10 are: Ark 23.08.1 archive manager Discover 2.1.2 software store* Dolphin 23.08.1 file manager Elisa 23.08.1 music player Firefox 118.0.1 web browser Gwenview 23.08.1 image viewer Haruna 0.12.1 video player Kate 23.08.1 text editor Kcalc 23.08.1 calculator KDE Partition Manager 23.08.1 partition editor Konsole 23.08.1 terminal emulator Kmahjongg 23.08.1 game Kmines 23.08.1 game Konversation 23.08.1 IRC client Kpatience 23.08.1 game Ksudoku 23.08.1 game Ktorrent 23.08.1 BitTorrent client LibreOffice 7.6.2 office suite, less only LibreOffice Base database Muon 5.8.0 package manager* Okular 23.08.1 PDF viewer PipeWire 0.3.79 audio controller Plasma System Monitor 5.27.8 system monitor Skanlite 23.08.1 scanning utility Spectacle 23.08.1 screenshot tool Startup Disk Creator 0.3.17 (usb-creator-kde) USB ISO writer Thunderbird 115.3.1 email client * indicates same application version as used in Kubuntu 23.04 supplied as a snap, so version depends on the upstream package manager
Kubuntu releases usually ship with new versions of applications and the list shows that almost all included in 23.10 are updated versions from KDE Gear 23.08.1.
One application improvement in this release is that the Gwenview 23.08.1 image viewer can now read the GIMP image editor's native .xcf file format.
Starting with the 23.04 release, the new policy for all the Ubuntu official derivatives was to cease including Flatpak capabilities by default, instead standardizing on Deb and Snap packages. Kubuntu has complied with the policy, but the release notes once again provide instructions for how to enable Flatpak applications for anyone who wants them.
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. KDE's Qt-based Kdenlive remains probably the best choice in a video editor.
LibreOffice 7.6.2 is, as usual, 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 is a pretty much flawless release, with only a few minor changes over 23.04. If you have new hardware and need the newest Linux kernel, or are seduced by better sound for your BlueTooth headset, then this may be a worthwhile upgrade.
Since most Kubuntu fans like how the distribution looks and works, I think the fact that this version has only a few minor upgrades and some bug fixes will be welcome news for users. It also points to Kubuntu 24.04 LTS, due out on 25 April, 2024, as being very similar to this release, just with three years of support. Perhaps it will get a new wallpaper design, though?
External links
Official website: https://kubuntu.org/