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Release notes for new versions of Linux distributions make interesting reading. They are normally written by developers to introduce the new release and, hopefully for those of us writing reviews, list the changes incorporated. Some release notes have clear lists of changes, others require a bit more reading in-between-the-lines. Such is the case with Ubuntu Unity 23.10.
This latest Ubuntu Unity version came out on 12 October, 2023, along with all the other Ubuntu 23.10 flavors. Ubuntu Unity 23.10 is the eighth release of this distribution using the Unity interface. It is the third and last interim release of this development cycle. The next version will be a long term support release, Ubuntu Unity 24.04 LTS, which will be out on 25 April, 2024. As an interim release, Ubuntu Unity 23.10 is supported for just nine months until July, 2024.
Installation
I downloaded Ubuntu Unity 23.10 from the official source using Transmission to get the file via BitTorrent. Once I had the ISO file, I ran an SHA256 sum check on it from the command line to make sure the download was good.
This release is a 3.5 GB download, which is 200 MB bigger than the last version which was 3.3 GB. Still, Ubuntu Unity 23.10 is much smaller than mainstream Ubuntu 23.10 which weighs in at a much heftier 5.2 GB.
I tested Ubuntu Unity 23.10 from a USB stick equipped with Ventoy 1.0.96. Even though Ubuntu Unity is not officially listed as being supported by Ventoy, it boots up just fine. Ventoy allows dragging and dropping multiple Linux distributions onto a single USB device which makes reviewing or just distro-hopping very easy. Ventoy does the hard work of unpacking the one selected right at boot up.
System requirements
Ubuntu Unity does not specify any system requirements but it is probably safe to assume that it is the same as Ubuntu 23.10, a minimum of: 2 GHz dual core processor 4 GB of RAM
New
The release announcement for Ubuntu Unity 23.10 indicates that the project’s developers have spent this six-month release period working on three projects, none of which made it into this release.
The first project aims to replace Nux, an OpenGL toolkit, in the next version of Unity which is currently under the working name of UnityX. Replacing Nux will allow Unity to be run under the full Wayland display server protocol, instead of the XWayland workaround currently employed.
The second project is work to allow Lomiri to be used on Ubuntu Unity. Lomiri was previously known as Unity 8. A development of Unity 7, it was originally started by Canonical as a “convergence desktop” for all devices, including phones, and is now developed by UBPorts as part of their Ubuntu Touch phone operating system. Lomiri was intended to be available for Ubuntu Unity 23.10’s release, but was delayed due to the discovery of some application launcher bugs.
The third project is listed as “adding support for CUPS 2.0 in Unity (printing), which has now been pushed back by Ubuntu to 24.04.” Since this Ubuntu Unity release uses CUPS 2.4.2, and even the very first Ubuntu Unity version, 20.04 LTS, used CUPS 2.3.1, it is not clear what that project entails.
Otherwise, the release announcement does not list any changes actually incorporated in Ubuntu Unity 23.10, and my own testing found only a few new setting changes. There are, of course, upstream changes that are unavoidably part of 23.10, including new application versions from the Ubuntu repositories, newer hardware support with Linux kernel 6.5, and the systemd 253.5 initialization system.
In many ways, a lack of distribution-level changes may be a good sign, as it may indicate that the developers are now happy with how Ubuntu Unity looks and works, and don’t see any need for anything new to be added or removed. In the past, both Ubuntu Unity 22.04 LTS and 22.10 brought a dizzying swap in and out of default applications, so this new stability may mean that the developers are content with the application mix. If the upcoming LTS version does not bring much new, then I think that this is a reasonable conclusion and that it will probably be a good thing for the users, too.
Not new is that Ubuntu Unity 23.10 continues to use Unity 7.7, the same as Ubuntu Unity 23.04 did. This version of the user interface introduced a “portrait” style main menu system that only uses half the screen (the left half), and usually requires vertical scrolling to find things. I am not sure why the full screen is not used, as it would be more space efficient. This interface also continues with the indicator-notification system for desktop notifications which I still find the most intrusive and annoying of all the user notification systems used in Linux distributions.
Settings
The settings in this release are once again spread out in three places: the regular settings menu, the “brush” icon on the panel, and the included Unity Tweak Tool. Once you locate them, they all work well.
The Unity Tweak Tool still has four window themes: Ambiance, Radiance, Yaru, and Yaru-dark, plus 36 icon themes and six cursor styles. The regular settings menu and the brush icon offer up only two window themes, Yaru and Yaru-dark. Both the settings menu and brush icon now have 20 accent colors to choose from, an increase of ten over the last release, something not mentioned in the release notes.
For this release, code named “Mantic Minotaur”, there is a new default Minotaur wallpaper based on the Ubuntu 23.10 one, and is quite nicely done. There are 19 other wallpapers, 13 of which have Minotaurs. If you want something with “less Minotaur”, you can always use your own wallpaper.
Ubuntu Unity continues with its aim of offering a high degree of user customization, which sets it apart from mainstream Ubuntu which has very limited user choices.
Applications
Some of the applications included with Ubuntu Unity 23.10 are: Archive Manager (File Roller) 43.0 file archiver* Atril 1.26.0 PDF viewer* Cheese 44.1 webcam application CUPS 2.4.6 printing system Document Scanner (Simple Scan) 44.0 optical scanner* Firefox 118.0.1 web browser GDebi 0.9.5.7 .deb package installer* Gnome Disks 45.0 disk manager Gnome Screenshot 41.0 screenshot tool* Gnome System Monitor 45.0.2 system resource monitor Gnome Terminal 3.49.92 terminal emulator Gparted 1.5.0 partition editor Image Viewer (Eye of MATE) 1.26.0 image viewer* LibreOffice 7.6.2 office suite Mate Calculator 1.26.0 calculator Nemo 5.8.4 file manager Pluma 1.26.0 text editor* PulseAudio 16.1 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 ISO writer Synaptic 0.91.3 package management system* Thunderbird 115.3.1 email client Transmission 4.0.2 bittorrent client Unity 7.7.0 interface* Unity Tweak Tool 0.0.7 settings manager* VLC 3.0.18 media player* XTerm 384-1 terminal emulator * indicates same application version as used in Ubuntu Unity 23.04 supplied as a snap, so version depends on the upstream package manager
As noted, the selection of default applications provided has not changed in this release. The mix mostly comes from the Gnome and Mate desktops with some, like the VLC media player, Firefox web browser and the Thunderbird email client from outside projects. Overall, the applications seem like reasonable choices and, of course, if you want something else it can be easily installed.
Ubuntu Unity 23.10 is still using PulseAudio as its audio controller and, unlike all the other Ubuntu flavors, has not yet switched to PipeWire.
The file manager used in 23.10 continues as Nemo from the Cinnamon desktop environment. Nemo has a nice look and works well enough but still lacks bulk file renaming which really is a feature that is needed. There are some workarounds available in the repositories, like the standalone GPRename bulk file renamer, for instance.
The LibreOffice 7.6.2 office suite is once again supplied almost complete, missing only the LibreOffice Base database application. If needed, it can also be installed from the Ubuntu repositories.
Conclusions
Ubuntu Unity 23.10 is a very smooth and solid release that looks good and works well. The developers seem to have decided on a final (at least for now) list of default applications which is a good thing for the users. The distribution continues to offer lots of user customization options and that tends to engender user loyalty. People like to be able to make their operating system look the way they want.
The lack of changes in 23.10 tends to indicate that Ubuntu Unity 24.04 LTS, due out on 25 April, 2024, will be very similar, but with three years of support. Perhaps Lomiri or UnityX will be available options in the near future, too? My guess would be to look for stability in the upcoming LTS and those new features over the next development cycle.
External links
Official website: https://ubuntuunity.org/