Canonical has announced the release of Ubuntu 20.10 “Groovy Gorilla”. The latest version of the world’s most popular open-source software features a raft of upgrades and improvements, making it more accessible and easier to use than ever before.
For the first time, users will be able to enjoy with the new images optimized for Raspberry Pi devices. Now you can install Ubuntu desktop, but you’ll need a Raspberry Pi with at least 4GB of RAM, which means you’re pretty much limited to the most recent Raspberry Pi 4 or Raspberry Pi 4 Compute Module 4, since earlier computers in the series were not available with that much memory.
In this release, we celebrate the Raspberry Pi Foundation’s commitment to put open computing in the hands of people all over the world. We are honored to support that initiative by optimising Ubuntu on the Raspberry Pi, whether for personal use, educational purposes or as a foundation for their next business venture.
said Mark Shuttleworth, CEO at Canonical.
Тherefore devices including the Raspberry Pi 2, 3, and 4 join the list of x86 and ARM devices already certified with Ubuntu. Any Raspberry Pi models with 4GB or 8GB RAM gain full support for the Ubuntu Desktop.
What’s new in Ubuntu Desktop 20.10
On top of Raspberry Pi desktop support, Ubuntu 20.10 includes GNOME 3.38, which tweaks the apps grid, removes the frequents tab and allows apps to be ordered and organised however users prefer.
The battery percentage display toggle has been exposed in power settings. Private WiFi hotspots can be shared using uniquely generated QR codes. A restart option has been added to the status menu next to logout/power off.
Linux Kernel 5.8. There’s now support for USB 4 and improved support for Intel Ice Lake and Tiger Lake graphics.
The new release also sees added support for Ubuntu Certified devices, including biometric identification support for more Ubuntu workstations out of the box.
There’s also support for micro clouds on Ubuntu as the demand for edge computing increases. Ubuntu 20.10 comes with LXD 4.6 and MicroK8s 1.19 to help power a number of use cases for resilient micro clouds, such as small clusters of servers providing VMs and Kubernetes on demand at the edge, for remote office, branch office, warehouse and distribution oriented infrastructure.
The Ubuntu Unity installer hasn’t changed significantly. The installation process is almost the same as it was on Ubuntu 20.04. One notable change is tucked away in the “Advanced Features” dialog box. The ZFS file system installation option no longer has the word “Experimental” in capital letters beside it.
After you install Ubuntu 20.10 and sign in, you’ll see the Groovy Gorilla, positioned prominently amidst the familiar purple hues of the Ubuntu color palette.
Download Ubuntu 20.10 “Groovy Gorilla”
Keep in mind that Ubuntu 20.10 is not an LTS release. This means it only receives 9 months of official support. Ubuntu 20.10 is available for download now on the Ubuntu website.
