The wait is finally over. Ubuntu 22.10, codenamed ‘Kinetic Kudu’, has finally arrived and is available to download.
Following a tradition, Ubuntu 22.10, like all prior versions of the x.10 series, was released on the penultimate Thursday in October, as planned. For those interested, this is the 37th release of Ubuntu since 2004, when the initial version, Ubuntu 4.10, debuted.
However, there seemed to be some last-minute issues with this release, resulting in its later-than-usual announcement. A brief check of the Ubuntu Reddit channel yields the following message from the moderator:
Ubuntu 22.10 is not yet released—there’s some last-minute work on a blocking issue and the release team are working very hard to finalize the release.
In keeping with our practice of providing verified and authoritative information to our readers, we waited until the release team officially launched Ubuntu 22.10 to avoid confusing our most valuable asset, our readers, with hurried and misleading information.
Fortunately, ‘Kinetic Kudu,’ with a slight delay, has been officially announced. So, with that out of the way, let us explore what the latest release of this widely used Linux distribution has in store for us.
What’s New in Ubuntu 22.10 ‘Kinetic Kudu’
GNOME 43 Has Landed in Ubuntu 22.10
Almost everything noteworthy in this release revolves around the inclusion of GNOME 43, which includes all of the advantages that the most recent version of the desktop environment brings.
Ubuntu 22.10 ‘Kinetic Kudu’ overall appearance has become much more modern, unified, and pleasing thanks to Libadwaita and GTK 4, with many of its core apps now featuring the ever-so-modern adaptive design.
Undoubtedly, the new Quick Settings menu is one of the most noticeable improvements. It allows you to easily change some frequently used settings, UI mode, for example, with a button.
On top of that, the ability to switch between different audio outputs is another beneficial and convenient feature introduced by the new Quick Settings.
In other words, if you have a PC speaker and headphones connected to your PC simultaneously, you can switch between them with a single click.
Files, one of the essential apps, has received special attention. File and folder properties have been given a modern look that provides an excellent overview of each object. They also offer new functionality, such as a button to open the parent folder.
New ‘Ubuntu Desktop’ Settings Pane
The new ‘Ubuntu Desktop’ pane in ‘Settings’ is the standout new feature in Ubuntu 22.04 that you won’t find in the vanilla GNOME 43 release.
As the name implies, you can modify the desktop environment’s settings, such as the size and positioning of icons on the desktop and the behavior of the Dock panel.
PipeWire by Default
Strangely or not, the PipeWire audio server, which has been widely used in many major Linux distributions for quite some time, has just recently found a home in the new Ubuntu 22.10 as the default sound server.
We only add that the previously used PulseAudio is still available but in an inactive state.
Other ‘Kinetic Kudu’ Highlights
Under the hood, Ubuntu 22.10 ships with the Linux kernel 5.19, which, in addition to the usual CPU and GPU improvements, is notable for including multi-platform ARM support. On top of that, the systemd init system was updated to version 251.4.
In addition, AppArmor now allows you to restrict access to unprivileged user namespaces. This enables a system administrator to set their system so that only apps and services restricted by an AppArmor profile can use this functionality.
On the desktop side, the ‘.webp’ format is now supported by the default image app. Moreover, you can also find updated application packages that include the following:
- LibreOffice 7.4.2
- Firefox 106
- Thunderbird 102.3
- Rhythmbox 3.4.6
- Remmina 1.4.27
You can refer to the release notes for detailed information about all changes in ‘Kinetic Kudu.’
The other official Ubuntu flavors include Kubuntu, Lubuntu, Ubuntu Budgie, Ubuntu Kylin, Ubuntu MATE, Ubuntu Studio, and Xubuntu, have also released their own 22.10 versions, which users can download from their respective websites.
The absence of Ubuntu Unity is notable, which was expected to join the family of official Ubuntu flavors with the release of 22.10.
Bottom Line
This concludes our review of Ubuntu 22.10. Is it worth a shot? I’d rather say yes. Fortunately, it does not, for the time being, include the annoying advertisement that appears when using the APT command in version 22.04 LTS.
Unfortunately, as in the previous edition, the Firefox browser is only available as a Snap package. As a result, it poses some challenges with its use and primarily reflects on its performance at the first launch. Fortunately, this can be easily fixed.
However, if the recently released GNOME 43 desktop environment is the only reason you want to try Ubuntu 22.10, we recommend you wait until the end of next week.
That is when the new Fedora 37 will be released, which includes a vanilla GNOME, giving you the purest GNOME experience possible.
Download
Ubuntu 22.10 ‘Kinetic Kudu’ is now available for download. So you can grab the ISO installation image from the Ubuntu website by clicking on the button below.
I hope you’ll enjoy the new Ubuntu 22.10. Also, don’t forget to share your experience in the comment section below.
