It’s live – Ubuntu 22.10 “Kinetic Kudu” is available for download.
Ubuntu 22.10 comes with a number of user experience improvements, a new sound server, a new text editor application and Linux kernel 5.19. He also boasts better support than ever for the Raspberry Pi single board computer.
As a short-term support release, this version of Ubuntu comes with 9 months of updates and application support. It’s not long, but it takes us well beyond the release of its successor, Ubuntu 23.04, scheduled for April next year.
If you keep up to date with your Ubuntu news, you should have a good idea of what’s in Ubuntu 22.10, so feel free to skip straight to the download section to grab the .iso for you!
Otherwise, read on for a quick rundown of what’s new and noteworthy, what we think of the release, and where you can download it (or how to upgrade).
Ubuntu 22.10 ‘Kinetic Kudu’
The (relatively recent) Gnome 43 The release provides the bulk of the key changes in Ubuntu 22.10. After dropping the shipping of GTK 4/libadwaita ports in April, Ubuntu developers have finally embraced them here in the Kinetic Kudu.
By far the most striking change is the New Quick settings menu. The grid-based pod-like layout draws inspiration from other desktop operating systems, including those on mobile, to provide a more usable area to interact with. The layout of the top row varies between desktops and laptops, with laptop users seeing a battery level icon on the left.
This replacement for the old masonry status menu offers all the same functionality but a new way to interact. With just one click, you turn on/off Wi-Fi, networking, Bluetooth, nightlight, VPN, and more, plus a new toggle to turn on/off a system-wide dark mode (without the elegant upstream transition effect offered by GNOME, beware).
But there are also new features. For example, you can now switch Wi-Fi networks directly from the menu (previously a full-screen modal switcher appeared), and it’s now possible to switch audio devices from the volume slider itself (so no : you no longer need to install a GNOME extension to do this).
Many file manager improvements are offered, including a new responsive design, an improved list view (which supports rubber banding and bookmarking of files), and redesigned file and folder properties dialogs. The latter not only gives users more information about their files but, through integration with the Discs utility, more options too.
A New Ubuntu desktop section in the (newly adaptive) Settings app bundles options for Ubuntu desktop icon extensions and the Ubuntu Dock. There are no new options present – still no on-click reduction, grr – but having these settings separate from the wallpaper options is, in my opinion, understandable.
There is the usual array of updated softwareincluding a faster MozillaFirefox Snap, a more capable LibreOffice productivity suite and the latest version of the great email client thunderbird. GNOME’s new libadwaita-based text editor application replaces the iconic Gedit (which is in the repos), and Ubuntu removes the ‘To Do’ app from the default install.
PipeWire is Ubuntu’s default sound server in this release. PipeWire is a more modern audio manager that requires less system resources to run and has better compatibility with wireless Bluetooth speakers and headphones.
The Kinetic Kudu also comes with Linux Kernel 5.19, Mesa 22 and a host of other updated components and tools. The recent release of Network Manager 1.40 is included, as is the BlueZ version 5.65.
Worth installing? I think so…
In summary, Ubuntu 22.10 is an instant hit thanks to its adoption of PipeWire and its inclusion of GNOME 43 and related application updates. Still, it’s not an LTS. Those who value stability and familiarity above all else are likely to find few compelling reasons to trade. But for everyone else? Enter it!
Want to be helpful? You can download the torrent file instead.
Don’t forget: you can upgrade to Ubuntu 22.10 too, but it is NOT automatic (because LTS versions only upgrade to LTS versions by default).
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