As planned for a long time, yesterday Canonical launched the second version of its Linux distro for this year 2023: Ubuntu 23.10, also known as “Mantic Minotaur”. This is an important update, since it is the last “normal” version before the next LTS, scheduled for spring 2024, so it will mark the basis for the arrival of 24.04. So, whether you are an Ubuntu user, or if you are thinking about giving it a try, we will tell you all the news that you will find in this new OS.
Ubuntu 23.10 arrives 6 months after the launch of the previous version, 23.04, and also arrives as a short life cycle version (only 9 months), which will force all users who install it to update as soon as the next one is released. version if you don’t want to be left without support.
This is not a large update full of changes, improvements and new features. Quite the opposite, it is a refinement version, with very few visible changes but quite a few corrections under the hood. Next, we are going to see the changes that this new version of the most popular Linux has introduced.
What’s new in Ubuntu 23.10
The first of the novelties that we find when we install this new operating system is that Canonical has updated the desktop to GNOME 45. This version of the desktop environment introduces a large number of new features and improvements, such as an improved sales mosaic, a sharper look, two new “Flutter”-based apps, and a big change to the amount of software and packages that come preinstalled.
The kernel version chosen for this distro is Linux 6.5. It seems that Canonical has finally gotten its act together when choosing the Kernel for its distros and has stopped including old versions to bring the latest kernels with each update. The new Mesa 23.2 graphics drivers are also included, with the possibility of installing proprietary drivers if desired.
Another important change is that, when installing Ubuntu, we find that the “minimal installation” option, introduced in the system in 2018, is now the default installation mode. In this way, by default, we will have a system with the least amount of bloatware possible, while those who want a “Canonicalized” Linux will be able to opt for the complete installation.
Other important changes that we find in this system are:
- Improved support for ZFS drives.
- Compatibility with the Raspberry Pi 5 and the SiFive HiFive Pro P550.
- Greater integration with administrative tools for families.
- Latest version of Docker with new plugins.
- App store improvement (written in Flutter).
- Greater security throughout the system.
Download and update
If you still do not have Ubuntu on your computer, you can download and install the new version of this OS from the page Canonical main website. We will select the download of 23.10, and we will wait for the ISO to be downloaded to our PC. Once downloaded, we will simply have to save it to a pendrive and start the computer where we want to install this OS with said pendrive to begin the installation. We remember, by default the “minimum installation” will now be marked, so we must be careful.
If we already have a previous version of Ubuntu, we can update directly to 23.10 by executing the following commands in a terminal:
- nano /etc/update-manager/release-upgrades
- sudo do-release-upgrade -c
- sudo do-release-upgrade
Update. Canonical has had serious problems with some translations of Ubuntu 23.10 and has been forced to withdraw the download of the new Ubuntu 23.10. Therefore, we will have to wait a few hours for the problem to be solved if we want to download the new system. Or choose to download the ISO from other sources, such as Internet Archive.
