Ubuntu 24.10 is available to download and install from the official website. It ships with the Linux 6.11 kernel and the latest GNOME 47 desktop enviroment. This version switches to Wayland by default for hardware with NVIDIA graphics, matching the previous Xorg transition for Intel and AMD graphics users, and uses the open-source NVIDIA 560 kernel modules by default on supported hardware. The kernel also has kdump-tools, which enables kernel crash dumps by default. This helps streamline troubleshooting by automatically capturing critical data after a crash.
Canonical also said in its blog post, “For gamers, significant improvements have also been made to the compatibility of the Steam snap, with an expanded permissions model and improved NVIDIA driver support. The Steam snap also bundles gaming-specific Mesa PPAs to deliver optimized performance out of the box when combined with the low latency settings enabled in the latest kernel.”
Updates are also visible in the Ubuntu Dock, which better handles Progressive Web Applications. The OpenJDK 21 and OpenJDK 17 packages in Ubuntu have also changed and are now TCK (Technology Compatibility Kit) certified on amd64, arm64, s390x, ppc64el, and armhf. Passing the TCK tests means the OpenJDK packages for version 17 and version 21 on Ubuntu are compliant with the Java SE specification for their corresponding versions.
And Snaps work outside of Ubuntu…
My point is, Ubuntu goes out of their way to make installing stuff as anything other than a Snap a hindrance.
Their new storefront, which was originally a community creation that allowed for the installation of debs and snaps, initially had deb support ripped out of it when Ubuntu started using it. Only after backlash did they reluctantly add it back. You certainly can’t install Flatpaks through it (unless someone has a fork).
Why would I use a system that so aggressively pushes a packaging format I don’t want to use and suppresses ones that I do?
I guess it matters if you use GUI tools to install things. I almost never do so I hadn’t even noticed.
Even using apt to install things has lead to some things actually being installed as Snaps, unfortunately.
Sure - but I guess I just don’t care? I don’t understand the snap hate. They work fine. Better than flatpaks even. I install some things from flatpak (desktop GUI only stuff) and some things from apt/snaps.
The Snap hate makes perfect sense. It performs worse, each app is mounted as it’s own fs which clutters my file manager, they cause all kinds of issues (e.g with Steam), the sandboxing only works on one distro, there’s a proprietary element to them, they’re controlled by one organisation that’s somewhat questionable, and they undermine the actual packaging standard that seemingly everybody else has adopted.
It’s perfectly reasonable not to want them, and it’s very reasonable not to want them forcibly installed without consent when you’re trying to install something else.
If you like them, fair enough. But I’ve explained why I don’t, and you liking them does not invalidate all the people that don’t like them.
Even still, I’m back on Ubuntu LTS for my daily driver for stability sake but I do so miss yay.