Ubuntu has officially announced that the codename for its upcoming version 26.10 will be “Stonking Stingray.” This choice continues the tradition of pairing an adjective with an animal for each release, a practice that dates back to Ubuntu’s first launch in 2004 with the “Warty Warthog.” The previous long-term support version, 26.04 LTS, was named “Resolute Raccoon,” making ‘Stonking’ the next alphabetical choice.
The term stonking is a British informal expression meaning something that is significant or exceptionally good, fitting for a distribution that often adopts colorful and whimsical names for its interim releases, like “Wiley Werewolf” and “Groovy Gorilla.” Whether this British expression will resonate with users outside the UK remains to be seen.
As for stingray, it refers to the cartilaginous fish known for its adaptability and ability to thrive in various environments, much like Ubuntu itself. Thus, Ubuntu 26.10’s moniker hints at a potential for an exceptional and versatile release in the coming months.
What to Expect in Ubuntu 26.10
Development for Ubuntu 26.10 is set to kick off later this month after the stable release of Ubuntu 26.04 LTS. This next interim release will receive support for a total of nine months. It is expected to ship with the Linux kernel 7.3 and a GPU driver stack, which will also see backports to the 26.04 LTS users by early 2027.
While specifics about the new features are still emerging, updates to the GNOME desktop, including version 51, are anticipated along with enhancements to the App Center’s package management capabilities beyond just snaps. Canonical is also focusing on refining TPM-backed disk encryption and improving Secure Boot security, which will involve a minimal GRUB approach to reduce potential vulnerabilities.
Stay tuned for further updates and insights into Ubuntu 26.10 as development progresses.