Ubuntu 24.10 ‘Oracular Oriole’ is released on October 13th, and as you’d expect from a new version of Ubuntu, it’s packed with new features.
As a short-term release, Ubuntu 24.10 is supported with 9 months of updates, including security patches and critical fixes. This period may seem brief, but with Ubuntu 25.04 scheduled to launch in April of the following year (just 6 months later), users of 24.10 can seamlessly upgrade to 25.04 at that time.
However, let’s focus on the current release.
This article details the top features, changes, and improvements included in Ubuntu 24.10. Note that all the enhancements discussed here may still see adjustments until the final version is released.
What’s New in Ubuntu 24.10?
Ubuntu 24.10 doesn’t make any major changes to its Flutter-based installer since the last release.
There was discussion about extending ‘provisioning’ by moving user account setup to after the installation of the base system. However, this change has not been implemented in version 24.10; the process from beginning to end remains unchanged for the user.
There are low-level changes, fixes, and package updates but nothing “showy”.
Ubuntu for Raspberry Pi now uses GNOME Initial Setup.
But things have changed for users of the “preinstalled” ARM image, e.g., on Raspberry Pi. This now uses GNOME Initial Setup for the full configuration flow, from picking language, timezone, creating a user account, and setting a password.
GNOME 47
Ubuntu is a GNOME-based Linux distribution and Ubuntu 24.10 includes GNOME 47, the latest release.
GNOME 47 features a bunch of changes. The most “headline” grabbing of these is accent colour support, enabling users to choose the colour (from a predefined selection) that buttons, toggle switches, sliders, and other UI elements use.
“Er, Ubuntu already had that” you say — 410 points, correct!
Ubuntu has supported accent colours since 2022, having added its own solution. But now that GNOME 47 supports them natively, Ubuntu 24.10 migrates over to this upstream implementation. This will ensure consistency and compatibility in GNOME and associated apps.
Another big visual change affects dialogs used through the UI and by apps. GNOME 47 gives them a new look, with floating buttons, and smart layout adaptions to make them usable on narrower displays.
Other GNOME 47 enhancements include:
- Improved UI layout on low-resolution displays
- Hardware encoded screen recording
- Better GTK rendering on older hardware
- Persistent remote login sessions
Ubuntu 24.10 carries patches for GNOME Shell and Mutter that are not (currently) included upstream. These offer improved stability, performance, and hardware support.
Nautilus
Also released as part of GNOME 47 is a new version of Files, aka the Nautilus file manager. This has some major differences to previous editions.
The sidebar has been restructured. Bookmarks for local folders, e.g., Downloads, Music, Videos, etc now sit further down the sidebar, grouped in their own section, while the Trash bookmark is moved to the top most section.
Bookmarks in Nautilus can now be removed by right-clicking on them and selecting ‘remove’. Re-adding them is simple: just find the folder and drag it back to the sidebar. It’s now also possible to re-order entries in the Nautilus sidebar simply by dragging and dropping them.
Internal hard drives are now visible directly in the sidebar, making them easier to access.
Access to these drives was previously available through the “Other Locations +” entry. This also provided options for connecting to remote shares and mounts. This entry has been eliminated and replaced by a new dedicated “Network” view for managing and browsing remote connections.
Nautilus search has been updated in GNOME 47. Initiating a search in non-indexed folders or remote shares will now display a ‘contextual info’ button on the toolbar. According to GNOME, this “added context helps users understand why certain searches might be slower or incomplete. It also allows users to update their search settings to get the best experience”.
Additionally, applications can now utilize Nautilus as their file picking tool instead of the typical GTK picker. This new method provides a quicker, more contemporary, and visually enhanced experience for navigating files — already implemented in the Firefox snap app.
Disk Usage Analyser
If you’re an avid user of Disk Usage Analyser (aka baobab), you might have noticed some updates that align its user interface with the modern aesthetics of other GNOME applications. It now starts with a more appropriate list height, boasts updated icons, and features a redesigned path/location bar.
New & Improved Settings
You can now preview keyboard layouts before setting them, enhancing usability and user choice in customization.
With the release of GNOME 47, the Settings app sees several new features and enhancements:
- New option to activate windows by hovering in Accessibility
- Ability to preview input sources in Keyboard settings
- Extended suspend options for mobile devices in Power settings
Improvements extend to GNOME Online Accounts, which include:
- Auto-complete for IMAP/SMTP email details
- Microsoft 365 integration for email, calendar, and contacts
- Enhanced WebDAV setup for automatically discovering services
- Reduced power usage by Kerberos accounts
Of course, there’s more to the new GNOME 47 release beyond the aforementioned changes, but while Ubuntu is a GNOME-based Linux distribution, it does not include every component, option, and app that GNOME has to offer.
Ubuntu Dock Snap App tweaks
Ubuntu Dock now displays progress bars on snap app icons if the app is updating in the background.
This is less abrupt than the previous approach which saw the icon vanish from the dock for a few seconds, then just as starkly re-appear.
Also changed in the Ubuntu Dock extension that ships with Ubuntu 24.10 is the context menu. This appears when you right-click an icon in the dock.
It now features a small header label at the top with the app name, so you know which app the menu belongs to, presumably!
And if you right-click on a snap app in the dock, you’ll see a new option at the bottom labeled ‘details’.
Clicking on this opens the app’s page in App Center, where, surprisingly, you can see more details about it. This feature does not appear for DEB apps installed from the App Center, however.
Ubuntu Anniversary Touches
Anniversary celebrations begin during boot.
As Ubuntu 24.10 marks the 20th anniversary of Ubuntu, with the series having commenced with Ubuntu 4.10 ‘Warty Warthog’ in October 2004, this edition is infused with a variety of celebratory features.
The boot screen introduces a special ’20th anniversary’ word mark, which also appears on the login screen.
In homage to that initial release, the update includes several tribute elements.
- ‘Warty’ brown accent colour (turns the top bar light)
- Ubuntu 4.10 startup sound plays on login (can be disabled)
- Remastered version of original Ubuntu 4.10 wallpaper
- New package of upscaled Ubuntu LTS wallpapers in the repo
A cute set of touches — but are they the only ones? 😉
New wallpapers
Every new version of Ubuntu ships with its own distinctive desktop background, and Ubuntu 24.10 being named ‘Oracular Oriole’ offers a wallpaper bearing a bird encased in circles with arcane symbols. It’s pretty nice, I think.
Desktop Security Center App
And the Security Centre app I first reported on earlier this year is now preinstalled. For now, its primary function is enable those who want to exert greater control over snap apps the ability to do so using Canonical’s new Prompting Client tool.
More features are planned for the Security Center in future Ubuntu releases, including the integration of firewall configuration controls (a long-requested feature by many Ubuntu users) and making it easier to enrol in Ubuntu Pro for additional security updates.
NVIDIA Wayland
Ubuntu 24.10 defaults to Wayland on devices with NVIDIA GPUs for the first time. Canonical engineers feel confident that the experience is robust enough for everyday use—though not perfect. Anyone finding the performance sub-par can select a regular X session from the login screen.
Fingerprint Support
Fingerprint readers on laptops (and on keyboards, presumably) have long been a significant challenge on Linux. Some work straight out of the box, most need some manual intervention, and a few do not work at all.
Ubuntu 24.10 comes with updated versions of fprintd and libfprint, offering support for a broader array of fingerprint drivers and devices. If your fingerprint scanner wasn’t compatible with previous versions, there’s a good chance it could be supported now.
SysProf & Kdump-Tools Preinstalled
In its continued effort to equip developers with essential tools right from the start, Ubuntu 24.10 now includes the Sysprof utility. This tool, available in both default and expanded installations, is not geared towards end-users but aimed at developers. Sysprof assists in analyzing the performance of software and system processes by capturing and displaying data about resource usage during operation. This information is crucial for optimizing software performance or troubleshooting issues.
Additionally, kdump-tools is now included in the default installation. This command-line tool allows systems to capture kernel crash dumps, which are critical for diagnosing and debugging system issues by analyzing the state of the kernel at the time of the crash.
However, it appears that kdump-tools is not enabled by default in Ubuntu 24.10, though it is preinstalled. If this functionality is necessary for your needs (though most users may not require it), ensure to activate it as needed.
APT 3.0
The introduction of APT 3.0 marks a significant improvement, particularly in the parseability of its output, enhancing user experience in terminal applications.
APT 3.0 is now part of Ubuntu 24.10, and it’s quite exciting!
For those who often use apt commands, this update will be immediately noticeable.
The new APT 3.0 version introduces a refined ‘UI’, featuring colors, columns, and improved padding and spacing. It also changes the order of the output, positioning removals at the end to prevent missing important uninstallations.
Users previously using Arch or Fedora, known for their sleek package managers, will appreciate the more scan-friendly and understandable APT interface.
Linux Kernel 6.11
Ubuntu 24.10 operates on the newly released Linux kernel 6.11, implemented under Canonical’s latest kernel selection strategy.
The Linux 6.11 update includes various enhancements such as added hardware support, security improvements, broader compatibility with ARM and RISC-V architectures, notable advancements in the EXT4 file system performance, and improved power management in new AMD models.
In addition, Ubuntu 24.10 is equipped with Mesa 24.2 graphics drivers and the most recent NVIDIA Graphics Drivers, ranging from the 550.x established production series to the 560.x innovative feature series.
Power Profiles Daemon 0.22
As I mentioned earlier, Ubuntu 24.10 now includes a new version of Power Profiles Daemon. This update might seem inconspicuous to many, but it’s crucial for enabling the ‘power mode’ features in Quick Settings.
The latest update brings significant enhancements, particularly for AMD hardware users. It integrates AMD P-State to allow Dynamic Power Management (DPM) adjustments for clock speeds in power-saving mode and includes capabilities to modify display backlight settings based on battery life.
Software & Utilities
Ubuntu 24.10’s default installation offers a basic set of applications, including:
- GNOME Terminal 3.54.0
- Text Editor 47
- Evince 46.3.1
- Calculator 47
- Disk Utility 46.1
- Eye of GNOME 47
- Clocks 46
- System Monitor 47
The extended setup of Ubuntu 24.10 includes additional software:
- LibreOffice 24.8.1
- Shotwell 32.7
- Transmission 4.06
- Rhythmbox 3.4.7
- Remmina 4.35
- Calendar 47
- Totem 43
- Snapshot 47
Mozilla Firefox and Thunderbird are now available as snap applications, ensuring they receive updates as soon as they are released. The versions included on the ISO are the latest available at the time of creation, currently Firefox 130 and Thunderbird 128. Check out the details on Firefox 130 and Thunderbird 128.
Updated subsystems include:
- BlueZ 5.77
- Cairo 1.18.2
- NetworkManager 1.48
- Pipewire 1.2.3
- Poppler 24.08
- xdg-desktop-portal 1.18
It’s also worth noting that iw has replaced wireless-tools.
Updated toolchain includes:
- gcc 14.1
- binutils 2.43
- glibc 2.40
- Python 3.12.6
Plus others.
Download Ubuntu 24.10
Ubuntu 24.10 is scheduled for release on October 13, 2024. On this date, you can download the stable release directly from the Ubuntu website, image servers, and official mirrors, or upgrade from Ubuntu 24.04 LTS if you choose to do so (note that this upgrade is not automatic).
You don’t have to wait that long, though—the Ubuntu 24.10 Beta becomes available tomorrow!
In summary, Ubuntu 24.10 is expected to be a robust version. For those not requiring long-term support, there are seldom reasons to refrain from upgrading. It embodies all the familiar aspects of Ubuntu, yet enhances them further.