Canonical has officially released Ubuntu 24.10 (Oracular Oriole), bringing a fresh set of updates and features to the popular GNU/Linux distribution. This latest version is powered by the Linux 6.11 kernel and comes equipped with the GNOME 47 desktop environment for the Ubuntu Desktop flavor, enhanced with patches for Mutter and GNOME Shell, providing users with greater stability and performance.

One exciting addition to the desktop experience is the improvement to the Ubuntu Dock, which now visualizes Snap refreshes, offering clearer insights into updates. Furthermore, users who rely on Progressive Web Apps (PWAs) installed via the Chromium Snap will notice improved handling and integration.

New Security and Hardware Enhancements

Ubuntu 24.10 introduces a brand-new Security Center app, designed to offer users more control over security settings. With this tool, you can easily enable or disable the experimental permissions prompting feature for Home directory access, ensuring better control over sensitive data.

Additionally, this release improves the Power Profiles Manager, providing optimized support for newer hardware, especially AMD processors. If you are running Ubuntu on a machine with an AMD chip, you can expect better power management and overall performance.

Wayland Now Defaults for NVIDIA Users

In a significant shift, Ubuntu 24.10 defaults to Wayland instead of Xorg for machines using NVIDIA GPUs. This change aims to improve the overall display performance for NVIDIA users, aligning with Canonical’s push towards modernizing Ubuntu’s graphical stack.

Other notable improvements include enhanced support for fingerprint devices, which promises better biometric authentication across a wider range of hardware. Meanwhile, the App Center has received various upgrades, making it easier to manage installed software, particularly with enhanced support for third-party DEBs.

Updated Toolchain and Core Components

Under the hood, Ubuntu 24.10 brings an updated toolchain, featuring some of the latest software libraries and frameworks, such as:

• GCC 14.2
• GNU Binutils 2.43.1
• GNU C Library 2.40
• LLVM 19
• Rust 1.80
• Go 1.23
• OpenSSL 3.3
• systemd 256.5
• Netplan 1.1
• .NET 8

The Ubuntu Desktop installer has also been updated, now supporting local file paths for importing autoinstall configurations, simplifying the process for users who need to automate deployments.

Availability and Support

Ubuntu 24.10 is available for download across various flavors, including Ubuntu Desktop, Ubuntu Server, and alternatives like Kubuntu, Xubuntu, Lubuntu, Ubuntu Studio, and more. However, keep in mind that this release is only supported for nine months, with updates available until July 2025. If you require longer-term support, you may want to consider Ubuntu 24.04 LTS (Noble Numbat), which comes with extended support until 2029.

You can download this version from —–Download Ubuntu 24.10

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