The beta-release of the Ubuntu 24.04 “Noble Numbat” distribution has been presented, marking the completion of the package base freeze and the commencement of final testing and bug fixing. The official release date is set for April 25th. This iteration falls under the long-term support (LTS) category, with updates planned for a total of 12 years (5 years publicly available and an additional 7 years for Ubuntu Pro service users). The ready-made test images are tailored for various versions including ubuntu, ubuntu server, Lubuntu, kubuntu, ubuntu mate, Ubuntu budgie, ubuntu studio, xubuntu, ubuntukylin (China), ubuntu unity, edubuntu, and ubuntu cinnamon.
The main changes include:
- Updates to the desktop before the GNOME 46 release, featuring global search, improved file manager productivity, VRR support, improved output quality, expanded external service connections, updated configurator, and improved notification system. The GTK now includes a new drawing engine based on the VULKAN API, and the Cheese camera uses gnome snapshot.
- Linux kernel updated to version 6.8.
- A change akin to Arch Linux and
/Reports, release notes, official announcements.