Canonical’s Director of Engineering, Jean Baptiste Lallement, has revealed plans to enhance the functionality of the desktop environment in the upcoming autumn release of Ubuntu 26.10. The development will focus on four key areas:
- Development based on GNOME platform, with updates to GNOME 51 scheduled for release on September 16. Additionally, the transition from dbus-daemon to dbus-broker as the default D-Bus implementation will be made. D-Bus Broker offers improved performance and reliability, taking resources into account per user. The update will also include a complete desktop build for boards with RISC-V CPUs supporting the RVA23 profile, as well as facilities for people with disabilities based on the WCAG 2.2 standard.
- Enhancing user experience by combining ease of use for beginners with advanced features for experienced users. This includes delivering a universal interface for managing applications, improving the interface for searching and selecting additional drivers, simplifying distribution installation, and developing a new initial setup wizard for mass Ubuntu installations.
- Introducing AI-powered capabilities that understand context and predict user intent. This will involve adding tools for a Context-Aware Desktop and integrating a speech recognition system for voice input and command recognition in natural language.
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