Ubuntu 18.10 Cosmic Cuttlefish New Features
Ubuntu 18.10 which is codenamed as Cosmic Cuttlefish is around the corner, is planned to be released next month on 18th October 2018. You will be able to download this release from the official website as well as upgrade it manually from previous releases. This time there is no alpha or beta milestones rather testing weeks for releases.
Ubuntu 18.10 Features At A Glance
New Default Theme: Yaru
As I had mentioned it during my review of Ubuntu 18.04 that a new community theme is in works which are supposed to give a new fresh look to Ubuntu but in the end, it was not released in Ubuntu 18.04 is now ready to release as the default theme on Ubuntu 18.10 named as Yaru. This new theme is based on Adwita/Ambiance as well as features Suru icon pack. The new theme is activated systemwide that means even lock screen has a new look.
GNOME v3.30
Ubuntu 18.10 will feature the latest version of GNOME i.e. v3.30 which got released on 5th of this month. GNOME v3.30 codenamed as Almería has a lot of new features which are:
- A lot of performance improvements and bug fixes to make GNOME better than before
- Automatic update for Flatpaks
- Updates for various GNOME apps
- Access to ThunderBolt settings from GNOME Control Panel
GSconnect for Android Integration
GSconnect which is based on KDE Connect and is for GNOME Desktop Environment is most likely to be featured by default in Ubuntu 18.10. GSconnect allows you to manage your android smartphone using your PC. You can check up on your notifications, browse files and a lot more. You will need KDE Connect app on your smartphone to complete the pairing process.
However, when I tested a daily build, GSconnect was nor preinstalled nor I was able to install it using the apt command (which is expected as it was an alpha build)
Improved Boot time and Performance
Ubuntu 18.10 has a lot of improvements to boost the boot time and I actually experienced this. Ubuntu 18.10 boots much faster than previous versions of Ubuntu.
A lot of work has also been put to improve the battery life on Laptops, Notebooks, and other PC which are powered by battery by tweaking Linux Kernel which offers low power mode for HDD-USB controllers and other devices. In the past, there were issues that were caused by this mode. However, a new approach is being taken to fix those issues to get the best out of what low power mode can offer without causing issues.
Performance improvements are also coming to Snap apps which are supposed to boost the launch, few bug fixes and all which will make Snap apps much more smooth and stable.
Linux Kernel v5.0
It is expected that around the time when Ubuntu 18.10 will be released publicly, Linux Kernel v5 will be also released. Thus there are high expectations that Ubuntu 18.10 will be released with Linux Kernel v5. However, I must clarify that this is just a hunch and not confirmed. I test checked for the kernel version on the build I tested and I found that it was on v4.17.
Fingerprint Scanner Support
In case your machine features a fingerprint scanner, Ubuntu 18.10 will provide support for it. So, now you will be able to unlock your PC with just a touch. Sadly, none of my machines has a fingerprint scanner, thus I was unable to test this feature. I expect that it will work quite well and is certainly welcomed.
DLNA Support
Ubuntu 18.10 will be providing support for DLNA so that you can easily transfer media from your PC to your Smart TV. It is one of the best change for those who have a lot of media files like family photos, videos and all and they want to transfer it to their TV without any difficulties.
New Installer From Ubuntu 18.10 Onwards
There are very slight chances, but there are, that starting with Ubuntu 18.10 we will be seeing a new installer. However, the official Ubuntu blog indicates that there are very low chances that it will make its debut from Ubuntu 18.10 as it will take a lot of work.
Public Website for Metrics
As official blog states, the team behind Ubuntu is working with web developers as well in order to publish the data they collect starting from Ubuntu 18.04 which is supposed to help Canonical to work better to develop and improve Ubuntu. This is a really welcomed change as we all want to know what does the collection stats indicate and how they are going to use it to develop Ubuntu better.
Screenshots
As always, I am here putting screenshots of Ubuntu 18.10 which I collected while testing build. Take a look at how Ubuntu 18.10 looks.
Download Ubuntu 18.10
You can grab the latest daily build from the link below. I didn’t found any bugs during my test, however, you should avoid installing it on your primary machine and prefer either live boot or virtual machine in case you want to test and see how it is.
Conclusion
In the end, I just want to say that Ubuntu 18.10 daily builds are actually pretty stable, contains a lot of features, performance improvements as well as bug fixes which is a really welcomed changed. I really loved how Canonical is working on improving what is there while introducing new features.
I am pretty sure that Ubuntu 18.10 will be a great release. You can always download and test daily builds. However, remember that they are still in alpha version, so use a virtual machine or spare machine. Comment and tell me what you think of this latest upcoming release of Ubuntu and also offer your suggestions if I missed something here. I would always love to hear from you.