Ubuntu 23.10 Mantic Minotaur, the version that introduces the new App Center, GNOME 45 and recovers support for ZFS

It was known since last April that Ubuntu 23.10 It would be codenamed Mantic Minotaur and would arrive on October 12 where we are today. After six months of development, you can now download the new version of the most popular Linux operating system, although being a "provisional" version it is not one of the most interesting to users who prefer LTS. This type of person will have to wait between 6-9 months to upload to the NAdjective NAnimal which will arrive in April 2024.

But what we already have here is Ubuntu 23.10. As with most "interim" releases, questions may arise about whether to update or not, and there is one that offers no way around: those on 23.04 must update between now and January 2024, when Lunar Lobster will no longer be supported. My recommendation for LTS users, no matter how appealing a version may seem, will always be to stick with the extended support versions. Over time you will receive all the news in a more stable system.

Highlights of Ubuntu 23.10

NOTE: : Dark mode appears in most captures, but by default light mode is still used.

• Supported for 9 months, until July 2024.
• Linux 6.5.
• GNOME 45, among which stands out:
  • New activity indicator, which is now three round dots and, let's say, an elongated one that indicates the activity we are in.

• • On laptops with supported hardware, Control Center offers a new setting to control the keyboard backlight.
  • File improvements that, among other things, make it faster.
  • More detailed system information from Settings/About/System Details.

• • Also in configuration, the Privacy section has been modified.
  • When choosing a keyboard, you can now see an image (View Keyboard Layout) of what it would look like.

• • Ability to edit saved WiFi networks.
• Ubuntu now supports window stacking. If there is one next to the other, enlarging one will shorten the other.

• Firefox in Wayland version by default. It is a change with some importance, since, among other things, it improves performance in even the image of everything displayed by the default Ubuntu browser.
• In the installer, the minimum and normal/full options have been swapped. The minimum installation is now marked by default, the one that has less or no bloatware (extra software). Whoever prefers the complete one must mark it manually. If the second option is not chosen, there will be no programs such as LibreOffice, Thunderbird, Shotwell, Calendar, Transmission, games or some multimedia applications.
• Installation option on ZFS and experimental TPM.
• New software center. The original name in English App Center, and in Spanish it has been translated as "Application Center." It is a Snap Store based on Flutter with performance and design that are far above the previous one. It highly prioritizes snap packages, but also supports Debian ones. It does not and will never support flatpaks. It has arrived just in time, and there may be corners left to finish/translate.

• The wallpaper is the usual purple, but only if we stick to the light option. If we choose the dark one, the background will change to one with shades of gray.

• New wallpapers with a predominant minotaur.
• New application to update the firmware, also based on Flutter and in snap format.

other developments

• Table 23.2.
• LibreOffice 7.6.1.2
• Thunderbird 115.2.3
• Firefox 117.0.1
• GCC 13.2.0
• binutils 2.41
• glibc 2.38
• GNU Debugger 14.0.50.
• Python 3.11.6

Now available, awaiting official announcement

At the time of publishing this article, Ubuntu 23.10 is already available, but Canonical needs to advertise it on social networks and on its website. It usually takes a little longer than the rest.

Updates from the operating system (sudo do-release-upgrade) will be activated in the next few hours. To update right now, it is best to go to the cdimage page from Ubuntu or the launches, download the ISO, start the installer and choose the update option. For new installations, the only thing you have to do is, well, install from scratch. Can you wait?