THE Canonical maintained the tradition of releasing a new version of its Linux distribution in October. This week, the Ubuntu 22.10 “Kinetic Kudu” was officially announced. The novelty has the Gnome 43 as the main attraction. But there are other attributes like native support for WebP images, the LibreOffice 7.4 package and the 5.19 kernel.
Gnome 43 on command
If you are familiar with the distribution, you know that it has Gnome as its default desktop environment. Version 43 doesn’t bring any major changes from Gnome 42 — which marks the Ubuntu 22.04 — but it has a set of new features that improve the user experience.
O OMG! Ubuntu! highlights the quick settings function in the upper right corner, which allows you to access features with a mouse click. There, you can enable or disable Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, VPN and dark mode, for example.
Another noteworthy feature is the ability to more easily view all windows of an open application at the same time. Just click on the tool icon in the Ubuntu Dock (the vertical bar on the left). Afterwards, the system shows an overview of all open windows, which adjusts to the screen size.
Files (or Nautilus), Gnome’s file manager, is smarter. The tool now adjusts the display of features according to the dimensions of the window, for example. If you decrease its size, the side menu of functions is hidden. It’s an approach reminiscent of responsive websites.
Linux 5.19, Pipewire and others
Of course, what’s new in Ubuntu 22.10 isn’t limited to Gnome. The distribution brings other new features or updates. The kernel, for example, is now the Linux 5.19which improves support for Intel Arc graphics, among other attributes.
Another highlight is the support for Pipewire, basically a component that improves video and audio playback. The feature improves the experience of sound playback on Bluetooth devices or audio recording tasks, just to give you some examples.
In fact, support for Pipewire by Ubuntu has been around for some time. What Ubuntu 22.10 does is make the feature the default. For those who insist on the previous component, PulseAudio, it is still there, but needs to be activated manually.
The distribution continues to bring a set of productivity tools. In this regard, the highlights are Firefox 105, the Thunderbird 102 email client and the office suite LibreOffice 7.4.
Interestingly, LibreOffice 7.4 supports WebP files, an image format increasingly used on the internet. Ubuntu 22.10 follows this movement by bringing support for WebP in both the file manager and the photo viewer.
Other features include the IWD (iNet Wireless Daemon) module to improve Wi-Fi connectivity, improved support for RISC-V processors, and official compatibility with the Raspberry Pi Pico W.
Downloading Ubuntu 22.10
O Ubuntu 22.10 “Kinetic Kudu” can now be downloaded. In the link, there are images for desktops and servers.
Those who already have a previous version installed can upgrade through the system update tool. Note, however, that it may take a few days for the news to be made available through this medium.
It is worth remembering that all Official Ubuntu “Flavors”, which bring different desktop environments, also received (or will receive) an update. Among them is the newest member of the class, the Ubuntu Unity.
https://tecnoblog.net/noticias/2022/10/21/ubuntu-22-10-ja-esta-entre-nos-com-gnome-melhorado-suporte-a-webp-e-mais/