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Ubuntu 24.10 Oracular Oriole arrives with the latest kernel, toolchains, GNOME 47, and heightened security

Yesterday, Ubuntu 24.10 finally came out of beta. Codenamed "Oracular Oriole," it sports the latest kernel (version 6.11), expanded toolchains with versioned Rust and Java TCK, tighter security controls via improved permissions prompting, GNOME 47, support for OpenVEX and OSV vulnerability reporting, and more.

Available since yesterday, Ubuntu 24.10 "sets a new pace for delivering the latest upstream kernel and toolchains," according to Canonical CEO Mark Shuttleworth. Carrying the "Oracular Oriole" codename as previously unveiled, the new Ubuntu release is an anniversary one, since there are only nine days left until this operating system will be two decades old. For those who don't remember, Ubuntu 4.10 "Warty Warthog" arrived on October 20th, 2004, as the first release of this Debian-based distro.

Although it is an interim release, Ubuntu 24.10 brings together quite a few new features and refinements, including the following:

Linux 6.11 kernel.

Automatic capture of critical data after crashes thanks to kdump-tools.

Permissions prompting for managing, controlling, and keeping an eye on the behavior of installed apps (currently an experimental feature).

GNOME 47 with Wayland as default for Nvidia graphics, using the open-source Nvidia 560 kernel modules.

A special "Warty Brown" accent color, anniversary wallpapers, as well as the return of the original startup sound from two decades ago.

OpenVEX and OSV formats for vulnerability reporting as defaults, for the first time in an interim release.

Latest toolchains and runtimes for Python, Java, Go, C, C++, Rust, and .Net, with ppc64el support for the last.

Valkey high-performance data store.

The list of available variants is as rich as usual, and all can be accessed from this page. In addition to the Cloud, Core, Server, and Desktop editions, there are quite a few flavors that need to be mentioned, such as Edubuntu, Kubuntu, Lubuntu, Cinnamon, Budgie, Kylin, MATE, Studio, Unity, and Xubuntu. Those looking for some affordable hardware to run any of them should check out BOSGAME's mini PC with the Intel Processor N95 and 16/512 GB, which goes for $199 without discounts (currently, there is a $10 coupon as well as a 5% discount to take advantage of).

Steam will also receive improvements to the brand's graphics card drivers, such as optimizations that combine low-latency settings. Another new feature is GNOME 47, a new version of the desktop environment that aims to provide more performance and stability in the experience.

“Oracular Oriole sets a new pace for delivering the latest upstream kernel and toolchains. New experimental security features demonstrate our commitment to continually elevating the Linux desktop experience in conversation with the community for the next 20 years and beyond.”...Mark Shuttleworth(CEO of Canonical)

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