Ubuntu 23.04 "Lunar Lobster" is scheduled for release on Thursday, April 20, 2023, the 38th release of the Ubuntu desktop. As a short-term release, Ubuntu 23.04 gets a total of nine months of continuous updates, security patches, and critical fixes.
Before the official release, OMG! Ubuntu! summarized some new features, changes and enhancements in Ubuntu 23.04, including:
new installer
Ubuntu 23.04 includes a new OS installer. In terms of functionality, the new Ubuntu installer is not much different from the old version, but the underlying technology is definitely different. The new installer is built using Flutter and leverages technologies such as Subiquity, Canonical's Ubuntu Server CLI installer, and Curtin.
Each install page has been revamped to be as clear and concise as possible, and there's also an improved slideshow (now with slideshow controls) during the actual install. Overall, the new Flutter-based installer is fairly impressive. But OMG! Ubuntu! Tests found that there are indeed some UI interactions that are very slow, and some parts of the installation program will freeze instantly.
For users who don't like this improvement, there is still an option to download legacy builds that use older versions.
GNOME 44
Ubuntu 23.04 ships with the latest stable release of GNOME 44. Many new features have been added to GNOME 44 to enhance the desktop experience; however, it doesn't seem to fit perfectly with the current Ubuntu Yaru theme. "Ubuntu's Yaru theme (unless there is a future fix) does make some of GNOME 44's new features look a bit...unfinished/weird."
The login and lock screens now use larger user avatars and wider password fields. There are also minor tweaks to the theme so that people navigating with the keyboard know which element is active.
The upstream GNOME designers have made some big improvements to the form and function of the quick settings menu (although Ubuntu's Yaru theme has blunted these improvements somewhat -- though fixes are in the works).
Thanks to the "split" button, it is now also more obvious which functions have submenus (the submenus can now be opened using the keyboard). And a more detailed display of related information, such as which Wi-Fi network you are connected to, or which Power Mode is active:
GNOME developers have also added a new submenu to the Bluetooth button. Using the submenu, you can quickly connect/disconnect previously paired Bluetooth devices. You can't pair new devices from this menu (go to Settings > Bluetooth to pair), but once they're paired, they'll show up here:
GNOME 44 introduces a new "Background Apps" area in the Quick Settings menu. This area appears on demand, and only if compatible apps are left running in the background. OMG! Ubuntu! Testing found that it was impossible to get this feature to appear with any of Ubuntu's pre-installed apps (like Rhythmbox), but Flatpak apps (like Amberol) were detected right away:
In addition, many improvements, reorganizations, and new features have been included in the panel. The GNOME developers have made a major overhaul to the mouse and touchpad section, gaining more controls (such as mouse acceleration) and new animations. As well as adding kernel version information to the "About" section in settings, just scroll to the bottom to find it.
Ubuntu developers hope to include the Tiling Assistant extension in the next version of Ubuntu. And before that, there's a little Easter egg. If you install this extension from the Ubuntu repository in Lunar, you can unlock the "enhanced tiling" setting in Settings > Ubuntu Desktop. It's worth noting that these only appear if the extension is installed.
GNOME 44 ships with a new version of Nautilus (aka Files), which restores the ability to "expand" folders in list view for faster navigation. This feature is not enabled by default, so if you want to use it, you need to go into the preferences and turn it on. And the developers have also added a thumbnail/icon view to the GTK file chooser.
When an application is open in the Dock, the Ubuntu Dock now displays a count of (all) unread notifications generated by that application. This is not the old Unity unread API (used by apps like Telegram), but a new feature. Specifically, if an app displays a local notification, it can display an unread flag. But the downside is that if you're using an app (like Telegram) that shows 1 unread message and a notification is sent at the same time, the flag will show "2"; ie, one for unread messages and one about unread messages Information notification.
Additionally, Ubuntu Software has been updated to display categories for snap applications.
visual change
Ubuntu 23.04 includes a new wallpaper and revises its Adwaita-based Yaru GTK and Shell theme to accommodate changes made by upstream GNOME developers.
Some notable changes in terms of icons include: the screenshot button in the quick settings menu has a new icon; instead of showing LibreOffice's new application icons, Ubuntu's design team replaced them with an updated set of custom icons.
Software & Utilities
Ubuntu 23.04 ships with new versions of its core software set, including:
- Mozilla Firefox 111
- Thunderbird 102
- LibreOffice 7.5
- Shotwell 0.30.17
- Remmina 1.4.29
- Transmission 3.0
Additionally, the latest version of GNOME's new text editor is included, with improvements to scroll zoom, draft handling, and spell checking. Also includes numerous UI tweaks to popups, menus, status pages, search, and preference dialogs.
kernel version
Ubuntu 23.04 uses the Linux kernel 6.2 and offers Mesa 23.0 graphics drivers to support some of the top gaming experiences.