We cover the flavors of Ubuntu 24.04 LTS, including Kubuntu, Lubuntu, Xubuntu, Ubuntu Mate, Ubuntu Budgie, Ubuntu Unity, and more.
All flavors share similar features like Linux kernel 6.8, Mesa 24 graphics stack, systemd 255.4, GCC 14, and LLVM 18.
Most flavors use Ubuntu’s Flutter-based installer, but Kubuntu, Lubuntu, and Ubuntu Unity use the Calamares installer.
Kubuntu 24.04 LTS uses KDE Plasma 5.27.11 instead of Plasma 6, as it’s more suitable for an LTS release.
Ubuntu Studio 24.04 LTS uses Pipewire 1.0.4 for professional and everyday audio needs.
Lubuntu 24.04 LTS features LXQt 1.4, a new installer prompt, snap monitor tool, configuration editor for SDDM login screen, Ubuntu update checker, and Redshift Qt.
Ubuntu Unity 24.04 LTS is the first LTS release with the Unity desktop and a preview of Ubuntu Lomiri from the UBports team.
Ubuntu Cinnamon 24.04 LTS features Cinnamon 6.04, which includes all features from Linux Mint 21.3.
Ubuntu Budgie 24.04 LTS comes with Budgie 10.9.1, updates to the Welcome app, and new applets like Clockworks and Weather.
Xubuntu 24.04 LTS features XFCE 4.18, Gdebi package installer, and a new Snap-based firmware updater.
Ubuntu MATE 24.04 LTS drops its welcome tool and replaces the software boutique with Ubuntu’s Flutter-based App Center.
Proton 9.0 was released, enabling 15 more Windows games to work with Proton and bringing changes for high core count CPUs, NVAPI support, and various game-specific fixes.
NVIDIA is making it easier to get GeForce Now on the Steam Deck, with a new blog post introducing the beta version of an install option.
Endeavor OS Gemini was released, with core components updated to Linux kernel 6.8, Mesa drivers 24.0, and KDE Plasma 6.
SystemD’s lead developer, Lennart Pottering, announced run0, a sudo-like command and sudo alternative with a smaller attack surface.
Nano 8.0 was released, providing access to 14 levels of grayscale in Xterm and introducing modern key bindings.
LibreELEC 12 was released, a major update for the home theater PC appliance distro, with Linux kernel 6.6.28, Kodi 21, and support for 64-bit architectures.
Amarok 3.0 was released after six years, using Qt 5 and KDE Frameworks 5, with plans to port to Qt 6 and KF 6.
Nvidia is moving towards making their open-source kernel modules the default for RTX 2000 series GPUs and newer, in the Nvidia 560 driver series.
This change will not affect the user-space drivers that handle OpenGL, Vulkan, or Cuda, which are still closed-source.
Nvidia developers are contributing to the Novo and nvk drivers.
System76’s Cosmic desktop is nearing completion, with features such as display mirroring, arm64 variants of packages, and a new app store.
The new app store is reportedly faster than using the command line.
The file manager has integration with Gnome’s virtual file system.
Input sources Outlet was created to change keyboard layouts and settings from the top panel.
A new attack, called Tunnel Vision, allows attackers to read, drop, or modify traffic going through a VPN while maintaining the connection.
The attack works by running a DHCP server in Gateway mode on the same network as the VPN user.
The attack affects all operating systems except Android.
OpenStreetMap data has been modified by Pokémon Go players to add beaches where there are none in real life.
This modification is not guaranteed to help players catch Pokémon and can negatively impact real-world applications using OpenStreetMap data.
Valve is contributing to the nvk open-source Vulkan drivers for NVIDIA, specifically to bring explicit synchronization to the drivers.
This feature is needed for better performance, less latency, and fewer graphical glitches on Nvidia.
Steam OS 3.6 is now in preview, updating the entire Arch base of the distribution with the kernel 6.5 and Mesa 24.1.
Improved display on the Steam Deck, better color balance, and gamma uniformity.
The Steam UI is more responsive.
The desktop mode of Steam OS is still stuck to KDE 5.27
Playtron OS, a Linux-based gaming OS, has big plans for 2024 and 2025.
The OS will support games from Steam, Epic Games, GOG, and more.
Playtron OS is based on Fedora Silverblue 40 and tested on various devices.
The pre-launch is planned for 2024, with many devices planned for 2025.
Playtron OS is backed by a handful of crypto companies.
