#Ubuntu_26.10 will ship with #linux_kernel 7.3
▻https://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2026/09/ubuntu-2610-kernel-version
Ubuntu 26.10 ’Stonking Stingray’ is getting a newer kernel than planned. Canonical has switched its target from Linux 7.2 to Linux 7.3. You’re reading Ubuntu 26.10 will ship with Linux kernel 7.3, a blog post from OMG! Ubuntu. Do not reproduce elsewhere without permission.
#News
Ubuntu 24.04.5 released with Linux 7.0 & Mesa 26.0
▻https://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2026/09/ubuntu-24-04-5-lts-released-with-linux-kernel-7-0
The fifth (and final planned) point release of #Ubuntu_24.04_LTS is now available to download. Ubuntu 24.04.5 LTS brings refreshed installation media (ISOs) that includes of the software updates, bug fixes and security patches released since the last ISO was produced. This cuts down on the number of updates that need to downloaded post-install. This release also makes a change in how kernel firmware updates are delivered. Firmware has been split out into vendor-specific packages that can be independently updated, mirroring a change made in Ubuntu 26.04 LTS earlier this year. More important than that, this release runs on […] You’re reading Ubuntu 24.04.5 released with Linux 7.0 & Mesa 26.0, a blog post from OMG! Ubuntu. Do not reproduce elsewhere without permission.
#Ubuntu_26.10 reveals new official wallpaper, mascot art
▻https://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2026/09/ubuntu-2610-wallpaper
The official wallpaper for the upcoming Ubuntu 26.10 ‘Stonking Stringray’ release has been revealed, alongside artwork bearing the official mascot. No huge surprises to see the standard formula hole. The distro’s designers have, once again, opted for a dark purple/aubergine backdrop that bears a vectorised mascot in the middle, which for this release is a stingray: No illustrative nod to the “stonking” adjective of the codename, but as most people aren’t even aware it is a word, perfectly understandable. There are 4 variants of the #Default_Wallpaper for Ubuntu 26.10. The colour one you see above, plus dark and a […] You’re reading Ubuntu 26.10 reveals new official wallpaper, mascot art, a blog post from OMG! Ubuntu. Do not reproduce elsewhere without permission.
#News
#Ubuntu_26.10 daily ISOs add amd64v3 installer
▻https://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2026/09/ubuntu-amd64v3-iso-downloads
Ubuntu 26.10 daily builds now include an #amd64-v3 installer, allowing you to try out a CPU-optimised package set from the off, without any post-install reconfiguration. The distro began building amd64v3 packages as an opt-in archive last year, though Ubuntu 26.04 LTS continues to use the standard amd64 (v1) baseline by default (and since there have been hiccups along the way, that decision was a wise one). Ubuntu 26.04 LTS can be manually converted to an amd64-v3 package set after install, but the sudden appearance of Ubuntu 26.10 daily builds offering them baked in, skips the hassle: it boots from and installs v3-optimised […] You’re reading Ubuntu 26.10 daily ISOs add amd64v3 installer, a blog post from OMG! Ubuntu. Do not reproduce elsewhere without permission.
Ubuntu 24.04 splits #firmware packages for faster updates
▻https://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2026/09/ubuntu-firmware-split-packages-24-04
Firmware updates on #Ubuntu_24.04_LTS have got smaller, as #Canonical has backported the split Linux firmware packages it introduced in 26.04. To make the change in noble, the linux-firmware package is now a meta-package that pulls in all of the individual firmware packages. Functionally, nothing changes; all installs get the full whack. The binary blobs the distro uses are now split across 18 vendor-specific sub-packages: Some non-default firmware was already available to install as a sub-package, e.g., linux-firmware-xilinx-vcu, so those don’t change (but aren’t looped into the new metapackage). The linux-firmware package was a bundle of mostly closed-source binary […] You’re reading Ubuntu 24.04 splits firmware packages for faster updates, a blog post from OMG! Ubuntu. Do not (…)
#News
#Ubuntu_26.10 Snapshot 3 is now available for testing
▻https://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2026/09/ubuntu-26-10-snapshot-3
The third, and potentially final, #Monthly_Snapshot of Ubuntu 26.10 is available for download. There were no monthly snapshots of the ‘Stonking Stingray’ in August or July – no reason has been given – and the Ubuntu 26.10 beta release is scheduled for release on 24 September. Thus, this could be the final snapshot of the, though Canonical’s Utkarsh Gupta says that a “surprise snapshot to test some changes to our machinery” might appear. Ubuntu’s monthly snapshots are strictly for testing. They aren’t alpha builds and they aren’t production ready. The team say to view them as “throwaway artifacts”. Their […] You’re reading Ubuntu 26.10 Snapshot 3 is now available for testing, a blog post from OMG! Ubuntu. Do not reproduce elsewhere without permission.
#News
#Arduino’s VENTUNO Q went up for pre-order, sold out
▻https://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2026/09/arduino-ventuno-q-preorder
Arduino’s VENTUNO Q is now up for pre-order, priced from $299. The development board comes with Ubuntu preinstalled and is built around #Qualcomm's Dragonwing IQ8 platform. You’re reading Arduino’s VENTUNO Q went up for pre-order, sold out, a blog post from OMG! Ubuntu. Do not reproduce elsewhere without permission.
Ubuntu 26.04.1 LTS is now available to download
▻https://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2026/08/ubuntu-26041-lts-point-release-download
Ubuntu 26.04.1 LTS is now available to download, the first of 5 #Point_Releases scheduled for the ‘Resolute Raccoon’ in the 3 years. The release doesn’t add new features, but brings a refreshed installation image (.iso) that includes all of the bug fixes, security patches and package updates released since the #Ubuntu_26.04_LTS release back in April. No new hardware enablement stack is included since there’s not been a newer Ubuntu release to backport a kernel and graphics driver set from. Next year’s Ubuntu 26.04.2 LTS release will bring the Linux kernel and GPU drivers that ship in Ubuntu […] You’re reading Ubuntu 26.04.1 LTS is now available to download, a blog post from OMG! Ubuntu. Do not reproduce elsewhere without permission.
#News
#Ubuntu_26.10 ‘Stonking Stingray’ hits feature freeze
▻https://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2026/08/ubuntu-2610-hits-feature-freeze
Ubuntu 26.10, codenamed ‘Stonking Stingray’, entered feature freeze on 20 August – though the formal announcement arrive later than usual. From this point onwards, development focus shifts from landing major changes to improving them, along with the rest of the package set, ahead of the final, stable Ubuntu 26.10 release in October. “Ideally, you should all now be focusing on bug fixing rather than getting new features into the release”, said Paride Legovini, engineer at Canonical, in a post on the Ubuntu developer mailing list on 24 August, 2026. However, the final makeup of Ubuntu 26.10 – set to offer […] You’re reading Ubuntu 26.10 ‘Stonking Stingray’ hits feature freeze, a blog post from OMG! Ubuntu. Do not reproduce elsewhere without permission.
#News
Ubuntu 24.04 gets a big #open-vm-tools update
▻https://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2026/08/ubuntu-2404-open-vm-tools-update
A major update to open-vm-tools, a package that integrates Linux virtual machines with #VMware hypervisors, is rolling out to users of #Ubuntu_24.04_LTS. “Without SRUing the newer version users get issues running on more recent hypervisors”, Canonical’s Lena Voytek explained in a backport request. It’s a full backport from Ubuntu 26.04 LTS to support platform enablement to benefit those running 24.04 LTS. The open-vm-tool package goes from v12.3.5 to v3.0.10 (the same version in Ubuntu 26.04 LTS). VMware’s open-vm-tools package enables clock sync with the hypervisor host, ‘graceful’ power management for clean shutdowns, vSphere API, shared folder support, relays […] You’re reading Ubuntu 24.04 gets a big open-vm-tools update, a blog post from OMG! Ubuntu. Do not reproduce elsewhere (…)
#ubuntu_phone engineer reunion over a decade-old bug closure
▻https://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2026/08/ubuntu-phone-bug-reunion
A decades-old bug on Ubuntu’s Launchpad marked as invalid at the weekend led to an impromptu reunion for many of #Canonical’s former engineers. Bug #1589796 was filed in 2016 by a user who’d spent £700 on Ubuntu phone and tablet hardware but, on visiting the official website, found no documentation to tell him how to use them. Canonical axed the Ubuntu Phone project in 2017, leaving this bug unresolved. Until now. Adolfo Jayme Barrientos, on the Ubuntu bug triage team, marked the bug invalid this weekend, closing it with a comment to explain (nearly a decade late) that phone “efforts […] You’re reading Ubuntu Phone engineer reunion over a decade-old bug closure, a blog post from OMG! Ubuntu. Do not reproduce elsewhere without permission.
Ubuntu’s turning another system Deb package into a snap
▻https://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2026/08/ubuntu-hwctl-deb-to-snap-transition
Ubuntu is moving #hwctl from Deb package to snap-only distribution, a change Canonical says improves security and desktop integration. You’re reading Ubuntu’s turning another system Deb package into a snap, a blog post from OMG! Ubuntu. Do not reproduce elsewhere without permission.
#News #Bug_Fixes #Ubuntu_26.04_LTS #Ubuntu_26.10 #Ubuntu_Certified
Curl dropped from Ubuntu 26.04 minimal server images by mistake
▻https://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2026/08/ubuntu-2604-server-cloud-minimal-curl-missing
Ubuntu 26.04 LTS’s minimal #cloud images have been missing curl – accidentally, it turns out, so Canonical has put it back. Curl is a commonly-used command-line tool for fetching files from remote servers. It’s called on in countless install scripts, CI pipelines and one-liners you’ve no doubt pasted into your terminal without thinking twice about. But the package has been missing from the server-cloud-minimal images of 26.04 to date. That caught those running pared-back cloud installs unawares, breaking expected workflows, has it had been available in previous versions. The manual fix is to install curl from the repos which, in […] You’re reading Curl dropped from Ubuntu 26.04 minimal server images by mistake, a blog post from OMG! Ubuntu. Do not reproduce elsewhere without permission.
Ubuntu 26.04 virtualization #HWE stack offers newer #QEMU & libvirt
▻https://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2026/07/ubuntu-26-04-virtualization-hwe-stack
Ubuntu’s hardware enablement (HWE) effort has expanded to include backports of newer virtualisation tech to users of the current LTS release. The virtualization HWE stack from #Canonical will let users benefit from newer versions of QEMU, libvirt and related firmware on top of their exiting LTS install, refreshed every 6 months for 2 years, without the need to seek out via third-party repos. Or, to quote Canonical’s Ijlal Loutfi, it gives companies “the operational confidence of an LTS release, with a path to newer virtualization capabilities when they need them”. If you’re not familiar with the HWE, it’s what brings newer […] You’re reading Ubuntu 26.04 virtualization HWE stack offers newer QEMU & libvirt, a blog post from OMG! Ubuntu. Do not reproduce elsewhere without permission.
Here’s why your Ubuntu 26.04 install is quiet about updates
▻https://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2026/07/ubuntu-26-04-update-notifications-disabled
If #Ubuntu_26.04_LTS hasn’t nagged you about pending updates in a while, there’s a reason for that. A Launchpad bug report and related discussion on the Ubuntu Discourse noticed that the distro’s update-manager no longer notifies when updates are pending unless the update notification tray icon is enabled. The rub? That tray icon as turned off in Ubuntu 26.04 (with no toggle in Settings to turn it back on). This is not as “risky” as it might sound, though. Ubuntu ships with unattended-upgrades enabled by default, which installs security updates in the background – you’re just not told about […] You’re reading Here’s why your Ubuntu 26.04 install is quiet about updates, a blog post from OMG! Ubuntu. Do not reproduce elsewhere without permission.
#Ubuntu_26.10 will add #Ubuntu_Certified checking to Settings
▻https://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2026/07/ubuntu-2610-certified-hardware-check
Wondering if your laptop or desktop PC is Ubuntu Certified? Ubuntu 26.10 is adding a new way to check from the Settings app. A new row in Settings > System > About reads “check if this computer is Ubuntu Certified”. Clicking it opens a new page that will read the local/cached status from the com.ubuntu.hwctl service (the Canonical hardware API introduced in 2025). Ubuntu’s has had a command-line way to check certification for a while, using hwlib. In 26.10 (Stonking Stingray), you’ll be able to check it via Settings rather than through terminal command. The statuses which can be shown: There’s also an […] You’re reading Ubuntu 26.10 will add Ubuntu Certified checking to Settings, a blog post from OMG! Ubuntu. Do not reproduce elsewhere without permission.
#News
Ubuntu’s #desktop_icons extension completes its GTK4 port
▻https://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2026/07/ubuntu-desktop-icons-extension-gtk4-port
The Desktop Icons NG (aka DING) GNOME Shell extension Ubuntu uses to put icons on your literal desktop, has been busy – it finished its port to GTK4, patched memory leaks and improved a few of its lesser-known features. The GTK4 port landed in v51.0.0, released this month, alongside early support for GNOME 51 (since that’s the GNOME version #Ubuntu_26.10 will ship with in October). Prior to that, there were other, smaller in June with fixes for memory leaks and buffs to usability. DING’s GTK4 port – not to be confused with a separate GTK4 fork I covered back in […] You’re reading Ubuntu’s desktop icons extension completes its GTK4 port, a blog post from OMG! Ubuntu. Do not reproduce elsewhere without permission.
#News #GNOME_Extensions
▻https://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/desktop-icons-ng-gtk4-stacks.webm
Ubuntu 26.04 fixes trash dialog bug that defaulted to cancel
▻https://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2026/07/ubuntu-26-04-trash-dialog-cancel-button-fix
Ubuntu 26.04 LTS is getting a fix for #Nautilus that restores ‘Delete’ as the focused button in the trash confirmation dialog, undoing an accidental swap that made ‘Cancel’ the focused button instead. That ‘unintentional’ focus flip meant you could no longer hit enter to action file deletion for Trash since it instead cancelled it. I’ve lost count of the times I’ve assumed I emptied the trash since upgrading to #Ubuntu_26.04_LTS, only to find I hadn’t. My muscle memory has struggled to adapt to needing to explicitly click (or tab to) the delete button. Annoying, but thankfully not intentional. […] You’re reading Ubuntu 26.04 fixes trash dialog bug that defaulted to cancel, a blog post from OMG! Ubuntu. Do not reproduce elsewhere without permission.
Ubuntu 26.04 fixes #Papers bug that sent #PDF links to wrong page
▻https://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2026/07/ubuntu-26-04-papers-pdf-viewer-bug-fixes
Ubuntu 26.04 LTS is prepping a bug fix update to Papers, the document viewer that replaced Evince in 25.04, resolving several annoyances – including internal PDF links that jumped to the wrong page. The internal link snafu only occurred in some PDFs, not all, and typically took you to a page one off the actual target. Annoying. The fix stops two separate bits of code that both tried to set the zoom level when links jumped to fit-width or fit-page view. A knock-on quirk also saw the alt + p shortcut (which will jump back to the previous page) wouldn’t […] You’re reading Ubuntu 26.04 fixes Papers bug that sent PDF links to wrong page, a blog post from OMG! Ubuntu. Do not reproduce elsewhere without permission.
#Ubuntu_26.10 retires #dbus-daemon after 22 year run as default
▻https://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2026/07/ubuntu-26-10-dbus-broker
Ubuntu 26.10 is replacing its D-Bus implementation for the first time since 2004, swapping dbus-daemon for dbus-broker – a change end-users are unlikely to notice. Processes on your desktop talk to each other and to the host system using D-Bus, a ‘message’ bus. This is what the Ubuntu Dock uses to show unread-count badges for apps, what tells your desktop a USB drive has been plugged in, and so on. Two buses are in play. There’s aa system bus, shared across the whole device, handling hardware and background services, and a user session bus to handle desktop and app integrations […] You’re reading Ubuntu 26.10 retires dbus-daemon after 22 year run as default, a blog post from OMG! Ubuntu. Do not reproduce elsewhere without permission.
#News
#Ubuntu_25.10 loses security updates this week
▻https://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2026/07/ubuntu-2510-eol-july-9-2026
Support for Ubuntu 25.10 “Questing Quokka” ends 9 July 2026 – which is this week. If you’re still using it, you can upgrade to Ubuntu 26.04 LTS directly to keep receiving updates. Ubuntu 25.10 was released in October 2025. As an ‘interim release’ the desktop edition it receives only 9 months of ongoing updates. Ubuntu’s Long-Term Support versions get 5 years of updates on desktop, plus a further 5 years through an Ubuntu Pro subscription. Nothing dramatic happens when a release goes #end_of_life. Your install keeps working. What stops is the flow of high-impact security updates and critical bug fixes […] You’re reading Ubuntu 25.10 loses security updates this week, a blog post from OMG! Ubuntu. Do not reproduce elsewhere without permission.
#Ubuntu_26.04_LTS has fixed its missing video/audio thumbnails
▻https://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2026/07/ubuntu-2604-video-audio-thumbnails-fix
If you installed Ubuntu 26.04 LTS and noticed video and music files weren’t showing image thumbnails in the file manager, a packaging oversight was to blame, not anything you did. It turns out that Ubuntu’s Default install option (aka minimal install) wasn’t pulling in the gst-audio-thumbnailer and gst-video-thumbnailer packages which generate media thumbnails when you open a folder full of compatible files. A metapackage doesn’t contain software itself, just a list of the packages that need to be installed for, in this case, an Ubuntu desktop experience. Confusingly, both #thumbnailers were present in the full install’s meta file, so if […] You’re reading Ubuntu 26.04 LTS has fixed its missing video/audio thumbnails, a blog post from OMG! Ubuntu. Do not reproduce elsewhere without (…)
Ubuntu’s ‘Myna’ project lets you talk instead of type – what is it?
▻https://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2026/06/what-is-myna-ubuntu-ai-dictation
Ubuntu is working on speech-to-text AI transcription so you can talk to type. It’s powered by project #Myna. Here’s how it’ll work and why it’s adding it. You’re reading Ubuntu’s ‘Myna’ project lets you talk instead of type – what is it?, a blog post from OMG! Ubuntu. Do not reproduce elsewhere without permission.
#Ubuntu_26.10 Snapshot 2 is out (with a ‘breaking change’)
▻https://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2026/06/ubuntu-26-10-snapshot-2-released
Ubuntu 26.10 Snapshot 2 is available to download, the second of four snapshots planned for the ‘Stonking Stingray’ development cycle ahead of a stable release in October. As with the first snapshot, there’s not a lot “new” stuff to see or test out, so unless you’re a developer or an avid bug hunter there’s little reason to rush off and try it. Canonical’s Utkarsh Gupta, announcing the release on Ubuntu’s developer mailing list, warns of a “breaking change” – don’t panic: it’s not in the image itself, but the URL it’s accessed from. Over the past few weeks the Ubuntu […] You’re reading Ubuntu 26.10 Snapshot 2 is out (with a ‘breaking change’), a blog post from OMG! Ubuntu. Do not reproduce elsewhere without permission.
Ubuntu flavours now need a beta release to ship
▻https://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2026/06/ubuntu-flavours-mandatory-beta-release
Ubuntu has announced an ‘important policy update’, making beta releases mandatory for all Ubuntu flavours, no exceptions. Most flavours already hit the beta milestone every six months without issue. But until now a flavour that missed the deadline could still be granted a one-off exception. During the Ubuntu 26.04 LTS cycle, that’s what happened with Ubuntu Kylin, the Chinese-orientated spin that uses the UKUI desktop. It missed the Beta window but still made the final release. That won’t happen again. To get an official stable release, a flavour now must have a beta release out the same time as every […] You’re reading Ubuntu flavours now need a beta release to ship, a blog post from OMG! Ubuntu. Do not reproduce elsewhere without permission.