Ubuntu 25.04 Beta brings Linux 6.14, GNOME 48, and more to the Plucky Puffin party -- download it now!
Here we go again, folks! Canonical has pushed out the beta release of Ubuntu 25.04, and if you’re someone who lives on the bleeding edge of Linux life, you will want to pay attention. This one goes by the name “Plucky Puffin” and -- despite the typical silly codename -- it’s loaded with big under-the-hood changes and a few surprises baked in.
This new release is based on Linux kernel 6.14, so you’re getting the usual hardware enablement and driver updates. But there’s a lot more going on here than just kernel bumps. Ubuntu 25.04 ships with systemd 257.4, and in a move that may ruffle some feathers, support for utmp is gone. Canonical is also killing off SysV init support in a future systemd release, and cgroup v1 is officially on the chopping block too. Out with the old, in with the whatever-works-now, I suppose.
Ubuntu 23.10 'Mantic Minotaur' Beta now available for download
It's that exhilarating time of the year for the Linux community -- the Ubuntu team has unveiled the Beta version of the Ubuntu 23.10 for Desktop, Server, and Cloud deployments. Now, if you're wondering about its reliability, rest assured; these Beta images are largely free from critical image build or installer issues.
Dubbed as the "Mantic Minotaur," this edition propels Ubuntu’s legacy of amalgamating the newest open source marvels into an efficient, user-friendly Linux distribution. Behind the scenes, the team has been burning the midnight oil, rolling out enhancements and ironing out the glitches.