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 Linux 24.10 Oracular Oriole Beta released for testing
Canonical has announced the availability of the Beta release for Ubuntu 24.10, codenamed "Oracular Oriole." This release includes Ubuntu Desktop, Server, and Cloud products, as well as various official flavors. The final version is expected to be released on October 10, 2024.
Ubuntu 24.10 Beta includes updated core packages, including the Linux 6.11 kernel. The Beta is considered stable enough for general testing, though users may encounter bugs, and feedback is encouraged to improve the final release.