Ubuntu 24.04 LTS Release [Noble Numbat]: New Features Explained

On April 25, Canonical made a major announcement introducing a new and exciting Ubuntu release. Ubuntu 24.04, called "Noble Numbat", is the latest Ubuntu LTS (Long Time Support) release. This comes after a two-year-long wait from the open-source community and months of hard work from dedicated open-source developers.

Ubuntu 24.04 LTS is named after a marsupial rodent in Australia called Numbat. It's the result of several interim releases, making the system more refined, robust, and reliable. community and month.

In this post, I'll be going through what to expect from Ubuntu 24.04 LTS. we will explore the Ubuntu 24.04 roadmap and deep-dive into the new features, including the significant highlight, Ubuntu 24.04 GNOME 46.

#Ubuntu 24.04 LTS features: what’s new?

The latest LTS release ships with many exciting features including improved performance, newer software versions, and security enhancements that have addressed last-minute CVEs. This is while maintaining the reliability and stability that Ubuntu is renowned for. Let's dive into the new and updated Ubuntu 24.04 features and see what's in store.

#1. Longer support cycle ( 12 years )

Ubuntu 24.04 LTS is the first LTS release to enjoy a whopping 12 years of support. Usually, LTS releases get five years of security and maintenance updates with an additional five years of extended security support, making a total of 10 years of support before reaching EOL (End-Of-Life).

The 12-year support cycle for the Ubuntu 24.04 LTS is undoubtedly an impressive development and will likely outlive your hardware PC!

#2. Linux kernel 6.8

Ubuntu 24.04 ships with Linux Kernel 6.8. Surprisingly, this is not an LTS kernel as many would have expected. The kernel was released on January 8, 2024, coming right on the heels of the release of Kernel 6.6 on October 30, 2023. As expected with any new Kernel, Linux Kernel 6.8 ships with several enhancements and improved hardware support, especially for CPUs and GPUs.

Significant highlights of Kernel 6.8 include:

• Introduction of the EEVDF CPU Scheduler;
• Support for intel_idle CPU Idle Time Management Driver for Grand Ridge and Sierra Forest processors;
• BcacheFS - a new and advanced COW ( Copy On Write ) filesystem for Linux systems;
• Support for stable Intel Meteor Lake graphics;
• Numerous performance enhancements for AMD CPUs;
• KVM virtualization now supports up to 4096 vCPUs;
• Nested KVM support on ppc64el;
• Rust abstractions for network PHY drivers;
• Rust bindings for workqueues;
• Support for Intel Shadow Stack.

Ubuntu-specific changes include:

• New Apparmor / Stacking LSM patch set;
• Ubuntu FAN has been replaced in favor of OVN/OpenVSwitch/MicroOVN-based solutions;
• Introduction of the latest GCC with frame pointers enabled;
• The enforcement of Retpoline ABI checks;
• Deprecation of very old graphic drivers.

#3. Revamped installer

Upon starting the installation of Ubuntu 24.04, you’ll notice a new and improved installer, a testament to Canonical’s design philosophy of simplicity and ease of use.

The installer provides a simple and intuitive walkthrough of various installation steps that are easy to follow, especially for beginners in Linux.

Several changes have been introduced to the installer. For example, accessibility settings now appear on one screen.

You can customize the accessibility options to your preferences. For example, to increase the font size, simply click the ‘Seeing’ option and toggle on the ’Large text’ option.

The network connection setting has received a facelift and now offers multiple ways to connect your PC to the internet. You can choose to connect to a network via wired or wireless connection. Alternatively, you can opt to connect later.

In the installation section, the default selection installs only the minimal components needed to get the system up and running and includes a web browser and basic software utilities. This aims to eliminate bloatware and provides the user with a lighter operating system.

However, if you want the whole package, you can opt for the ‘Full Installation’ selection, which provides additional third-party applications such as LibreOffice and other software packages.

#4. GNOME 46

A major highlight of Ubuntu 24.04 is GNOME 46, with its release scheduled for March 20, 2024. Although the overall look is similar to GNOME 45 and its previous releases, GNOME 46 introduces new UI refinements to improve the overall user experience.

Some of the improvements include touchscreen support and enhancements in animations geared toward providing a fluid and immersive desktop experience.

In the ’Settings’ window, the ’Privacy’ menu option has been renamed to ’Privacy and Security’. In this section, you can find settings such as ’connectivity troubleshooting’, ’ screen lock settings’, ’ location’’, ’File history & Trash’, and ’Diagnostics’.

In addition, the ’Region & Language’, ’Date and Time’, and ’Users’ sections have been moved to a new menu option called ’System’. Additional sections include ’Remote Desktop’ and ’SSH(Secure Shell)’.

#5. Improved notifications

In Ubuntu 24.04 LTS, notifications provide better insights and invoke an action to be taken. For example, when you take a screenshot using a screenshot tool, a pop-up will appear notifying you of a possible action you can take, in this case, pasting the image from the clipboard.

In the Nautilus file manager, notifications appear at the bottom of the window to notify you of a successful file transfer operation when copying and pasting a file.

GNOME 46 also provides a polished Quick Settings menu that allows you to select the preferred network connection type ( Wired or Wireless ). You also get to enable features such as Night light, Dark mode, and Power mode. In addition, you can monitor the battery level, take a screenshot, lock the system, and poweroff/suspend/restart the system.

#6. Newer software versions and tech stacks

Ubuntu 24.04 LTS ships with the latest sofware versions including:

• Python 3.12

• PHP 8.3

• Ruby 3.2

• .NET 8 ( This has been extended to the IBM System Z platform )

• Go 1.22 with more focus on .NET, Rust, and Java

• OpenJDK 21

• Rust 1.75

#7. Software Center is now AppCenter

The Software Center app has received a huge update and is now called ’AppCenter’. It provides a refreshing experience with a modern and sleek touch.

At the top left corner, you’ll find quick links to help you navigate features apps and main app categories, such as ‘productivity’, ’development’, and ’games’’.

The ' Manage' section provides an overview of the installed and updated software. You can also check for pending software updates and update all the installed applications.

#8. New wallpaper and desktop backgrounds

As with any new Ubuntu release, Ubuntu 24.04 ships with a new wallpaper and an array of stylish and elegant desktop backgrounds.

#9. Thunderbird as a snap package

Ubuntu 24.04 switches from offering Thunderbird as a snap rather than a DEB-based package. Note that the minimal installation selection which is the default installation option, does not include Thunderbird. Users must select 'Full Installation', which includes other software applications such as LibreOffice suite, etc.

If you opt for the 'Minimal Install', you can install Thunderbird from the Beta channel using the following command:

snap install --beta thunderbird

Those who choose the Full installation can remove the Thunderbird snap and install a DEB package from a PPA or install a Flatpak from the official Thunderbird Flatpak on Flathub.

Other noteworthy improvements and changes in Ubuntu 24.04 include:

• Lots of performance tweaks and enhancements;

• Lots of UI refinements and new visual elements;

• Extended support for disk encryption;

• Memory usage optimization;

• System Monitor ported to GTK 4;

• Advanced features for the ZFS file system;

• Improved container and cloud integration.

#10. Improved Mouse & Touchpad settings

The appearance of the Mouse & Touchpad panel has received a major facelift which is a huge improvement from Ubuntu 22.04 LTS. The section now provides animations depicting the scroll direction upon mouse hover. They indicate the direction of the page scroll based on the mouse wheel or finger movements on the touchpad.

Users can intuitively choose their scroll direction option - whether Traditional or Natural by previewing the scroll animation movements.

#11. Dynamic workspace indicator

One of the most eye-catching new features is the dynamic workspace indicator, a dotted feature at the top-left corner that replaces the "Activities" label. It allows you to switch between multiple workspaces seamlessly and lets you know which workspace you are working on.

To switch workspaces, simply hover the indicator and use the mouse scroll wheel to shuffle between the workspaces.

#12. Pipewire is the default Sound server

PulseAudio has been the standard audio server for most Linux distributions for a while now. With Ubuntu 24.04, Pipewire is the latest sound server and multimedia framework for processing audio. It is already the default audio server for systems such as POP! OS 22.04 and Fedora 34 and later.

Pipewire has been praised for its premium Bluetooth codec support and low latency capabilities ideal for real-time audio processing. PulseAudio was eventually phased out due to several issues including high resource overhead and a lack of advanced features and capabilities.

#13. WireGuard VPN

WireGuard is a fast, simple, modern VPN leveraging advanced cryptographic protocols to secure data exchange. With Ubuntu 24.04, you can set up WireGuard from the Network panel. Just navigate to ‘Network’ > VPN then click the [ + ] sign as shown.

Next, click the ‘WireGuard’ option and fill out all the required VPN details.

Thereafter, you can use the Quick Settings menu to turn on/off the VPN connections.

#14. Larger login avatars

When logging in to your account, you will notice that your account avatar now appears bigger than Ubuntu 22.04 LTS. This achieves a good balance compared to before when avatars were significantly smaller against a large blank background.

#Conclusion

Canonical continues with its philosophy of delivering a robust, secure, and user-friendly operating system that caters to a wide range of users. Whether you are a regular desktop user, software developer, or systems administrator, there is something in Ubuntu 24.04 LTS for everyone.

The new features enhance hardware compatibility, user-friendliness, and system security. With constant improvements and the addition of new features, Canonical proves its commitment to offering an immersive and modern computing environment for everyone in the open-source community.