Ubuntu 18.10 Brings Cosmic Cuttlefish to the Linux Desktop

Canonical, the lead commercial sponsor behind the Ubuntu Linux distribution, is planning to release the latest milestone update, Ubuntu 18.10, on Oct. 18. The release, which is also known as the Cosmic Cuttlefish, is a standard release and will only be supported for nine months. In contrast, Ubuntu 18.04, which was released on April 26, is a Long Term Support (LTS) release, receiving support for five years. Among the things that desktop users will quickly notice in Ubuntu 18.10 is the new Yaru theme, which provides a new look and feel on top of a GNOME 3.30 desktop environment. The Snaps system for software packaging has also been further integrated, providing users with more application options. In this slide show, eWEEK looks at some of the highlights of the Ubuntu 18.10 Cosmic Cuttlefish Linux release.

Ubuntu 18.10’s default desktop theme is now known as Yaru and benefits from newly designed icons and touched-up menus.

Following the new default set in Ubuntu 18.04 LTS, the Cosmic Cuttlefish uses GNOME 3.30 as the default desktop environment, though users can choose to download other desktop environments such as KDE, LXDE or Cinnamon if they choose.

Among the different utilities included in Ubuntu 18.10 is the open-source Remmina remote desktop client, which can enable users to access desktops remotely.

Ubuntu 18.10 includes the open-source Seahorse application, which provides an integrated password and key manager for Linux.

The integrated Ubuntu Software application now includes more applications that have been packaged with the Snappy package format, which aims to make it easier and faster to install, deploy and manage applications.

While users can choose to install a different web browser, in Ubuntu 18.10 the open-source Mozilla Firefox 62 web browser is the default.

Ubuntu 18.10 includes an integrated screenshot tool, which makes it easy for users to grab desktop images.

At the core of Ubuntu 18.10 is a Linux 4.18 kernel.

Ubuntu 18.10 is a short-term release and so will be supported for nine months from its release date, until July 2019.