The world's most popular Linux distro just received a major update, delivering heaps of new features, bug fixes, and more.
Ubuntu 21.04 has been under development for several months. Many Ubuntu fans have eagerly awaited it, but it isn't the next Long-Term Support (LTS) release of the Linux distro. Ubuntu 21.04 is somewhat of a stop-gap between major updates, with the next LTS release, Ubuntu 21.10, coming later in 2021.
Still, the Ubuntu 21.04 update brings some decent upgrades to the operating system.
Ubuntu 21.04 Update Lands
The Ubuntu 21.04 update, amusingly dubbed Hirsute Hippo by the dev team, upgrades the distro to Linux kernel 5.11, which alone will deliver important hardware support for AMD and Intel products, such as AMD's APUs and Intel's Keem Bay.
Ubuntu 20.04 also delivers the long-awaited Wayland compositor switch, which many users have been waiting for. Wayland replaces the current X desktop server that many are familiar with, switching it out for the much faster and smoother alternative.
Long-time Ubuntu users will also be happy to know that Ubuntu 21.04 enables Pipewire, allowing much better audio and video handling, especially for video and screen recording sessions.
One thing conspicuous by its absence is the shell version of GNOME 40, the latest version of the desktop environment. Ubuntu usually ships with the latest GNOME version, but it hasn't made the cut this time. That's not due to anything but time constraints, as GNOME 40 was only released fully towards the end of March 2021.
There just hasn't been enough time for Canonical to meld GNOME 40 to its liking, but it'll definitely ship with the next Ubuntu version. The knock-on effect of this omission is that GTK 4.0 also doesn't feature, but again, it'll return next time out.
While the full shell GNOME 40 isn't included in Ubuntu 21.04, certain apps are running with their new versions. You'll find nice, shiny visual upgrades for Firefox, Thunderbird, and LibreOffice, with the prospect of more to come.
The official Ubuntu 21.04 Hirsute Hippo release notes will provide more information on the update and what you can expect to find.
Ubuntu 21.04 Is a Stepping Stone
Without a doubt, Ubuntu 21.04 is an exciting update. As Canonical only releases two major updates for Ubuntu per year, each one is looked forward to eagerly to see what it contains in terms of new features and fixes.
However, for many, the short-term updates are just a stepping stone to the LTS branch releases, which receive up to five years of support, making them suitable for a huge range of hardware.