What's New in Xubuntu 23.10

Xubuntu 23.10, codenamed "Mantic Minotaur", is due to climb out of the development labyrinth on Thursday, October 12, 2023. It features the latest apps from Xfce 4.18, GNOME 45, and MATE 1.26. There's not many exciting new features this time around. Instead, the overall theme of this release is stability, better memory management, and improved support for UI scaling.

In case you're a Xubuntu regular or somebody with a growing interest, I've documented the purpose and highlights for each updated graphical app below... except Firefox, Thunderbird, and LibreOffice (those apps deserve their own separate changelogs). Enjoy!

Xubuntu Updates

Known issues fixed since 23.04 "Lunar Lobster"

The following issues were reported in a previous release and are no longer reproducible in 23.10. Hooray!

• OEM installation uses the wrong slideshow (LP: #1842047)
• Screensaver crashes shortly after unlocking (LP: #2012795)
• Password required twice when switching users (LP: #1874178)

Improved hardware support

• Bluetooth headphones are now better supported under PipeWire. We caught up with the other flavors and added the missing key package: libspa-0.2-bluetooth
• The Apple Magic Trackpad 2 and other modern touch input devices are now supported. We removed the conflicting and unsupported xserver-xorg-input-synaptics package to allow libinput to take control.

Appearance updates

• elementary-xfce 0.18 features numerous refreshed icons in addition to a handful of removed, deprecated icons.
• Greybird 3.23.3 is a minor update that delivers improved support for Gtk 3 and 4 applications.
• Color emoji are now supported and used in Firefox, Thunderbird, and Gtk 3/4 applications. To enter emoji on Gtk applications (such as Mousepad), use the Ctrl + . keyboard shortcut to show the emoji picker. Some text areas will also allow you to bring up the emoji picker from the right-click menu.
• When changing your Gtk (interface) theme, a matching Xfwm (window manager) theme is now automatically selected.
• Past Xubuntu wallpapers can now be easily installed from the repositories! Additionally, wallpapers from before the 22.10 release have been removed from the default installation.

GNOME Apps

Disk Usage Analyzer (44.0 to 45.0)

Disk Usage Analyzer (baobab) provides a graphical representation of disk usage for local and remote volumes. The 45.0 release features the latest GNOME 45's libadwaita widgets and design conventions.

Disks (44.0 to 45.0)

Disks (gnome-disk-utility) is an easy-to-use disk management utility that can inspect, format, partition, image, configure, and benchmark disks. Version 45.0 received a minimal update, silencing some warnings thrown in the benchmark dialog.

Fonts (44.0 to 45.0)

Fonts (gnome-font-viewer) is a font management application that allows you to view installed fonts and install new ones for yourself or for all users on your computer. Version 45.0 features a graphical refresh to the new GNOME 45 styles.

Software (44.0 to 45.0)

Software (gnome-software) allows you to find and install apps. It includes plugins for installing Debian, Snap, and Flatpak packages (Flatpak not included in 23.10). The 45.0 release benefits from a number of bug fixes, performance improvements, and usability improvements. Flatpak users are now offered to clear app storage when removing an app.

Rhythmbox (3.4.6 to 3.4.7)

Rhythmbox is a music player, online radio, and music management application. The 3.4.7 update drops party mode and includes a handful of improvements. User-facing improvements include:

• Imported playlists will now retain the playlist file name
• Subscribing to a podcast will no longer cause the app to crash
• WMA-format audio files will now play automatically when clicked

Xfce Apps

Dictionary (0.8.4 to 0.8.5)

Dictionary (xfce4-dict) allows you to search dictionary services including dictionary servers like dict.org, web servers in a browser, or local spell check programs. Version 0.8.5 includes some minor updates, including a switch to symbolic icons, properly escaping markup in server information, and reducing unused code.

Mousepad (0.5.10 to 0.6.1)

Mousepad is an easy-to-use and fast text editor. The 0.6.1 release includes some useful updates. A new "match whole word" toggle has been added to the search toolbar. File modification state is now tracked more reliably. Multi-window sessions are now properly restored at startup. Improvements to the menu bar and search labels round out this release.

Notifications (0.7.3 to 0.8.2)

The Xfce Notify Daemon (xfce4-notifyd) enables sending application and system notifications in Xfce. Version 0.8.2 received a massive number of bug fixes in addition to some new features:

• "Mark All Read" button added to the settings and panel plugin
• Individual log entries can now now be deleted or marked read
• Option to show only unread notifications in the plugin menu
• Option to ignore app-specified notification timeouts

Power Manager (4.18.1 to 4.18.2)

Power Manager (xfce4-power-manager) manages the power settings of the computer, monitor, and connected devices. Included in 4.18.2 are syncing the lock-on-sleep setting with the Xfce Screensaver, fixes to a handful of memory management issues, and some stability improvements.

Ristretto (0.12.4 to 0.13.1)

Ristretto is a fast and lightweight image viewer for Xfce. The latest 0.13.1 release introduces a long-awaited feature: printing support! It also improves thumbnailing and looks better when scaling the UI beyond 1x.

Screensaver (4.16.0 to 4.18.2)

Screensaver (xfce4-screensaver) is a simple screen saver and locker app for Xfce. Version 4.18.2 fixes some crashes and memory management issues seen in Xubuntu 23.04, correctly integrates with LightDM (no more double password entry when switching users), and correctly inhibits sleep when expected. Screensaver works in conjunction with Power Manager to secure your desktop session.

Screenshooter (1.10.3 to 1.10.4)

Screenshooter (xfce4-screenshooter) allows you to capture your entire screen, an active window, or a selected region. The 1.10.4 update introduces support for AVIF and JPEG XL files, better handles unwritable directories, and remembers preferences between sessions.

Thunar (4.18.4 to 4.18.7)

Thunar is a fast and feature-full file manager for Xfce. Version 4.18.7 fixes a number of bugs and performance issues, resulting in a more stable and responsive file manager.

Thunar Media Tags Plugin (0.3.0 to 0.4.0)

Thunar Media Tags Plugin extends Thunar's support for media files, adding a tag-based bulk rename option, an audio tag editor, and an additional page to the file properties dialog. Version 0.4.0 received only minor updates, updating some backend libraries to newer versions.

Xfburn (0.6.2 to 0.7.0)

Xfburn is an easy-to-use disc burning software for Xfce. Version 0.7.0 includes numerous usability bug fixes (missing icons, missing progress dialogs, multi-item selection) and adds supported MIME types to open blank and audio CDs from other apps.

Xfce Panel (4.18.2 to 4.18.4)

Xfce Panel (xfce4-panel) is a key component of the Xfce desktop environment, featuring application launchers and various useful plugins. The 4.18.4 release fixes memory management issues, improves icon scaling at different resolutions, and updates icons when their status changes (e.g. for symbolic colored icons).

Panel Profiles (1.0.13 to 1.0.14)

Panel Profiles (xfce4-panel-profiles) allows you to manage and share Xfce panel layouts. Version 1.0.14 introduces saving and restoration of RC files, ensures unique and consistent profile and file names, and fixes file handling issues.

Panel Plugins

Clipman Plugin (1.6.2 to 1.6.4)

Clipman (xfce4-clipman-plugin) is a clipboard manager for Xfce. Once activated (it's disabled by default in Xubuntu), it will automatically store your clipboard history for easy later retrieval. Version 1.6.4 improves memory management, polishes up the UX with the addition of some new icons and better layout, and fixes icon display when the UI is scaled beyond 1x.

CPU Graph Plugin (1.2.7 to 1.2.8)

CPU Graph (xfce4-cpugraph-plugin) adds a graphical representation of your CPU load to the Xfce panel. Version 1.2.8 now displays detailed CPU load information and features an improved tooltip.

Indicator Plugin (2.4.1 to 2.4.2)

Indicator Plugin (xfce4-indicator-plugin) adds support for Ayatana indicators to the Xfce panel. While many applications have moved to the (also-supported) KStatusNotifierItem format, some older apps still utilize the classic indicator libraries. The 2.4.2 update sees the upstream panel plugin migrate to the Ayatana indicators, a patch that Xubuntu and Debian have carried for a while.

Mailwatch Plugin (1.3.0 to 1.3.1)

Mailwatch Plugin (xfce4-mailwatch-plugin) is a mailbox watching applet for the Xfce panel. The 1.3.1 release fixes blurry icons when using UI scaling, adds a new "View Log" menu item, and updates the log when an update is manually requested.

Netload Plugin (1.4.0 to 1.4.1)

Netload Plugin (xfce4-netload-plugin) shows your current network usage in the panel. The 1.4.1 update fixes some memory management issues, uses the correct units, and adds a new option to set the decimal precision ("digits number").

PulseAudio Plugin (xfce4-pulseaudio-plugin 0.4.5 to 0.4.8)

PulseAudio Plugin (xfce4-pulseaudio-plugin) shows your current volume levels in the panel and makes it easy to adjust your volume, switch devices, and control media playback. Version 0.4.8 fixes a bug with changing devices, eliminates flickering in the microphone icon, adds scrolling to the microphone icon to adjust recording volume, and includes a bevy of other improvements for MPRIS and device handling. And yes, it works with PipeWire.

Verve Plugin (2.0.1 to 2.0.3)

Verve Plugin (xfce4-verve-plugin) is a command line plugin for the Xfce panel. It allows you to run commands, jump to folder locations, or open URLs in your browser. The 2.0.3 release features a port to PCRE2, better handling for focus-out events, and a fix for a crash when used with the panel's autohide functionality.

Weather Plugin (0.11.0 to 0.11.1)

Weather Plugin (xfce4-weather-plugin) shows your local weather conditions in the panel. Click the panel icon to reveal your forecast for the next few days. Version 0.11.1 fixes a bug where the temperature would read as -0C, fixes logo and icon display with UI scaling beyond 1x, and makes configuration easier.

Whisker Menu Plugin (2.7.2 to 2.8.0)

Whisker Menu Plugin (xfce4-whiskermenu-plugin) is a modern application launcher for Xfce. While the standard menu is reminiscent of Windows 2000 and earlier, the Whisker Menu has features you'd find in Windows Vista or later. Version 2.8.0 fixes breakage with AccountsService, adds support for showing specific menu instances (when using multiple plugins in multiple panels), and adds support for showing the menu at the center of the screen.

Download Xubuntu 23.10

Ready to take Xubuntu 23.10 for a spin? Well, we're not! However, if you want to test the Release Candidate (RC) image, you can find the download information and where to report your test results on iso.qa.ubuntu.com.

See you Thursday when this release is ready to roll!