What is Antergos NeXT?

Antergos NeXT is a community-driven revival of the original Antergos Linux distribution. It stays true to the original spirit: a rolling release based on Arch Linux, with a graphical installer that removes the barrier to entry for new Arch users.

The project ships its latest ISO dated June 12, 2026, and is available on SourceForge. The source code is fully open under the GPL-2.0 license and hosted on GitHub.

Key Features

The most significant update in Antergos NeXT is a modernized Cnchi installer. The original Cnchi was abandoned alongside the project in 2019 and became incompatible with newer Python versions. The NeXT team has patched it for Python 3.14 compatibility, verifying 522 packages in the process. This makes the installer reliable again for fresh installations on current hardware.

KDE Plasma is the default desktop environment, featuring the Breeze Dark theme and the original Antergos icon set and wallpapers. The project also supports multiple other desktops selectable during installation — Cinnamon, XFCE, GNOME, Budgie, Deepin, LXQt, Openbox, and i3.

Being built on Arch Linux, Antergos NeXT follows a rolling release model. Users get kernel, driver, and application updates directly from upstream Arch repositories with minimal delay. There are no major version upgrades — the system stays current on its own.

A Bit of History

Antergos started life in July 2012 under the name Cinnarch — Cinnamon running on Arch Linux. By May 2013, the project switched to GNOME as the default and adopted the name Antergos, a Galician word for “ancestors.” It ran until May 21, 2019, when the developers announced they could no longer sustain the project due to time constraints.

After the shutdown, the EndeavourOS project emerged from the Antergos community as a spiritual successor, taking a different approach by staying closer to vanilla Arch. Antergos NeXT takes a different path: it revives the original experience, including the Cnchi installer, rather than starting fresh.

You can read more about the original Antergos distribution in the OpenSourceFeed archives.

Where to Get It

Antergos NeXT is available for download on SourceForge. The project community is active on Matrix, and bug reports go through GitHub. Everything — the ISO builder, installer, and package repository — is open source.

Whether you are nostalgic for the original Antergos or simply looking for a polished, Arch-based distribution with a graphical installer, Antergos NeXT is worth a look.

The previous major release, Linux Lite 7.0 “Galena”, was built on Ubuntu 24.04 LTS. Series 8 now moves to Ubuntu 26.04 LTS and represents a near-complete rebuild of the application stack, with 15 new in-house tools written in Python and GTK4.

Custom Performance Kernels

One of the headline features in Linux Lite 8.0 is the Linux Lite Advanced Performance Kernels. Two variants ship with the release:

• linuxlite — the default desktop kernel, tuned for responsive everyday use with dynamic preemption.
• linuxlite-gaming — an optional kernel using full preemption to cut input lag for gaming and audio/video production.

Both kernels use the EEVDF scheduler and include the BORE (Burst-Oriented Response Enhancer) scheduler patch. BORE tracks each task’s burst behaviour and gives a priority boost to short, intense tasks — like a window repaint or a game frame — keeping the desktop snappy under load. A new Lite Kernel Manager application lets users switch kernels, tune sysctl parameters, and submit benchmark scores to a community leaderboard.

New GTK4 Application Suite

All 15 new in-house applications are written in Python and GTK4, replacing their GTK3 predecessors. Notable additions include:

• Lite Game Center — a one-click setup for Steam, Lutris, Proton, Wine, and controller support.
• Lite Driver Manager — a fork of Mint Drivers that detects and installs the right GPU driver in one click.
• Lite Distro Builder — lets users build a custom Linux Lite ISO from a running installation.
• Lite Software — replaces Synaptic Package Manager with a curated catalogue of ~100 applications, including a Snap filter so users know what they are installing.
• MyAI — a fully local, offline AI assistant powered by Ollama, accessible from a Firefox bookmark tab. No cloud account required.

Calamares Replaces Ubiquity

The Ubiquity installer is gone. Linux Lite 8.0 ships Calamares with full OEM support, BTRFS and XFS filesystem options, and slide content translated into 25 languages. Internet access is not required during installation. APT sources are also migrated to the newer DEB822 .sources format.

Other Changes

• Firefox returns as the default browser (self-hosted, no PPA).
• End-to-end GTK4 theming using an Orchis fork named Lite Theme.
• Fastfetch replaces the unmaintained Neofetch; Starship replaces Powerline as the shell prompt.
• ISO size reduced from 2.77 GB to 2.36 GB compared to Series 7.
• All Lite applications translated into 22 languages; desktop translated into 23 languages.
• Python updated to 3.14.4+ (up from 3.12); Btop replaces Htop.

Existing Linux Lite 7.x users can upgrade via Lite Series Upgrade, which provides a full Series 7 to Series 8 upgrade path with a dry-run mode, real-time progress bar, and APT sources backup. The team recommends a full Timeshift backup before upgrading.

Note that Secure Boot is not supported in Series 8. Disable it in firmware before installing.

For the complete changelog, screenshots, and download mirrors, see the official Linux Lite 8.0 release announcement. The ISO is also available via SourceForge.

Rhino Linux is a community-maintained distribution based on Ubuntu’s development branch, built around the Pacstall package manager and the Xfce-based Unicorn desktop environment. It follows a rolling-release model, so existing users can update in place without reinstalling.

Lomiri Comes to x86_64 and ARM64

The biggest change in 2026.1 is the launch of generic ISO images with Lomiri as a desktop environment option. Previously, Lomiri was only available for mobile hardware such as PINE64 devices. Users installing Rhino Linux on standard x86_64 or ARM64 machines can now select Lomiri from the downloads page alongside the familiar Unicorn desktop.

Lomiri originated as Canonical’s Unity 8 shell, designed for Ubuntu Touch. After Canonical ended that project, the UBports community took over development. It is built for convergence — the same interface adapts across phones, tablets, and conventional desktops. Rhino Linux has been collaborating with UBports since late 2025 to upstream patches and extend Lomiri’s reach beyond mobile hardware.

The team notes that Lomiri on generic systems is still an evolving experience, and work with UBports continues. This release builds on the same Linux 7.0 kernel generation that Ubuntu 26.04 LTS adopted. Fans of Xfce-based Ubuntu derivatives may also be interested in Xubuntu 25.10’s Xfce 4.20 improvements.

Pacstall 6.4.x Updates

Pacstall, the AUR-inspired package manager at the heart of Rhino Linux, received notable updates in this cycle. The 6.4.x series introduces two new internal variables — DNUM and CDNUM — alongside PACSTALL_XTRACEFD and PACSTALL_XTRACEFDLOG environment variables for better debugging. Scripts can now export KVER to pre- and post-install hooks. The release also includes bug fixes, internal code cleanups, and translation updates. The full changelog is on the Pacstall releases page.

Kernel Versions by Hardware

Kernel versions vary by target hardware:

Download

The 2026.1 ISO images are available from the official Rhino Linux website. Existing users do not need to reinstall — running sudo apt update && sudo apt full-upgrade or using the Pacstall package manager is sufficient to stay current. For full release details, see the official announcement.

MX 25.2 builds on the foundation of MX Linux 25 “Infinity”, which moved the series to Debian 13 Trixie and adopted systemd as the default init system.

What’s New in MX Linux 25.2

Kernel updates

All standard ISOs ship with the updated Debian 6.12.90 kernel. The Xfce AHS (Advanced Hardware Support) edition uses a Liquorix-flavored Linux 7.0.9 kernel for users who need support for the latest hardware. AHS-enabled builds also include Mesa 26.0.1, providing a more current graphics stack out of the box.

New text-mode installer

The standout addition in MX Linux 25.2 is a text-based installer mode. Running minstall-launcher in a text console now opens a full TUI (terminal user interface) with all the features of the graphical installer — useful when graphics hardware, display drivers, or resource constraints make a GUI impractical. You can also invoke it directly from a terminal emulator with sudo minstall --tui.

Microcode-enabled live systems

MX Snapshot and live-kernel-updater now generate microcode-enabled live systems when the optional uc-tool-mx package is installed. The package is available in the standard repository.

Improved rescue and live tooling

The chroot-rescue-scan script now handles Btrfs and encrypted partitions better. There are also new init service files for the live system and improved support for pre-Sandy Bridge Intel graphics in live sessions.

MX Tools and cosmetics

This release includes a range of mx-tool updates, updates to mx-ease-themes, and a couple of new wallpapers.

Raspberry Pi Respin returns

The Raspberry Pi Respin is back with MX 25.2 after an absence in the previous refresh.

Upgrade and Download

Existing MX Linux 25 users do not need to reinstall. All updates come through the regular update channel. The new ISOs are mainly useful for fresh installs and live USB use.

MX 25.2 is available in Xfce, KDE Plasma, and Fluxbox editions — including AHS and SysVinit variants. For download links and full changelog, see the official release announcement.

If you’re coming from an older branch, the MX Linux 23.2 Libretto release notes offer useful context on how the series has evolved over recent cycles.

PureOS is a Debian-based distribution maintained by Purism. It is fully endorsed by the Free Software Foundation and ships exclusively free software. It runs on Purism’s Librem laptops, the Librem 5 smartphone, and standard PCs and servers. If you’re interested in how PureOS compares to other privacy-oriented options, see our roundup of privacy-focused Linux distributions.

What’s new in PureOS Crimson

Stability and reliability

The team resolved a corner case that could cause systems to suspend without warning when suspend was enabled. A crash triggered by disconnecting an external display on the Librem 5 and Librem 11 is also fixed.

The Librem 5’s hardware killswitches can disable internal sensors like the accelerometer. A bug caused the system to use an invalid sensor value after a killswitch was toggled, sometimes producing unexpected screen rotations. This is now fixed — the last valid sensor reading is retained correctly.

Camera improvements on the Librem 5

The rear camera on the Librem 5 has a known silicon-level bug in its camera interface (ERR050384) that can lock up the interface in certain conditions. The team worked around this by carefully tuning camera clock rates to avoid the affected modes used by Millipixels.

Millipixels itself received several updates: red QR codes are now easier to scan, video recordings have better audio synchronization and consistent white balance, and photos and videos rotate automatically to match the phone’s orientation. Photo post-processing now runs on the GPU using OpenGL, which is more efficient and enables better lens correction, tone mapping, and sharpening.

Metapackage updates

The PureOS Plasma image now includes standard KDE applications by default and no longer installs GNOME Software. All desktop images include minimal development tools. The GNOME metapackage was synced with Debian Bookworm, and the Plymouth boot splash was removed from the server image metapackage, since servers don’t need graphical boot components.

Upgrading from Byzantium

Existing PureOS Byzantium users will receive the PureOS Upgrade application through regular system updates. Fresh installation images are available for PCs, servers, and the Librem 5.

Purism notes that all Librem hardware — including the older Librem 13 and 15 laptops — is supported with this release. Purism does not impose an end-of-life date on its hardware.

What’s next: PureOS Dawn

With Crimson out, development has already started on PureOS Dawn, the next major release. Purism says much of the infrastructure work done for Crimson carries forward, and expects the path to Dawn to be shorter.

Read the full PureOS Crimson release announcement on the Purism blog.

Red Hat Enterprise Linux is the commercial Linux platform widely used in enterprise data centers and hybrid cloud environments. Both the 10.x and 9.x release tracks remain in active support, receiving ongoing feature updates through minor releases like these.

AI-Enhanced Command Line

RHEL 10.2 and 9.8 introduce goose, an optional command-line AI assistant available in the extensions repository. It connects to the same backend as the existing RHEL command-line assistant but adds streaming responses and a path toward integration with a new Model Context Protocol (MCP) server for RHEL, currently in developer preview. The built-in command-line assistant also gains color output, making it easier to visually separate commands, scripts, and explanations in terminal output.

Updated Developer Toolsets

Both releases refresh a wide range of language runtimes and developer tools:

• Go 1.26 brings the Green Tea garbage collector, reducing tail latency and adding HPKE support.
• Python 3.14 adds live syntax highlighting, smarter autocompletion, and an extended type system.
• Ruby 4.0 ships the new ZJIT compiler, delivering performance gains for Ruby applications.
• PostgreSQL 18 adds asynchronous I/O and UUIDv7 support.
• MariaDB 11.8 introduces a VECTOR datatype aimed at AI/ML workloads.
• OpenJDK 25, PHP 8.4, Rust 1.92, LLVM 21, and Git 2.51 round out the update, each with performance or developer experience improvements.

Image Mode Improvements

RHEL’s image mode, based on bootc, gets several operational improvements. A new bootc option lets administrators pre-download OS updates to a fleet without triggering immediate reboots, supporting planned maintenance windows. The new Bootable Containers and Virtualization Kit (BCVK) simplifies testing by automating the path from a local Podman container build to an ephemeral VM test environment. Logically bound images allow organizations to manage diverse system configurations from a single base image, cutting down the number of distinct images to maintain. The RHEL image builder CLI is redesigned to work without a continuously running service, making it better suited to CI/CD pipelines.

Post-Quantum Security

Red Hat Certificate System 11.0, released alongside RHEL, integrates NIST-standardized ML-DSA signatures to support post-quantum cryptography (PQC). This addresses the risk of “harvest now, decrypt later” attacks — where encrypted data collected today could be decrypted once quantum computers become capable enough. Certificate System 11.0 also introduces zero-touch provisioning for certificate issuance using one-time passwords, automating a process that would otherwise require significant manual effort at scale. Certificate lifespans are projected to shrink to as low as 47 days by 2029, making automation important for organizations managing large fleets.

RHEL 10.2 also introduces sealed images (technology preview), enabling customer-controlled cryptographic integrity for the OS. Organizations can use their own secure boot keys to sign images and configure systems to trust only internally certified builds.

Simplified Upgrades

Leapp, the RHEL in-place upgrade tool, now supports conversion and major-version upgrades in a single command, removing a previous two-step requirement. Red Hat also released Ansible Certified Content that automates common pre-upgrade issues identified by Leapp, packaging Red Hat’s accumulated upgrade knowledge for repeatable automated use. Fedora Linux, which serves as the upstream source for RHEL, typically previews features that eventually flow into RHEL minor releases.

For the full details, see the official RHEL 10.2 and 9.8 announcement. Downloads and release notes are available on the Red Hat Customer Portal.

Q4OS 6.7 Andromeda is a point update to the Q4OS 6 LTS edition. The main focus of this release is keeping the Andromeda branch current with the upstream Debian Trixie 13.5 base, released on May 16, 2026. Debian 13.5 brought 103 security fixes and 144 bug corrections to the Trixie series.

What’s New in Q4OS 6.7?

This update packages the following changes for Andromeda users:

• Debian Trixie 13.5 base — the latest point release from Debian, with security and bug fix patches folded in.
• Updated stable Debian kernel — hardware compatibility and stability improvements from the latest Debian kernel.
• Security patches and bug fixes — important fixes carried over from the upstream Debian update cycle.
• Q4OS-specific improvements — stability enhancements and refinements unique to the Q4OS project.
• Cumulative update — all changes since the previous Andromeda stable release are included.

If you are already running Q4OS 6.1 Andromeda or a later version in the series, you do not need to reinstall. Updates will arrive through the standard Q4OS repository update process.

About Q4OS Andromeda

Q4OS Andromeda is an LTS release based on Debian 13 Trixie, shipping KDE Plasma and the optional Trinity Desktop Environment (TDE). It targets users who want a stable, long-term platform on both modern and older hardware. The Andromeda series carries at least five years of free security and maintenance support.

For users who prefer a lightweight setup, Q4OS 5.8 Aquarius remains available and supported until June 2028.

Download

Fresh installation media for Q4OS 6.7 are available from the Downloads section of the Q4OS website. Existing users will receive the updates automatically.

For the full release details, see the official Q4OS blog announcement.

Debian 13.5 is a point release, not a new version. It brings no new features. Instead, it rolls up fixes released individually over the past months, giving users clean installation media without needing a long post-install update run.

As the Debian Project notes in its official release announcement, users who already update regularly from security.debian.org will find most of these fixes already applied.

What’s Fixed in Debian 13.5

In total, Debian 13.5 includes 103 security advisories and 144 miscellaneous bug corrections.

Some of the more significant fixes include:

• glibc — Addresses incorrect DNS response handling, invalid hostname returns, and an assertion failure.
• systemd — Updated to a new upstream stable release (257.13), with fixes for code execution flaws and an nspawn escape-to-host vulnerability.
• OpenSSH — Multiple fixes including a case where scp could unexpectedly mark transferred files as setuid/setgid, and a command execution flaw.
• Apache — Covers use-after-free, privilege escalation, NULL pointer dereference, and HTTP response splitting vulnerabilities.
• bubblewrap — Patches a privilege escalation issue (CVE-2026-41163).
• nano — Fixes an overly broad permissions issue (CVE-2026-6842).
• sudo — Patches a privilege escalation flaw (CVE-2026-35535).
• X.Org Server — Buffer re-use, out-of-bounds read, and use-after-free issues addressed.
• Python 3.13 — Multiple header injection, denial of service, and validation bypass fixes.

The update also improves compatibility with Python 3.13 across several packages, and corrects an illegal instruction issue on RISC-V 64-bit in GRUB EFI code.

Desktop Environments in Live Images

Fresh installation images for Debian 13.5 are available for the amd64, arm64, armhf, ppc64el, riscv64, and s390x architectures. Live images ship with several desktop options: GNOME 48, KDE Plasma 6.3.6, Xfce 4.20, Cinnamon 6.4.10, LXQt 2.1, MATE 1.26.1, and LXDE.

If you want a full picture of what changed when Trixie first arrived, the Debian 13 Trixie release post on OpenSourceFeed is a good starting point.

How to Upgrade

Existing Trixie users do not need to reinstall. Simply run:

sudo apt update && sudo apt full-upgrade

Point the package manager at any Debian HTTP mirror. A full list of mirrors is at debian.org/mirror/list.

Alongside Debian 13.5, the project also released Debian 12.14 as an updated point release for the older “Bookworm” series, carrying 145 security fixes and 99 bug corrections.

For the complete list of changed packages, see the Trixie ChangeLog.

Jef Spaleta, Fedora Project Leader, made the announcement on April 28, 2026. Fedora 44 follows Fedora Linux 43 and builds on the strong foundation laid in that release. If you followed the Fedora 44 Beta coverage, many of these changes will be familiar.

Key Highlights of Fedora Linux 44

GNOME 50 on Fedora Workstation

Fedora Workstation 44 ships with GNOME 50, the latest major release from the GNOME project. This version brings improvements across accessibility, color management, and remote desktop support. Built-in parental controls arrive as part of the Digital Wellbeing initiative — users can now set screen time limits and bedtime schedules directly from Settings.

Default applications like the Document Viewer, File Manager, and Calendar have all received updates in this cycle. For the full list of GNOME 50 changes, see the official GNOME 50 release notes.

KDE Plasma 6.6 and a Better First-Run Experience

Fedora KDE Plasma Desktop 44 ships with Plasma 6.6. Two notable changes stand out for new users: the Plasma Login Manager now replaces SDDM as the default display manager, and the new Plasma Setup application guides users through initial configuration when they first boot the system. Together, these give KDE users a more cohesive experience from the start.

Wine NTSYNC for Better Windows App Compatibility

The NTSYNC kernel module is now enabled for packages that benefit from it, most notably Wine and Steam. When a package that recommends wine-ntsync is installed, NTSYNC activates automatically on subsequent boots. This can improve both compatibility and performance when running Windows applications and games under Linux — no manual configuration needed.

Notable Plumbing Changes

MariaDB 11.8 is now the default. Fedora 44 ships both mariadb-10.11 and mariadb-11.8, but the unversioned default packages now point to 11.8. Existing users upgrading from Fedora 43 will not see a change; only fresh MariaDB installs are affected.

OpenSSL certificate loading is faster. Fedora 44 uses directory-hash support for ca-certificates, which reduces the time OpenSSL takes to load. Some certificate bundle paths have changed on the filesystem as a result.

Anaconda network profiles are cleaner. The installer now only creates network profiles for devices you configure during installation, rather than generating profiles for every detected device. This simplifies post-install network management.

Fedora Cloud /boot moved to Btrfs. Cloud images that support it now use a Btrfs subvolume for /boot instead of a separate partition. This reduces image size and improves space utilization.

Downloading and Upgrading

Fedora 44 is available for fresh install across all major editions — Workstation, KDE Plasma Desktop, Cloud, Server, CoreOS, and IoT. Atomic Desktops (Silverblue, Kinoite, Cosmic, Budgie, Sway) and alternate Spins are also available.

Existing Fedora users can upgrade through GNOME Software or via the terminal using dnf system-upgrade. The process is straightforward and similar to a regular system update. For step-by-step guidance, see the official Fedora upgrade documentation.

If you run into any issues, the Ask Fedora forum maintains a list of common issues and workarounds.

For a deeper look at everything that changed, the Fedora 44 Change Set wiki is the most complete reference. You can also compare Fedora’s trajectory by looking at the Fedora Linux 42 release, which introduced GNOME 48 and WSL support.

The codename “Resolute Raccoon” holds special meaning. It was chosen in tribute to Steve Langasek, a longtime Debian and Ubuntu release manager who passed away in early 2025. The word “Resolute” reflects determination and unwavering commitment — qualities that defined his contributions to the Linux community.

This article covers the main Ubuntu release and all official community flavors released on the same day. This follows a pattern similar to our coverage of Ubuntu 25.10 Questing Quokka and Ubuntu 25.04 Plucky Puffin and its flavors.

Ubuntu 26.04 LTS — Core Highlights

Ubuntu 26.04 LTS brings a significant modernization across the desktop, security, and server stack.

Desktop and GNOME 50: The default Ubuntu desktop ships with GNOME 50. This release removes the GNOME-on-X11 session entirely — the GNOME desktop now runs exclusively on Wayland, while XWayland remains available for legacy X11 applications. This does not affect other desktop environments, which continue to support X11 sessions.

The default application lineup has been refreshed. Papers replaces Evince as the PDF viewer, Loupe replaces Eye of GNOME for images, Ptyxis replaces GNOME Terminal, Resources replaces both System Monitor and Power Statistics, and Showtime is now the default video player. A new Security Center application provides a central location for managing full-disk encryption, Secure Boot, and app permissions.

Linux Kernel 7.0: The release ships with Linux kernel 7.0, a major upgrade from 6.8 in Ubuntu 24.04 LTS. Kernel crash dumps are now enabled by default on desktop installs, the new sched_ext framework enables hot-swappable eBPF-based CPU schedulers, and the linux-lowlatency package has been retired in favour of a leaner tuning approach on linux-generic.

Memory-safe core utilities: Canonical’s ongoing effort to “carefully but purposefully oxidise” Ubuntu continues in this LTS. Most GNU coreutils have been replaced by Rust-based equivalents (rust-coreutils), with the notable exception of cp, mv, and rm — these three remain on GNU coreutils for now due to unresolved TOCTOU security issues that need fixing before Canonical is confident shipping them. The plan is to complete the switch in Ubuntu 26.10. Separately, sudo-rs (a Rust rewrite of sudo) ships as the default sudo provider in this release. Both changes improve memory safety without changing everyday usage.

Security improvements: Ubuntu 26.04 LTS ships TPM-backed full-disk encryption in general availability, enables post-quantum cryptography defaults, and introduces the unified Security Center app. Livepatch support is extended to Arm systems.

System infrastructure: The release ships systemd 259 with cgroup v1 support removed — only cgroup v2 is supported now. Dracut replaces initramfs-tools as the default initramfs generator. APT 3.2 ships with the apt-key tool removed. OpenSSH 10.2 is included.

AI and cloud: Ubuntu 26.04 LTS is the first Ubuntu release to distribute NVIDIA CUDA natively in its repositories. AMD ROCm support is also improved. On the server side, the release includes PHP 8.5, PostgreSQL 18, MySQL 8.4, Docker 29, QEMU 10.2.1, and OpenStack 2026.1.

System requirements: Ubuntu Desktop 26.04 LTS recommends a minimum of 6 GB RAM (up from 4 GB in 24.04 LTS) for a comfortable experience. Ubuntu Server starts at 1.5 GB RAM and 4 GB storage.

The official release announcement and full release notes are available at documentation.ubuntu.com.

Kubuntu 26.04 LTS — KDE Plasma 6.6 with Full Wayland Support

Kubuntu 26.04 LTS delivers KDE Plasma 6.6 as the flagship desktop environment, alongside Qt 6.10.2, KDE Frameworks 6.24.0, and KDE Gear 25.12.3.

The Plasma Wayland session is now the default and fully supported session. The plasma-session-x11 package remains available in the archive for users who need it, but it is not installed by default and is not supported by the Kubuntu team.

Notable new features in this release include:

• OCR text recognition in Spectacle: KDE’s screenshot tool can now extract text from screenshots directly, with multi-language support via Tesseract language data packages.
• Integrated on-screen keyboard: Plasma 6.6 adds a fully integrated on-screen keyboard for touchscreen devices and users with accessibility needs.
• Extensive theming improvements: Custom global themes, colour scheme handling, and widget customisation options have all been expanded.

Kubuntu 26.04 LTS will receive security updates through April 2029. For more details, see the Kubuntu 26.04 release notes.

Xubuntu 26.04 LTS — Xfce 4.20 with Wayland Progress

Xubuntu 26.04 LTS is a Long-Term Support release supported for 3 years until April 2029. It ships with Xfce 4.20, which brings stability improvements and enhanced Wayland support for adventurous users. The release also includes updated GNOME 49 and MATE 1.28 applications to complete the desktop suite.

Key package updates include GIMP 3.2.2, LibreOffice 26.2, Mousepad 0.7.0, PipeWire 1.6.2, and GStreamer 1.28.2. Both a full Xubuntu Desktop image and a minimal Xubuntu Minimal image are available for download.

Known issues include missing icons in some Libadwaita applications and an unavailable graphical SSH agent due to an upstream change in GNOME Keyring Daemon. See the Xubuntu 26.04 release announcement for details. Our Xubuntu reference page covers the project in depth.

Lubuntu 26.04 LTS — LXQt 2.3 and the 30th Release Milestone

Lubuntu 26.04 LTS marks the project’s 30th release. It ships with LXQt 2.3 and Linux kernel 7.0. This is also the first Lubuntu LTS to ship with a primarily Qt 6-based environment, with improved application theming using Kvantum as the engine. The new “Fancy Menu” application launcher replaces the earlier menu and brings a better search and navigation experience.

Improvements in LXQt 2.3 include a Desktop Switcher that now works with Wayland compositors supporting the ext-workspaces-v1 protocol (such as labwc and niri), a “Safely Remove” option in PCManFM-Qt, emoji flag support in QTerminal, and LZ4 archive support.

Wayland support is not available on the ISO for this release; the team could not get it ready in time. It may appear later as a PPA. Lubuntu 26.04 LTS is supported until April 2029. Download from the Lubuntu website.

Edubuntu 26.04 LTS — Rewritten Installer, GNOME 50, and Wider Language Support

Edubuntu 26.04 LTS is designed for schools and educational environments, with 3 years of support until April 2029. It ships with GNOME 50 and the new Teal Accent Color (Yaru-prussiangreen).

The most significant change is a complete rewrite of the Edubuntu Installer and Menu Administration tools in Python. The new tools feature dual UI backends — GTK4 for GNOME environments and Qt6 for others — and they auto-detect the desktop environment at launch. A Cockpit web-based remote administration module allows administrators to configure age-group settings across a network.

The installer and menu tools now support 21 languages including Arabic, Chinese (Simplified), French, German, Hindi, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, Turkish, and Ukrainian.

New default applications include Thunderbird (replacing Geary), GNOME Showtime (replacing Totem), Rhythmbox (replacing GNOME Music), Foliate e-book reader, Paperboy news reader, Arduino IDE, Raspberry Pi Imager, GChemPaint, and GNOME Notes (Bijiben). GTK 2 packages have been removed as GTK 2 is no longer supported upstream. Read the full Edubuntu 26.04 release announcement.

Ubuntu Studio 26.04 LTS — Three Desktop Layouts for Creative Workflows

Ubuntu Studio 26.04 LTS is the 38th release of this creative-focused flavor and is supported for 3 years through April 2029. It builds on the KDE Plasma 6.6 stack — the same used by Kubuntu.

The headline addition is three selectable desktop layouts:

• The classic Ubuntu Studio top-panel layout
• A macOS-like layout with global menu and dock
• A Windows-like bottom-panel layout

The default layout for new installs was selected through a community vote.

Both the Ubuntu Studio Installer and Ubuntu Studio Audio Configuration tools have been completely rewritten in Python with dual GTK4 and Qt6 frontends, and both now support 21 languages. The Audio Configuration tool adds built-in support for FFADO FireWire devices and simpler PipeWire tuning through menus. VLC is now the default media player, and vmpk replaces jack-keyboard for MIDI users.

Live sessions now inhibit the lock screen and screensaver to prevent interruptions during demos. See the Ubuntu Studio 26.04 LTS release announcement for the full details.

Ubuntu Budgie 26.04 LTS — Full Wayland Migration with labwc

Ubuntu Budgie 26.04 LTS makes a definitive move to Wayland. It ships Budgie Desktop 10.10.2 and uses labwc — a wlroots-based compositor — as the default compositor. No Xorg session is provided in this release.

Key changes include:

• Screen sharing, screenshots, and display configuration all use modern Wayland portals and wlroots tooling.
• Crystal Dock is enabled and configured out of the box.
• SDDM is used as the login manager with a custom Ubuntu Budgie greeter that supports per-user wallpapers, translations, and customisation.
• VLC is now the default media player (replacing Parole).
• A new Screencast Applet handles screen and area recording with optional audio.
• Built-in screen magnification is available without external tools.

Applets that rely on X11-specific functionality (such as budgie-carbon-tray-applet and budgie-pixel-saver-applet) are not included. The release is supported until April 2029. Download and release notes are at the Ubuntu Budgie website.

Ubuntu Cinnamon 26.04 LTS — Cinnamon 6.4.13

Ubuntu Cinnamon 26.04 LTS ships with Cinnamon 6.4.13 on the Ubuntu 26.04 LTS base. It is an LTS release supported until 2029, giving users three years of updates and bug fixes.

Users on Ubuntu Cinnamon 25.10 (Questing Quokka) are encouraged to upgrade, as that release reaches end of life in July 2026. Users on the previous LTS (24.04 Noble Numbat) can continue using it for approximately one more year before upgrading.

The release was announced by project lead Joshua Peisach, who dedicated this release to his high school Bergen County Academies, from which he is graduating this year. For more details, see the Ubuntu Cinnamon 26.04 release announcement.

Ubuntu Unity 26.04 — Unity 7.7 Maintenance, Without LTS Status

Ubuntu Unity 26.04 continues with Unity 7.7, which has received maintenance work focused on fixing long-standing bugs. This release does not carry LTS status due to limited contributor resources — the team’s lead developer Rudra has been away, and this is the first release managed without him and Maik.

Notable fixes in this release include:

• Corrected window decorations for GTK3/4 and Libadwaita apps
• Fixed tap-to-click on touchpads
• Fixed snap apps unpinning from the launcher
• Moved from unity-gtk3-module to appmenu-gtk3-module for better global menu compatibility
• Switched from gnome-screensaver to light-locker
• Removed unmaintained packages (cheese, vino, unity-gtk2-appmenu)
• Welcome to new contributors: Tomasz, Gautham, Kavish, Alfred, Lexi, and Azzy

Known issues include an occasional missing cursor after login, a non-functional shutdown/logout menu after cancelling, and intermittent compiz cursor issues. Workarounds are documented in the Ubuntu Unity 26.04 release notes.

Ubuntu Kylin 26.04 LTS — Chinese-Localized Desktop

Ubuntu Kylin 26.04 LTS is the official Ubuntu flavor developed for Chinese-speaking users, with a localized desktop environment and region-specific applications. It is an LTS release supported for 3 years.

For full details on features and downloads, see the Ubuntu Kylin 26.04 release page.

What About Ubuntu MATE 26.04?

Ubuntu MATE will not release a 26.04 version. The project leader announced their departure in late March 2026, and no official builds were created for this cycle. The Ubuntu MATE project has not received LTS status for 26.04. Users on Ubuntu MATE 24.04 LTS can continue using it until its end of life.

Download Ubuntu 26.04 LTS and Its Flavors

All official Ubuntu 26.04 LTS images are available from the respective project websites: