[ubuntu-studio-users] Ubuntu Studio 23.10 Released

Thu Oct 12 17:41:00 UTC 2023

The Ubuntu Studio team is pleased to announce the release of Ubuntu 
Studio 23.10, code-named “Mantic Minotaur”. This marks Ubuntu Studio’s 
33rd release. This release is a regular release and as such, it is 
supported for 9 months (until July 2024).

Since it’s just out, you may experience some issues, so you might want 
to wait a bit before upgrading. Please see therelease notes 
<https://ubuntustudio.org/ubuntu-studio-23-10-release-notes/>for a 
more-complete list of changes and known issues.

You can download Ubuntu Studio 23.10 from ourdownload page 
<https://ubuntustudio.org/download>.

    Upgrading

Instructions for upgrading are included in therelease notes 
<https://ubuntustudio.org/ubuntu-studio-23-10-release-notes/#upgrading>.

    New This Release

      Ubiquity System Installer Returns

In the days where we used Xfce as our default desktop environment, our 
default system installer was one developed and used by most Ubuntu 
flavors called Ubiquity. However, when we switched to KDE’s Plasma 
Desktop as our default desktop environment, we wished to use the Qt 
version, but we found out it was hardcoded for Kubuntu’s branding. With 
that, we partnered with Lubuntu, which also uses a Qt-based desktop 
called LXQt, to use the Qt-based Calamares installer.

Unfortunately, we found that, despite the customization and user 
experience it provided, it lacked a few features Ubiquity provides:

  * A language chooser at boot, which changes the language for the live
    session and installer alike
  * An OEM mode for computer manufacturers
  * The ability to install without running the live session

This release, we worked hard to make sure the first time you boot Ubuntu 
Studio 23.10 is a pleasing one and that everything is themed correctly, 
including pushing changes to Ubiquity itself so that the GTK version of 
Ubiquity would work with our default theming as well as fixing a bug 
that affected other Ubuntu flavors with dark themes.

For the next release, we hope to switch to the same installerUbuntu 
Desktop <https://ubuntu.com/desktop>(GNOME) andUbuntu Budgie 
<https://ubuntubudgie.org/>are using, which is a graphical frontend for 
the text-based Subiquity installer used inUbuntu Server 
<https://ubuntu.com/server>. We believe that unifying under a single 
codebase makes maintenance easier and creates a higher-quality 
experience for everyone.

      PipeWire Continues to Get Stronger

Pipewire logo.svg

PipeWire has gained numerous improvements, including fixes for prosumer 
and professional audio. The JACK compatibility now performs in 
real-time, and some FireWire features have now been implemented.

We also include a new utility, called the*Ubuntu Studio Audio 
Configuration*utility, found in the Ubuntu Studio Information menu. This 
can be used to configure the default/PipeWire Quantum/value, Enable or 
Disable the PipeWire-JACK compatibility layer (handy for using JACK by 
itself), or switch to the classic PulseAudio-JACK setup that was the 
default prior to 23.04.Click here for more information about that 
utility <https://ubuntustudio.org/ubuntu-studio-installer/#audioconfig>

      In the Repositories: QPrompt

*QPrompt*is a Qt-based teleprompter application now available in the 
repositories. While a snap version does exist and is installable from 
Discover, the version in the repositories is more up-to-date. Since 
Discover does not see the version in the repositories, it needs to be 
installed from the command line by issuing the following command:

sudo apt install qprompt

    Backports PPA is Now Deprecated

As stated in the release announcement of Ubuntu Studio 23.04, that 
release was the last release in which packages would be backported to 
the Ubuntu Studio Backports PPA. As of this release, we will no longer 
be backporting packages from the next release to regular releases such 
as this release. As such, the backports PPA items have been removed from 
Ubuntu Studio Installer for this release. This simply means a longer 
wait for new software and that interval will be six months for regular 
releases.

In the future, we plan to utilize the official Ubuntu Backports 
Repository and backporting newer package versions there, except for 
Ardour Backports when new whole versions are released as they would 
still be backported to our Ardour Backports PPA.*The Ubuntu Backports 
Repository only supports LTS releases*. Therefore, we plan to backport 
only to 22.04 LTS and, in the future, only 24.04 LTS using the backports 
repository once it releases.

Furthermore, as of today, backports to the Backports PPA for 23.04 have 
stopped, and software for 23.04 in that PPA will be deleted when 23.04 
goes End-Of-Life (EOL) in January 2024. If you would like newer software 
and are running 23.04, we encourage you to upgrade when you receive the 
notification.

      Plasma Desktop Backports

Since we share the Desktop Environment with Kubuntu, simply adding the 
Kubuntu Backports will help you with keeping the desktop environment and 
its components up to date with the latest versions:

  * |sudo add-apt-repository ppa:kubuntu-ppa/backports|
  * |sudo apt upgrade|

      More Updates

There are many more updates not covered here but are mentioned in 
theRelease Notes 
<https://ubuntustudio.org/ubuntu-studio-23-10-release-notes/>. We highly 
recommend reading those release notes so you know what has been updated 
and know any known issues that you may encounter.

    Get Involved!

A wonderful way to contribute is to get involved with the project 
directly! We’re always looking for new volunteers to help with 
packaging, documentation, tutorials, user support, and MORE!Check out 
all the ways you can contribute! <https://ubuntustudio.org/contribute/>

Our project leader, Erich Eickmeyer, is now working on Ubuntu Studio 
part-time, and is hoping that the users of Ubuntu Studio can give enough 
to generate a monthly part-time income. Your donations are appreciated! 
If other distributions can do it, surely we can! See the sidebar for 
ways to give!

    Special Thanks

Huge special thanks for this release go to:

  * *Eylul Dogruel*: Artwork, Graphics Design
  * *Ross Gammon*: Upstream Debian Developer, Testing, Email Support
  * *Sebastien Ramacher*:**Upstream Debian Developer
  * *Dennis Braun*: Upstream Debian Maintainer
  * *Rik Mills*: Kubuntu Council Member, help with Plasma desktop
  * *Len Ovens:* Studio Controls
  * *Mauro Gaspari*: Tutorials, Promotion, and Documentation, Testing
  * *Krytarik Raido*: IRC Moderator, Mailing List Moderator
  * *Erich Eickmeyer*: Project Leader, Packaging, Development,
    Direction, Treasurer

    Frequently Asked Questions

*Q:*Does Ubuntu Studio contain snaps?
*A:*Yes. Mozilla’s distribution agreement with Canonical changed about a 
year ago, and Ubuntu was forced to no longer distribute Firefox in a 
native .deb package. We have found that, after numerous improvements, 
Firefox now performs just as well as the native .deb package did.

Additionally, FreeShow is an Electron-based application. Electron-based 
applications cannot be packaged in the Ubuntu repositories in that they 
cannot be packaged in a traditional Debian source package. While such 
apps do have a build system to create a .deb binary package, it 
circumvents the source package build system which is required when 
packaging for Ubuntu. However, Electron apps also have a facility for 
creating snaps, which can be uploaded to the snap store. Therefore, for 
FreeShow to be included in Ubuntu Studio, it had to be packaged as a snap.

*Q*: Will you ever make an ISO image with {my favorite desktop environment}?
*A:*To do so would require creating an entirely new flavor of Ubuntu, 
which would require going through the Official Ubuntu Flavor application 
process. Since we’re completely volunteer-run, we don’t have the time or 
resources to do this. Instead, we recommend you download theofficial 
flavor for the desktop environment of your choice 
<https://ubuntu.com/download/flavours>and useUbuntu Studio Installer 
<https://ubuntustudio.org/ubuntu-studio-installer>to get Ubuntu 
Studio./Please note that this process does not convert that flavor to 
Ubuntu Studio but adds its tools, features, and benefits to the existing 
flavor installation/.

*Q:*What if I don’t want all these packages installed on my machine?
*A:*Simply use the*Ubuntu Studio Installer 
<https://ubuntustudio.org/ubuntu-studio-installer/>*to remove the 
features of Ubuntu Studio you don’t want or need by unchecking the boxes!
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