Arriving alongside the final Ubuntu 20.10 release are new builds from Ubuntu’s family of flavours, which includes Kubuntu, Ubuntu MATE and Ubuntu Budgie.
Rather than publish individual posts for each flavour I decided to post this instead: a concise roundup limited to just two paragraphs per flavour.
Short though that sounds I still present flavour’s key changes and new features, plus give you the download links you need if you want to try a flavour out for yourself.
Let’s dive in!
Kubuntu 20.10
Kubuntu 20.10 is built around KDE Plasma 5.19 and not KDE Plasma 5.20, the newest version that was released this month. While this means Kubuntu users don’t benefit from the very latest features and capabilities (of which there are plenty) there’s still plenty of “newness” to enjoy.
System tray applets now share a unified look, the audio player widget has been improved, and there’s a host of new system monitor widgets to try out. KDE applications 20.08.1 is included, as are the latest versions of LibreOffice, Firefox, and other core software.
Ubuntu Budgie 20.10
Ubuntu Budgie 20.10 isn’t hugely different o Ubuntu Budgie 20.04 (a trend true for most of Ubuntu flavours this time around to be fair). The default app menu is now able to show actions (e.g, logout, restart, etc) as well as GNOME settings (e.g., Display, Power, etc). That’s handy.
There are, as ever, a bunch of optionsl applets, add-ons and themes available, including an experimental full-screen app launcher called LightPad and a macOS style desktop layout. None of these are enabled or configured on the default install so you will need to poke around for them.
Xubuntu 20.10
Out of the box Xubuntu 20.10 make a fantastic first impression thanks to a cite starry-skied desktop wallpaper framed by a clutter-free desktop UI. The only problem? This is exactly the same as Xubuntu 20.04 LTS.
As Xfce 4.16 hasn’t been released there’s no uplift to the core desktop outside of bug fixes and minor tweaks. There are a few updated apps inherited from Ubuntu proper, like the new Firefox release. Sadly I can’t find any sort of change-log about anything else which might have changed.
Ubuntu Kylin 20.10
Ubuntu Kylin is a Chinese language spin but, out of all the flavours, it’s the one sporting the most changes. Kylin 20.10 includes a brand new version of the (very attractive) Qt-based UKUI 3.0 desktop that’s much improved over earlier versions, including a new Notification Center, resizable taskbar, app menu, and featured- file manager.
The only major downside is, as always, unless you speak Chinese or live in China Ubuntu Kylin is virtually impenetrable; there’s no easy way to switch to English language and many of the distros key features require accounts with China-based internet services.
Ubuntu Studio 20.10
It’s all change in Ubuntu Studio 20.10. The distro now uses the Plasma desktop environment as the canvas on which creatives can get, well, creative, and Calameres takes over install duties. Despite swapping DE the overall layout and look of Ubuntu Studio 20.10 isn’t too dissimilar to that from the Xfce-based Ubuntu Studio 20.04!
On the applications front users will now find Darktable nestled in the app menu (replacing Rawtherapee); Openshot and Pitivi are gone, supplanted by Kdenlive instead (wise choice); and Calf Studio Gear (Calf Plugins) have been swapped out in favor of LSP plugins”.
Ubuntu MATE 20.10
Ahh, finally we come to everyone’s favourite flavour: Ubuntu MATE. This release comes packing the recent MATE desktop 1.24.1 release (which rather awesomely will also be back ported to Ubuntu MATE 20.04 too).
One key change this release makes (that most people won’t notice) is the switch to Ayatana Indicators from Ubuntu Indicators. This change has long-term benefits as the project is distro-agnostic. Ubuntu MATE 20.10 also includes a new web-cam app to replace the GTK-based Cheese.
Summary
If you know of any particularly neat additions to any of the flavours above that you feel should be spotlighted, let me know about them in the comments and I’ll update this article.