While press reception may be lukewarm, Ubuntu’s latest version packs a punch
By Larry Cafiero
Like April, October is a busy month in the Linux universe, for no other reason than two of the top distros center their releases around these two months. April and October, like clockwork, both the Fedora Project and Ubuntu schedule semi-annual releases for the general public.
Distro of the Week will be taking a look at a release from the latter – Ubuntu 26.10, code named Stonking Stingray for those of you keeping score at home.
The Isle of Man-based distro makes a couple of improvements to its 2026 lineup, including the Linux 7.3 kernel and the Gnome 51 desktop environment. Also, Ubuntu introduces the Myna speech-to-text functionality, as well as improved security in the form of the adoption of Rust-based coreutils and expanded TPM-backed full encryption.
Ubuntu 26.10 now uses Rust implementations for its default core command-line utilities, as part of Canonical’s broader efforts to improve memory safety in fundamental system components without changing how users interact with familiar Linux commands.
Bear in mind that Ubuntu has also provided these various updates across its various desktop-based flavors, like Xubuntu (for Xfce users), Kubuntu (for KDE users – sensing a pattern here?), Lubuntu (for LXQt users), and so on.
Installing ‘Stonking Stingray’
First things first: The minimum system requirements to run Ubuntu seems to be fairly normal: The processor has to be 64-bit 2 GHz dual-core or better, the RAM has to be 6 GB or more – a hike up from the typical 4 GB required from most Linux distros – and a disk space of at least 25 GB free. A modern GPU is recommended for better performance, especially if the user is dealing with graphical applications, and an Internet connection is recommended for downloading updates and additional software during installation.
That noted, we downloaded a somewhat large 6.2 GB ISO in what seemed like record time and put it on a USB stick. The live USB came up quickly with the standard Gnome-based Ubuntu desktop, with an option to install.
The Ubuntu Installer is a little more complex – albeit completely manageable – than the standard-issue Calamares installer common to most Linux distros. Whether that is good or bad is debatable, however the Ubuntu Installer brings the user through a labyrinth of questions, like accessibility issues (of which, to my knowledge, I have none) and what software the user would like to install (all of it, please), atop the relevant questions of language, keyboard, disk setup, and the like. There is a method to the madness, since Ubuntu wants to make sure that your install goes well, but there’s almost an element of overkill to this process.
Regardless, finally getting all our proverbial ducks in a row, the installation of Ubuntu 26.10 went off without a hitch, and roughly 15 minutes later we were both rocking and rolling with the new distro.
Kicking the tires on Ubuntu 26.10
The clean lines of the latest Gnome desktop environment greets the user, with a side panel of icons of the more common software programs used, while a small panel across the top provides a view of the desktop (or desktops) on the left, with the date and time in the center, followed by the WiFi, Volume, and Battery icons on the right. A home file is based on the bottom right of the screen, interestingly, and the software menu sits at the bottom of the left panel.
Speaking of software, Ubuntu 26.10 comes with a variety of software making it ready to use out of the box. The web browser is Firefox, accompanied by Thunderbird as the email client, with LibreOffice also front-and-center. It also includes Rhythmbox music player as well, along with a variety of Ubuntu-based tools.
So after a short visit to the App Center to add a couple of software programs – like VLC media player to listen to tunes and the GNU Image Manipulation Program (otherwise known as GIMP) to edit photos – we were on our way.
Performance was not lacking in Ubuntu 26.10, and deserve special mention here. From the time we ran Software Updater after installing the distro, it was evident that there was much here to write home about. Whereas some Linux distros have a lag when calling up software, Stonking Stingray performed remarkably well across a wide range of hardware and programs came up almost immediately.
The Settings software in Ubuntu deserves special mention as well, where a wide variety of hardware options live. There is a vast range of benefits that await the user here, and fiddling with this was a personal favorite in this distro.
But that facet aside, Ubuntu 26.10 performed adequately on the various daily tasks given to it: The web surfing on Firefox was simple and quick, the email using Thunderbird was equally up to its usual task, and listening to music, whether on the originally installed Rhythmbox or the post-install VLC media player, were both above adequate.
As you might expect, multitasking on Ubuntu 26.10 was beyond pleasant, with the RAM rarely reaching above 3 GB in use. The distro also performed well with web-based programs like Google Docs and Google Drive.
The final word
“Stonking” is a British slang term meaning of exceptional size or quality, often used to emphasize how good something is, like saying “a stonking good idea.” And a stingray is, well, a type of cartilaginous fish and has a flat, disk-shaped body, while living in coastal tropical and subtropical seas worldwide.
That said, the news world in the Linux universe seems to be lukewarm to this particular version of Ubuntu, with some even suggesting remaining with Resolute Raccoon for the moment.
That would be a big mistake.
While the latest advances may not be groundbreaking or earth-shattering, the improvements offered in Ubuntu 26.10 “Stonking Stingray” over its previous release provide users with what can best be described as the next step in the natural order of this particular distro, and a foundation for further improvements to come.
Like Linux Mint, Ubuntu long ago has cemented its reputation as the “gateway” to the Linux world for Windows refugees, and nothing has changed here. Essentially, beginners would have free rein to explore Linux in ultimately a safe environment here, and whatever minor changes Ubuntu brings with this latest release solidifies their status in this regard.
Intermediate and advanced users should be impressed with the security improvements to Ubuntu 26.10, despite preferring to tease new Ubuntu users about their proverbial “training wheels.” The fact of the matter is Stonking Stingray should get credit for bringing new users into the Linux fold, while its security updates are significantly above average.
Ubuntu 26.10 “Stonking Stingray” is definitely worth test-driving. Download the ISO at Ubuntu’s download page.
REMINDER: I’m giving a talk about Choosing a Distro at the Seattle GNU/Linux Conference on Friday, so there will be no Bits & Bobs compilation of Linux news on Saturday. Bits & Bobs will return a week from Saturday.
Do you have a distro you think would make a great feature for Distro of the Week? Don’t be shy—let me know! Email me at larry.cafiero@gmail.com and I’ll make an effort to make your choice available to the wider public … No suggestion is too mainstream!