What’s New In Ubuntu 17.10 (Artful Aardvark) | 10 Biggest Features and Changes

Around Half a year ago, Canonical released Ubuntu 17.04 named Zesty Zapus, and now they have released a new version of popular Linux-based distribution, Ubuntu 17.10, also known as Artful Aardvark.

Ubuntu 17.10 is now available for download. It’s full of new features and changes, including highly anticipated switch to a new display server and desktop environment. Let’s find out some of the biggest things they have added or altered in this new version.

10. Printing Support

Ubuntu 17.10 supports driverless printing for WiFi Direct, Apple AirPrint, IPP Everywhere and Mopria devices. Users can configure the printer in the Settings app (which has been redesigned).

9. Updated Linux Container

Ubuntu 17.10 has updated its LXD to version 2.18. It features new client library, Improved storage handling (auto remapping on attach, volume resize, etc.) and supports native Ceph RBD and cloud instance types.

8. Default Display Server and Display Manager

In the new version of Ubuntu, the default display server is Wayland. However, if you want the older display server, select Ubuntu on Xorg from cog on the login screen.

The default display manager LightDM has been replaced by GDM. Instead of virtual terminal 7, the login screen now uses virtual terminal 1.

7. Samba 4.6.7

Ubuntu is now packed with new version of Samba (standard Windows interoperability suite of programs for Unix and Linux). It offers AD LDAP and replication performance improvements, DNS enhancements, multi-process Netlogon support and new options to control TCP ports used for RPC services.

6. Quick Emulator Update

The last Ubuntu version was using QEMU 2.8, and now it has been updated to QEMU 2.10. The image locking is also added, which is enabled by default. This is done to make execution safer, but it could break a few old cases that now explicitly have to opt-in to share/ignore the locks by subcommands and tools using share-rw dqev property or force-share option.

5. Network Configuration

Ifupdown has been removed. Now Ubuntu 17.10 installer will create a configuration file for netplan that will enable the system for network configuration through NetworkManager or systemd-networkd .

Like previous versions, system will be completely managed through NetworkManager for desktop users. However, for server users, the network equipment will be managed through systemd-networkd.

Since ifupdown has been removed, ifup and ifdown are no longer available. They are replaced by ip link set $device up and ip link set $device down, respectively.

4. New Version of Cloud Instance

Ubuntu now comes with cloud-init 17.1, which supports Python 3.6, Ec2 for IPv6 configuration, Scaleway and AliYun DataSources (enabled by default), and netplan yaml in cloud-init.

Cloud-init’s systemd generator decreases the datasources, which would be searched to only those that might be present. Furthermore, it significant improves unit testing and integration testing coverage.

3. Death of Unity

Instead of Unity, the Ubuntu Desktop now uses GNOME. Most of the things will remain same, it only differs in a couple ways. For example, in GNOME, the dash on the left side of the screen is absent in the default view. It is present in the Activities view, where users can see open windows, start applications from quick launch bar, or type the name of file, app, or web search.

Also, the applications offered by GNOME have been updated to 3.26.

2. 32-bit Installer Images Are Gone

The previous versions of Ubuntu offered both 32-bit and 64-bit installation images. Things have changed now, as most users are using 64-bit version at present, Ubuntu has decided to provide only 64-bit ISOs for desktop. Although, some users are still using 32-bit version, they are generally running it on a 64-bit CPU.

1. Linux Kernel 4.13

Artful Aardvark is based on the Linux Kernel 4.13, and supports new IBM z14 mainframe CP Assist for Cryptographic Functions (CPACF) instruction and new Kernel based Virtual Machine (KVM) features.

Other Minor Changes

Instead of GNOME’s Onboard, the default on-screen keyboard is Caribou. The default web browser can now load Amazon app, and Calendar supports recurring events.

Read: What’s New In Python 3.7 | 10 Biggest Features and Changes

The Rhythmbox music player has been updated with alternate user interface. System Log is replaced by Logs, and Simple Scan is now part of core GNOME and has a new design and workflow.