Ubuntu 19.10
Golly, a new Ubuntu release, and the last one before the LTS release in April 2020. Like all the other development (non-lts) versions, this ‘Eoan Ermine’ release brings a newer kernel (5.3) and drivers, new applications and new desktop tweaks.
The about-turn back to the Gnome desktop in Ubuntu 18.04 came with some teething problems; namely, performance was poor and many people ran into a nasty memory leak. That should all be fixed now, and Ermine packs the latest Gnome 3.34 desktop – well, most of it, anyway, as some components are still based on older versions. Users should see reduced latencies and CPU usage. Nvidia users will be pleased that the proprietary driver can now be installed during the install phase – just tick the proprietary drivers box when prompted.
Cosmetically, the Eoan update includes brighter UI elements (the login/lock backgrounds and calendar and status dropdowns), which will please people that found the dark grey menus a bit drab. If you want things to be even brighter, there’s a bright version of the Yaru theme that can be installed using GNOME
Tweaks. If you like the shadows and the night time, there’s also a dark Yaru theme. Removable devices now appear in the dock, which makes them easy to access. You can now add app folders to the Applications screen, which is great if, say, you use lots of text editors and want them all grouped in one place.
Brave users and fans of shiny things will be excited that the installer enables you to use the ‘next generation’ ZFS filesystem. This is considered experimental, so you shouldn’t use it on a production system, but if you have a huge disk and plan to work with huge files then it may be a useful option.
If you’re already running Ubuntu 19.04, you’ll have been offered the upgrade already. If not, fire up Ubuntu Software and update at your earliest convenience, as support for 19.04 will dry up in January 2020. If you’re already running the 18.04 LTS release, you probably want to stick with that, or possibly install 19.10 alongside it. The non-lts releases are development releases; they are tested thoroughly, just not as thoroughly as the LTSES. So while they probably won’t break your system, they probably will feature some quirky bugs.