Brief: This is a continually updated article to tell you about Ubuntu 17.10 release schedule, Ubuntu 17.10 features and other news associated with it.
Stop wondering! Ubuntu 17.10 codename is indirectly revealed. It will be called Artful Aardvark.
Most Ubuntu users, if not all, know the logic behind the codename and versioning of Ubuntu releases. All Ubuntu releases are codenamed with two words, both starting with the same letter.
The first word of the codename is an adjective and the second word is usually an endangered species and sometimes mythical characters.
One more interesting fact is that these code names are in incremental order. So if Ubuntu 16.04 was called Xenial Xerus, the next releases 16.10 was codenamed Yakkety Yak (Y after X).
Last release Ubuntu 17.04 had the codename Zesty Zapus. This left people wondering about the next release’s codename. Quite obviously it had to be something with starting with A as we go back to the beginning of the alphabet.
Ubuntu 17.10 is called Artful Aardvark
Unlike previous times, there has been no official announcement of the codename on Ubuntu’s founder Mark Shuttleworth’s blog. However, the new codename has been spotted on this launchpad page.
A new repository has been created in the same name to begin the development process. So it is safe to say that the codename of Ubuntu 17.10 is Artful Aardvark.
Now let’s take a deeper look at codename. I guess you already know that artful means full of art or skill. However, there are greater chances that you don’t know what Aardvark is. At least I didn’t know it.
As per Wikipedia, Aardvark is a “medium-sized, burrowing, nocturnal mammal native to Africa”. Colloquially, it is called African Ant Eater.
Ubuntu 17.10 Release Schedule
Ubuntu 17.10 release schedule is out now. The final stable version of Ubuntu 17.10 will be released on October 19, 2017. The complete release schedule of Ubuntu 17.10 as follows:
- Alpha 1 — June 29th
- Alpha 2 — July 27th
- Feature Freeze — August 24th
- Beta 1 — August 31st
- Final Beta — September 28th
- Kernel Freeze — October 5th
- Release Candidate — October 12th
- Ubuntu 17.10 final release — October 19th
Ubuntu 17.10 is a short term release and will be supported for nine months. Which means that n July 2018, you must upgrade to a newer version or else you won’t get system updates.
New features in Ubuntu 17.10
Since development on Ubuntu 17.10 has just been started, I’ll keep on updating this article with all the major developments around the upcoming version. So far, here are the changes coming to Ubuntu 17.10:
1. Ubuntu switches to Wayland with 17.10
You already know that Ubuntu has stopped the projects around Ubuntu Phone. This impacts Unity and Mir. While Mir display server might not be discontinued as it will be used for the IoT-related projects, Mir is not going to be used for the desktop version.
Since most Linux distributions are ditching the decades-old X.Org display server, Wayland is the only option remaining for Ubuntu after Mir.
2. GNOME by default
There are rumors that Ubuntu 17.10 might already switch to GNOME as default desktop environment. Which makes sense if you ask me. Ubuntu 18.04 is a long term support release and switching to
Ubuntu 18.04 is a long term support (LTS) release and trying something new on LTS is best avoided.
I’ll be updating this page with more details about Ubuntu 17.10 features and other development news as they occur. Keep watching this page.