Ubuntu Linux 19.10 released: New Features and Download

Ubuntu Linux 19.10 released and will be supported for nine months till July 2020. It is codenamed as Eoan Ermine. The newer release comes with updated Linux kernel 5.3.x, NVIDIA drivers for gaming or AI programming, ZFS on root, OpenStack Train, and more. Let us see what’s new in Ubuntu 19.10 and how to upgrade 19.04 to 19.10 using the command-line options.

What’s new in Ubuntu Linux 19.10?

The default Ubuntu desktop based upon Gnome

Let us quickly look into Ubuntu Linux 19.10 features.

Linux kernel 5.3

Ubuntu 19.10 comes with Linux kernel version 5.3.xx. The latest kernel is very useful for cutting edge hardware and WiFi devices. Improved support includes:
Support for Intel WiFi 6 AX200

• AMD Navi GPUs
• New ARM SoCs
• ARM Komeda display
• Intel Speed Select on Xeon servers
• Improved boot speed due to lz4 kernel compression algorithm

ZFS on root

ZFS is a file system and logical volume manager created by Sun Microsystems. One can create the ZFS file system directly from the installer. It is an experimental feature. Hence, not recommended for production use.

GNOME Desktop version 3.34

The latest and cutting edge GNOME v3.34 includes many bug fixes. I kind of love with a new theme called Yaru with dark variants and lower CPU usage.

One can easily see better wifi and wallpaper settings, too, in the control panel. See GNOME release note here for more information.

NVIDIA in the ISO

That is right. No more waiting. You can directly install NVIDIA driver during Ubuntu 19.10 installation without an Internet connection.

Is Ubuntu 19.10 a LTS release?

No. If you need Long Term Support (LTS), it is recommended you use Ubuntu Linux 18.04 LTS instead.

Support for Raspberry Pi 4

Raspberry Pi 4 support is now part of the default installer including flavors of the Raspberry Pi family of devices such as RPi3/2 and more.

Updated Ubuntu 19.10 apps

Newer and better software support for the development of cool apps on Ubuntu Linux 19.10:

Please note that Ubuntu 19.10 comes default hardening enabled in the GNU GCC compiler. Now you have support for both stack clash protection and control-flow integrity protection for all packages in main repo with a few exceptions.

How do I update from Ubuntu 19.04 to 19.10?

Make sure you backup all relevant data. Next, update the system using the following apt command or apt-get command:
sudo apt update
sudo apt upgrade
Reboot the Linux system if new Linux kernel update installed on your system:
sudo reboot
Next, install the update-manager-core package:
sudo apt install update-manager-core
Please make sure the Prompt line in /etc/update-manager/release-upgrades is set to Prompt=normal. Veriy with help of grep command/cat command:
grep 'Prompt=' /etc/update-manager/release-upgrades
cat /etc/update-manager/release-upgrades
Sample outputs:

# Default behavior for the release upgrader.
 
[DEFAULT]
# Default prompting and upgrade behavior, valid options:
#
#  never  - Never check for, or allow upgrading to, a new release.
#  normal - Check to see if a new release is available.  If more than one new
#           release is found, the release upgrader will attempt to upgrade to
#           the supported release that immediately succeeds the
#           currently-running release.
#  lts    - Check to see if a new LTS release is available.  The upgrader
#           will attempt to upgrade to the first LTS release available after
#           the currently-running one.  Note that if this option is used and
#           the currently-running release is not itself an LTS release the
#           upgrader will assume prompt was meant to be normal.
Prompt=normal

# Default behavior for the release upgrader. [DEFAULT]
# Default prompting and upgrade behavior, valid options:
#
# never – Never check for, or allow upgrading to, a new release.
# normal – Check to see if a new release is available. If more than one new
# release is found, the release upgrader will attempt to upgrade to
# the supported release that immediately succeeds the
# currently-running release.
# lts – Check to see if a new LTS release is available. The upgrader
# will attempt to upgrade to the first LTS release available after
# the currently-running one. Note that if this option is used and
# the currently-running release is not itself an LTS release the
# upgrader will assume prompt was meant to be normal.
Prompt=normal

Now everything is ready. Hence, launch the upgrade tool with the command and follow the on-screen instructions:
sudo do-release-upgrade -d
Reboot the system and check Ubuntu version:
lsb_release -a
cat /etc/os-release
Sample outputs:

NAME="Ubuntu"
VERSION="19.10 (Eoan Ermine)"
ID=ubuntu
ID_LIKE=debian
PRETTY_NAME="Ubuntu 19.10"
VERSION_ID="19.10"
HOME_URL="https://www.ubuntu.com/"
SUPPORT_URL="https://help.ubuntu.com/"
BUG_REPORT_URL="https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/"
PRIVACY_POLICY_URL="https://www.ubuntu.com/legal/terms-and-policies/privacy-policy"
VERSION_CODENAME=eoan
UBUNTU_CODENAME=eoan

NAME=”Ubuntu”
VERSION=”19.10 (Eoan Ermine)”
ID=ubuntu
ID_LIKE=debian
PRETTY_NAME=”Ubuntu 19.10″
VERSION_ID=”19.10″
HOME_URL=”https://www.ubuntu.com/”
SUPPORT_URL=”https://help.ubuntu.com/”
BUG_REPORT_URL=”https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/”
PRIVACY_POLICY_URL=”https://www.ubuntu.com/legal/terms-and-policies/privacy-policy”
VERSION_CODENAME=eoan
UBUNTU_CODENAME=eoan

Download Ubuntu Linux 19.10 DVD/ISO images

Ubuntu provides all packages on live images:

1. Desktop and Server for AMD64[desktop 2.3G|server 843M]
2. Cloud images (used for KVM or EC2 server)[490M]
3. Netboot (network booting and installation over the Internet)
4. See release note here for other download options

Conclusion

Ubuntu Linux 19.10 is a notable upgrade that ships with much-updated software that developers like to build web apps, container workloads, AI/MI programming, or gaming using NVIDIA GPU. The desktop provides a pleasant experience and could be a great addition to newly announced XPS 13 or Thinkpad T or X series laptops. I am using it and loving it. Go for it.