Like sands through the hour glass, so are the releases of Ubuntu. The folks at Canonical push out a new version of the popular GNU/Linux distribution every six months, and the next one is scheduled to ship April 18th, 2019.

But if you want to get an early look, Ubuntu 19.04 beta is available for download starting today.

While Ubuntu 19.04 is a relatively minor release, it should include a number of bug fixes and performance enhancements. It’s also the first version of Ubuntu to use the recently-released Linux 5.0 kernel and the default Yaru theme has been updated with better-looking icons for third-party applications.

The main branch of Ubuntu uses the GNOME desktop environment and GNOME 3.32 is included in the latest version of the operating system. But there are also new images that feature alternate desktop environments including Kubuntu (KDE), Lubuntu (LXQt), Xubuntu (Xfce), Ubuntu MATE (MATE), Ubuntu Budgie (Budgie) and UbuntuKylin (for Chinese-language users).

There’s also a new build of Ubuntu Studio, which is a version of the operating system that comes pre-loaded with tools for audio, video, and image creation and editing. The team behind this project hit a bit of a rough patch earlier this month, but the issues seem to have been worked out and Ubuntu Studio will continue to be an official “flavor” of the operating system for the foreseeable future.

One thing to keep in mind about the Ubuntu 19.04 release is that since it’s not an LTS (Long Term Support) release, it’ll only officially be supported for 26 weeks. If you care more about ongoing support than the latest features, you may be better off sticking with Ubuntu 18.04 LTS for a little longer. That version of the operating system will be officially supported through early 2023.

Meanwhile, here’s the release schedule for the next few stable versions of Ubuntu:

  • Ubuntu 19.04 stable – April 18, 2019 (26 weeks support)
  • Ubuntu 19.10 – October, 2019 (26 weeks support)
  • Ubuntu 20.04 LTS – April, 2020 (5 years support)

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11 replies on “Ubuntu 19.04 Disco Dingo beta now available, stable release coming in April”

  1. I’d give it a spin, but without seeing it, id say MakuluLinux on Debian/Mint bleeding edge is gonna be tough to beat. And I bet it isnt even on most people’s radar, let alone Canonical.

  2. Alternative desktop environments, not alternate. The later means one the other, like alternating current. You can’t have many alternates, just one. You can have many alternatives.
    Sigh…. Basic school grammar again.

      1. I just checked with the Oxford English Dictionary, and as I suspected, definition 4 above is chiefly a North American usage. It would only be wrong if you were attempting to use the Queen’s English. 🙂

        1. Ascensor vs elevador, transporte vs transportación, Spanish is full of this “you are speaking wrong” too. Every nation tries to police their own language.

        2. Also option 4 is constituting an alternative. Only one, not many. The definition is in the singular.

  3. The date for Ubuntu 20.04 LTS is April 2020 (the versions numbers match the year and month).

  4. I usually stick to the LTS versions, in this case…18.04. Although…this 19.04 version seems like a huge improvement across the board. Everything, and I mean everything is running much smoother…and snappier. Quite pleased with what I’m seeing here.

    Thanks for posting this Brad.

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