Xubuntu Development Update October 2022

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In September, Xubuntu 22.10 Beta was released, various bugs were fixed, and our issue trackers received a powerful update.

Xubuntu 22.10 Beta

Xubuntu 22.10 “Kinetic Kudu” Beta (download, release notes) was released on Thursday, September 29. It features the latest Xfce 4.17, GNOME 43, and MATE 1.26 updates. Xfce 4.17, the development series for the upcoming Xfce 4.18 release, includes many improvements and new features. Many of our GNOME 43 components are now using GTK4 and libadwaita. MATE 1.26 is still the same as in Xubuntu 22.04.

On the surface, little has changed in Xubuntu 22.10. However, if you dig deeper, almost every app and component has meaningful updates and improvements.

For those wondering, the Xubuntu 22.10 wallpaper is still in development, with an update expected early in October.

22.10 September Package Updates

As we move toward the October release of Xubuntu 22.10, package updates are slowing down. Nevertheless, there were still a few notable updates.  

xubuntu-artwork (22.10)

The 22.10 update of xubuntu-artwork restored the missing Xubuntu Light and Dark (LP: #1986935) editor themes. These themes were lost with Mousepad’s update to GtkSourceView 4. With the updated xubuntu-artwork package, these themes are again available for any standard GTK text editor, including Gedit, Pluma, and others.

The Xubuntu Light and Dark editor themes complement the Greybird and Greybird-dark GTK themes.

xubuntu-default-settings (22.10.1)

xubuntu-default-settings versions 22.10 and 22.10.1 include a handful of improvements. Support has been added for picom, an alternative compositor for X and fork of the popular compton. The Noto fonts can now be removed without uninstalling xubuntu-default-settings (LP: #1891714). Additionally, URL handling in xfce4-appfinder has been fixed (LP: #1892651).

xfce4-notifyd (0.6.4-1ubuntu1)

xfce4-notifyd 0.6.4 features a range of bug fixes and usability improvements. Improved application icon and name matching make it easier to manage your notifications. Notification positions are now correctly reset during slideout. Xubuntu also includes an upstream patch to fix a segfault under certain conditions (!30).

xfce4-pulseaudio-plugin (0.4.5-0ubuntu1)

The latest version of xfce4-pulseaudio-plugin, 0.4.5, further refines audio support in Xubuntu. The recording indicator will now flicker less frequently and no longer be shown while making changes in pavucontrol. Notifications for microphone volume changes and when volume levels are at min/max values will now be displayed. Finally, menu positioning has been fixed when the panel is set to auto-hide.

GitHub Issues

In September, I continued expanding our GitHub issue trackers. Issues reported on Launchpad are synced to GitHub daily. With the improvements this month, comments and issue statuses are also synced. Finding, reviewing, and collaborating on issues is now easier than ever. New contributors can easily find something to work on.

Issues, comments, and status updates are now all synced from Launchpad.

These updates apply to Xubuntu’s own projects:

Shared projects have also been updated with the expanded issue sync and status tracking:

Ready to contribute?

Join us in making Xubuntu one of the best desktop Linux experiences around. If you’re looking for ways to get involved, check out the Get Involved page on the Xubuntu website.

If you appreciate these development updates, consider sponsoring my work on GitHub Sponsors, Patreon, or Ko-Fi. Pick your method or support one of the upstream projects on the Donate page.

Thanks for reading!