Ubuntu 22.04 LTS Now Available For Download

[JMB9]

I am not impressed of this release in particular an and the state of Ubuntu/Canonical in general.
As I have expressed before on Phoronix the installer regressed heavily after 20.10 STS - I thought it is the new installer - but from the remark to my
bug report (classified the report as "invalid") was clear that it is the old one. So if they are working on a new one and targeted 22.04 LTS, why
did they ruin the current installer?

o Installer (22.04 experience was with Kubuntu beta imgage dating 18.04.2022 ... 3 day before the release date!):
- the partitions are no longer shown entirely - only the first few (21.04 and also 22.04 LTS)
- no longer a line to type to test keyboard setting - but only a layout which doesn't mean anything
- if DisplayPort and HDMI are connected, on the installer is not visible on the Display Port screen (21.04 STS after release)
- the installer crashed when looking an partitions (21.10 STS after release)
- I always used /dev/sda as boot loader device (and he looked for the efi partition there) - since 21.04 STS the installer crashes when using this default.
I was astonished that the partition the new Ubuntu gets freshly installed is ok - both choices cause the same warning, but only the 1st crashes the installer.
And without data or reason, as is given explicitly.

o Documentation:
- a document stating installer for 21.04 and 21.10 showed images of 20.10 or before
- the only installer manual found was for 20.04 LTS

o Snap:
- I have no problem if this is an option - but forcing this crap (not using system libraries, using sandboxing techniques not suitable for increasing security on the desktop but to destroy performance and causing trouble if it should interact with other disto programs - and flatpak is the pretty similar in that respect - just a stupid idea) is not ok.

o Bug Reports:
- My first bug report (12/2012) took time ... but it was addressed (a TeXLive problem concerning English language and A4 paper format).
- All bug reports thereafter caused no real action - and no positive change ... so just a waste of time on my side.
- And the last one for the installer of 22.04 LTS was even labeled "invalid" and I was asked to send in all installer problems separately (would have laughed if this would have been demanded by IBM, HP or Sun).
* Testers are normally paid - and showing this kind of disrespect is not ok. And hinting to volunteers dealing with this bug reports is just crazy - at least concerning an LTS release!

o Quality (package management / PPAs / HW support):
- There had been several releases were the dependencies were wrong (after release - even after xx.04.1 release - causing to select X.org and other
decisive components for deletion - no joke!). And yes, I am installing a lot of packages - but in former times this caused no problem at all.
- They deliberately spoiled their kernel PPA as 5.11.16 (26. May 2021) was the last kernel to be installer under 18.04 LTS or 20.04 LTS - both still maintained,
due to problems with dependencies.
- They use LTS kernel for 20.04 LTS as well as 22.04 LTS - which are really ancient - if you have new HW. I needed 20.04.2 to use my Navi 10 without having
to use Kernel PPA (at least it worked at the beginning ... cough) and Mesa PPA to have a stable and performant system.
I tried to reach out - even Shuttleworth - to switch to a rolling base of kernel and mesa - as from my experience this causes no problem at all (.1 mesa and .3 linux
would be on the safe side - so a real HWE support) - but it seems only IoT and such stuff do matter today - the desktop is a burden and the approach to stop delivering
32 bit libs with 20.04 LTS (and stop gaming support) was not just thinking - it was a test how far one can go with reducing support.

From my point of view the quality of Ubuntu gets similar to Windows ... I am not used that a GNU/Linux system can crash - and the same is true for programs under it.

If Ubuntu works for you - I am happy ... but I will have to look for alternatives at it definitively does not work without enormous additional work for me - and I may be switching to Debian ...
Maybe KDE neon due in several months (after .1 is released) can fix some of those things deliberately broken by Canonical/Ubuntu.
Especially as the KDE neon (rolling KDE stack on 20.04.1+ LTS) was really stable and caused no problems I could spot.

[Melcar]

As an ex-Kubuntu user I can't agree. There were always some problems while KDE worked fine everywhere else. It could be old Qt version shipped with Kubuntu. However, I switched to Gnome (generic, not Ubuntu mod) and really like it.

Yeah. KDE in Kubuntu always seems to have weird quirks that are not in other distros. Some get ironed out as a particular release matures but not always. I find it better to always use the Kubuntu backports ppa to get KDE fixes and updates, which makes the desktop far more usable and stable.

[ms178]

I have also seen some weird issues with their installer as of late - especially when trying Kubuntu. I need to re-check if that is still an issue. Their old installer at least handled mdraid properly, something Calamares-based distros still lack in 2022 despite me filing a bug report about it four years ago.

Also I wonder why we haven't seen an x86-64-v3 spin yet (but that also applies to most other distros).

[Slithery]

Meh.
My last Ubuntu version was 8.04 before I switched to Arch and never looked back.

[Slithery]

Package dependency error?
Pacman (Arch): Fails immediately unless you pass -dd. Nice.

Logs please?

The Arch install on my current system is 11 years old and has moved hardware several times. I've never once had pacman fail on me...

[tildearrow]

Logs please?

The Arch install on my current system is 11 years old and has moved hardware several times. I've never once had pacman fail on me...

Clarified.

Also, what I meant is that Pacman exits gracefully as soon as a dependency error is found when installing/removing a package, unlike APT which breaks the system when that happens.

[rclark]

I've been on KUbuntu for quite awhile now. When Mint (Cinnamon) didn't support the brand new Ryzen line back when, I moved to the latest Ubuntu which did support the new processor line. I'd been using LXDE as the DE on Ubuntu at first which I liked. Can't stand Gnome. But, I then decided to kick KDE's wheels again as KDE had been a favorite back before KDE 4.0. Anyway, I was impressed on how far they had progressed and stuck with it ever since. Once the 20.04 LTS version was released I just stayed on that for all my systems. For 'me' I can't complain as the systems have been very solid. I've got several laptops on KUbuntu, a server, and two desktops. Nary a problem that is worth speaking about. Ever have my dad (in his 80s) using KUbuntu on his laptop without a complaint. The only 'grumble' I had was the default menu, but then I found I could switch the default to the Application Menu and that dislike went away. I've not had a system fault in any of the systems. I am liking it.

I just upgraded my workstation from 20.04 to 22.04 last night. Leaving the other desktop alone for the time being. That went off without a hitch. I checked all my 'usual' applications and they ran fine. Tested the printers and they worked. Checked access to the network server and that was still there. VLC worked, sound worked, video in Firefox worked. No problems at this time. I'll wait awhile longer though before upgrading the other systems just on the safe side.

Only two things I found that I don't really care for with 22.04. Firefox went to a snap package. On my Ryzen 5900X workstation, it takes awhile for it to come up the first time. Once available for use it seems normal for use. But ironically there in no 'snap' in pulling up that application anymore! . Snaps aren't living up to the name! Even cached it seems slow when you invoke it again. The other thing is what is with these 'flat' black/white very ugly icons in some applications? When I brought up the new LibreOffice (nothing to do with Ubuntu) they have went away from the nice colored tool bar icons! Huh?? I saw that with notepad++ too in Windows at work (but I can change it back there). Whoever though those up should get a kick in the pants....

Anyway, the point is, I am satisfied with Ubuntu in general. Linux is linux after all. I found that bouncing between distros in the early days. I can run any of the apps I want. All development tools are all available at my finger tips from assembly to Rust as well as my favorite editors/ides. Even cobol/Fortran/ada is there if I want to get old school. I can spend more time working than fiddling. Suits me!

Also I use PI OS on the RPIs and that is Debian based. That has been solid too. Again Linux is Linux.

[TemplarGR]

Meh.
My last Ubuntu version was 8.04 before I switched to Arch and never looked back.

Likewise. I still download the latest Ubuntu version, as an additional back-up/system restore tool, just for the live usb, but other than that, i don't care about it.

[Nth_man]

Good. I love LTS versions and I use them exclusively since 12.04. I think it was the year I decided I would no longer be a beta tester. Of course I will wait for 22.04.1 before I even try it. And Kubuntu because I like stable functional workflows and being a gnome user is even worse than being beta tester.

Agreed. Kubuntu works for me in all my computers, it even has technical support available (even if I have never used it, though it's important that your boss knows that you can have support), huge amounts of software in case I need something, backports PPA, Kubuntu comes preinstalled in several laptops, etc.

[Vermilion]

During the Ubuntu 22.04 LTS press briefing, Mark Shuttleworth also indicated he is looking at a possible IPO for Canonical in 2023.

I wonder what the implication of this would be on the long run. More cloud and server stuff for sure, but what about the desktop.. does it even generate revenue?