Xubuntu 21.10 To Ship Some More GNOME Apps, Drops Pidgin

For those wondering what has been going on in the Xubuntu camp for this Xfce desktop spin of Ubuntu, a Xubuntu 21.10 development update was shared concerning package changes and other happenings.

Xubuntu continues progressing for those interested in an Xfce-based desktop experience while leveraging Ubuntu. New software additions for Xubuntu 21.10 include GNOME's Baobab disk usage analyzer, GNOME Disks, the Rhythmbox music player, and Xfce's Clipman clipboard management application.

Meanwhile Xubuntu 21.10 is dropping the Pidgin instant messenger client from its default application set. In acknowledging that chat services are becoming increasingly proprietary and Pidgin is no longer as popular as it once was, they have given it the boot from the default package selection but can still be installed from the archive for those interested.

Xubuntu 21.10 is also working on adding at least two new themes.

Meanwhile the Xubuntu developers (along with many in the open-source community) are hoping GIMP 3.0 will finally release soon. For now it means Xubuntu has to deal with having GTK2, GTK3, and GTK4 pre-installed with GIMP being their reason for still shipping GTK2.

See more via this Xubuntu 21.10 development update by developer Sean Davis.