Ubuntu 26.04 LTS (Resolute Raccoon) brings Linux kernel 7.0, GNOME 50, TPM‑encrypted installs, and Rust‑based sudo for a hardened, performance‑focused release. By John Britto.
Ubuntu 26.04 LTS builds on two years of development since the 24.04 cycle, delivering a feature‑rich LTS aimed at desktop users, developers, and server administrators. The kernel jumps to version 7.0, adding native support for Intel Panther Lake (Xe3) processors, NPU optimizations, full Xe2/Arc Battlemage graphics, and NVIDIA Dynamic Boost.
A real‑time kernel is now available in the main archive without Ubuntu Pro. GNOME 50 introduces HDR color management, grouped notifications, improved remote desktop/touch input, and new default apps (Showtime, Resources, Papers) while dropping legacy X11 sessions in favor of a Wayland‑only desktop (XWayland provides backward compatibility). The installer gains better wireless (Wi‑Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.4) handling and automated TPM encryption setup; dracut replaces initramfs‑tools, and APT 3.1 ships a faster dependency resolver.
Security is tightened: AppArmor now prompts for snap access to camera/mic/files, TPM 2.0‑based full‑disk encryption is enabled by default, sudo‑rs replaces the C sudo, and Livepatch extends to ARM64. Systemd moves to v259, removing cgroup v1 support and ending System V init script compatibility. Performance tweaks include optional x86‑64‑v3 packages (AVX2/BMI2/FMA) for Haswell‑plus CPUs, VA‑API video acceleration, and crash dumps enabled by default for better post‑failure diagnostics. Nice one!
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