1. GTK 2 support in 26.04 and beyond
2. Replacing Hexchat with a modern IRC client
3. Community wallpaper contest
4. SSH agent issues (help needed)
5. Confirming the Xubuntu 26.04 software stack
6. Important dates
7. How you can help

GTK 2 support in 26.04 and beyond

Debian plans to remove GTK 2 applications and supporting packages from the archive in 2027. In preparation of this, the Greybird and Numix GTK themes included in Xubuntu were updated to remove GTK 2 support late last year. Since 26.04 is an LTS release supported for three years, I’ve restored this support.

Xubuntu 26.04 will be the final LTS release to include support for GTK 2 applications. 26.10 or 27.04 are likely to be the final interim releases to include this support. If you want to continue using those applications, this is a great time to consider packaging those applications as Snap or Flatpak formats to ensure a stable runtime environment.

Replacing Hexchat with a modern IRC client

Hexchat has long been Xubuntu’s preferred IRC client, featuring a GTK-based interface, intuitive controls, and configuration support. Following the announcement of its final release in 2024, the application is no longer maintained and will not make the switch to GTK 3 or newer. As a GTK 2 application, it is also subject to be removed from Debian and Ubuntu in the coming months.

I’ve spent some time testing alternative applications, but none meet Xubuntu’s requirements:

1. Use a supported toolkit, preferably GTK (or Flutter)
2. Support configuration in advance; Xubuntu configures Hexchat to connect to #xubuntu on LiberaChat for support
3. Support graphical configuration, so users can easily adapt the app to their needs

Failing to identify a replacement IRC client, Xubuntu 26.04 will continue to ship Hexchat as our default IRC client. While it is unmaintained, it remains the gold standard for IRC apps and will support our LTS users for a few more years. Xubuntu 26.10 and later may switch to preconfigured links to KiwiIRC or IRCCloud, but this is not yet determined.

Community wallpaper contest

Following a long-running tradition (then broken in 24.04, whoops), Xubuntu will be hosting a community wallpaper contest later this month. Winners of the wallpaper contest will be included in Xubuntu 26.04. More details will be coming soon on the Xubuntu website. To see the results of the previous contest, check out this post from 2022.

SSH agent issues

Xubuntu 25.10 made development a smidge more annoying. The feature that enabled SSH keys to automatically unlock with your user session no longer works. The issue is tracked on LP: #2125549 and seems to be related to the migration from gnome-keyring to gcr4. So far, my research has turned up no quality leads. If you know how to restore the previous functionality, I’d love to hear from you!

Confirming the 26.04 software stack

Over on Mastodon, I was asked what version of Xfce will be shipped with Xubuntu 26.04. Great question! I can elaborate further on the expected software stack:

• GNOME 50 (Document Scanner, Disks, other utilities and games)
• MATE 1.28 (Finally! Archive Manager, Calculator, Document Viewer)
• Xfce 4.20 (Core desktop and applications)

Xubuntu 26.04 will not feature a Wayland session using labwc or the newly-announced xfwl.

Important dates

The first half of the 26.04 development cycle is already behind us. Here are the key dates to note in the final half.

• February 19: Feature Freeze
• March 12: User Interface Freeze
• March 23: Beta Freeze
• March 26: Beta Release
• April 16: Final Freeze
• April 23: Final Release

How you can help

Most Xubuntu users stick to the LTS releases, so 26.04 is an important release to get right. If you want to help, here’s how you can get started:

• Download the daily build and install it in a virtual machine or a spare machine you don’t mind breaking.
• If you find an issue, report it! If you have a Launchpad account, it’s easiest to use the terminal command: ubuntu-bug yourpackagename (e.g., ubuntu-bug catfish). Otherwise, if you have a GitHub account, use our bug reporting link.
• If you think you can fix an issue, please do! Join the #xubuntu-devel channel on LiberaChat to speak with the development team.

What are you looking forward to in Xubuntu 26.04? What would you like to see from Xubuntu in the next few years? Leave a comment and kick off the discussion below.

Xubuntu 25.10, codenamed “Questing Quokka,” is the fortieth release of the Xfce-powered Ubuntu flavor. Built on the 6.17 Linux kernel, Xfce 4.20, MATE 1.26, and GNOME 49, this release continues to deliver the fast, tightly-integrated, and user-friendly experience that Xubuntu users expect, even on modest hardware.

Today, I’ll explore where Xubuntu stands as it approaches its twentieth anniversary and share what’s new (and what’s still rough around the edges) in this release.

A Critical Juncture

The “Questing Quokka” arrives at a pivotal time in Xubuntu’s history. In just six months, we’ll celebrate Xubuntu’s twentieth anniversary (technically eight months: 6.06 marks the only time Ubuntu was released in June).

In recent years, our small development team has faced the same challenges as many open-source projects: contributors stepping back, real-world responsibilities growing, and less time to dedicate to day-to-day development.

Beyond that, our involvement with the upstream Xfce project has slowed. Many of us, myself included, once played major roles in shaping Xfce’s direction, contributing countless hours to its design, code, and outreach. Those efforts helped establish the strong foundation Xfce enjoys today.

While we remain proud supporters and collaborators, Xubuntu’s continued growth depends on fresh energy and new contributors. If you’ve ever wanted to make a tangible impact on an open-source desktop environment, this is your moment. Visit the Get Involved page to learn how to help with artwork, development, documentation, QA, marketing, and more.

Now, let’s look at what’s new (and what still needs work) in 25.10.

Xubuntu 25.10: A Snapshot of the Future

As mentioned, Xubuntu 25.10 ships with Xfce 4.20, GNOME 49, and MATE 1.26. Like other Ubuntu flavors, it also introduces the new Rust-based sudo-rs.

If you’re upgrading from Xubuntu 25.04, you’ll find the experience familiar. Most applications have received incremental updates, theming remains consistent, and there are few new user-facing features. The most noticeable changes this cycle? The bugs. 🐛

Known Issues (and What to Expect)

libadwaita Apps and the Case of the Missing Close Button

Late in the cycle, we discovered that several GNOME and libadwaita-based apps have empty window close buttons when using the elementary-xfce icon theme. This affects Disk Usage Analyzer (baobab), Document Scanner (simple-scan), Fonts (gnome-font-viewer), Mines (gnome-mines), and Sudoku (gnome-sudoku).

Missing Icon for Document Scanner’s Scan Options

The Scan Options menu icon in Document Scanner is currently invisible. This issue has been reported upstream to the elementary-xfce GitHub tracker.

Flatpak Packages Cannot Be Installed

Due to a Fuse/AppArmor conflict in Ubuntu 25.10, installing Flatpak packages currently fails. Work is underway to resolve this, and Flatpak support should return soon.

Graphical SSH Agent Unavailable

Xubuntu 25.10’s graphical SSH agent isn’t functioning as expected. Without it, SSH key passphrases must be entered each time. Investigation continues, and a fix may land before the next release.

Double Network Icons (Sometimes)

Some users may see duplicate network icons, especially in virtual machines. One appears via the Xfce Indicator Plugin and the other via the Systray Plugin. Removing the Indicator Plugin resolves this… something we’re considering doing by default for 26.04.

Screensaver Wallpaper Discrepancy

When first locking your screen, you might notice that the lock screen wallpaper defaults to Xfce’s background instead of Xubuntu’s. Changing (and reapplying) your wallpaper fixes the mismatch.

Looking Ahead

At first glance, Xubuntu 25.10 might seem rough around the edges: more bugs than usual, fewer active contributors, and an LTS release on the horizon. But known issues are solvable issues. With six months until 26.04, we have time to address these challenges, polish the experience, and deliver a release worthy of Xubuntu’s twentieth anniversary.

If you want to help shape that milestone release—whether through code, documentation, design, or outreach—please reach out. Everyone can participate in the Xubuntu community on many levels, from simply giving advice to fellow users to becoming a maintainer of core packages. Any contribution, even the smallest, is valued. Visit xubuntu.org/contribute/ to get involved.

Together, we can ensure Xubuntu continues to thrive for another twenty years.

Why the move?
Let’s be frank: the free software and Linux world has grown more challenging in recent years. New developer interest has slowed, and many of us who were once very active have found our contributions slowing too, myself included. Life and work keep moving forward, and priorities shift.

bluesabre.org was my home for years—a place for updates on Xubuntu, Xfce, and my open-source projects. But over time, I realized I wanted a new space that goes beyond technical updates. A space that reflects my role as a developer today: not just writing code, but sharing ideas, supporting others, and fostering a community I still believe in.

seand.xyz is that space: more personal and direct, with room to explore topics like leadership, collaboration, and how we can help each other succeed. It’s a chance to share more than release notes—to reignite my passion for building and grow new interest in Linux development.

On seand.xyz, you’ll find:

• My ongoing work with Xubuntu and Xfce
• Thoughts on being a developer and nurturing inclusive communities
• Updates on tools and resources I’m creating or refining
• A place to connect, learn, and share more frequently and directly

Stay connected
If you’re interested in my work or these topics, subscribe to the RSS feed to get updates in your favorite reader.

Thank you
Thank you to everyone who has followed and supported me over the years. Your encouragement and conversations have shaped this journey and continue to inspire me to build and share.

Thanks for being part of this—I’m excited for what’s next!

February Schedule

The Plucky Puffin Release Schedule for February includes Feature Freeze on the 20th and an optional testing week at the end of the month. It also features the next point release for Xubuntu 24.04 “Noble Numbat”.

Major Package Updates in Xubuntu 24.04.2

Xubuntu 24.04.2 was released on Thursday, February 20, 2025. It features a modest set of changes in addition to the 6.11 Linux kernel and updated graphics stack. xfce4-panel 4.18.4-1ubuntu0.1 features a fix for the crash-on-exit bug that plagued users with unexplainable error notifications (LP: #2064846).

Changes from Xubuntu 24.04.1 to 24.04.2

Major Package Updates in Xubuntu 25.04

There was a flurry of upload activity in the lead up to the 25.04 Feature Freeze. GIMP 3.0.0 was bumped from RC2 to RC3. The Linux kernel was updated from 6.11.0 to 6.12.0. A handful of Xfce components also saw new releases to further stabilize Xubuntu’s base. For more information on the progress of Xubuntu 25.04, check out the following links:

• Changes from January 1 to February 22
• December Update
• January Update

In the interest of keeping this post short, I’m only going to dive into Xubuntu’s package updates…

xubuntu-default-settings 25.04.1

xubuntu-default-settings 25.04.1 includes a minor improvement: The gtk-print-preview-command setting has been correctly associated with Atril (LP: #2025332). Will Thompson’s Evince, Flatpak, and GTK print previews provides more context on this feature:

GTK provides API for applications to print documents. This presents the user with a print dialog, with many knobs to control how your document will be printed. That dialog has a Preview button; when you press it, the dialog vanishes and another one appears, showing a preview of your document. You can press Print on that dialog to print the document, or close it to cancel.

xubuntu-meta 2.266

xubuntu-meta 2.266 adds support for the riscv64 architecture (LP: #2092942)! Similar to the arm achitectures, this isn’t supported by the Xubuntu team and you won’t find downloadable ISOs. Instead, this enables package builds so the xubuntu-desktop metapackage will be found on the riscv64 archives. If you put in the effort, you should now be able to get Xubuntu up and running on your riscv hardware. Let me know if you do!

The 25.04 To-Do List

The Xubuntu 25.04 project board lists many outstanding tasks that we’d like to review this cycle. If you’d like to contribute to Xubuntu, pick a task and get to work. :) There are many other ways to contribute to Xubuntu listed on our website.

Xubuntu development marches steadily onward!

January Schedule

The Plucky Puffin Release Schedule for January is… well, it’s blank. But that’s okay. Xfce 4.20 was released last month, and Debian packages are being built and uploaded as new releases are published. January is a time for early testing and integration improvements.

Major Package Updates in Xubuntu 25.04

The Plucky Puffin is continuing to take shape. The arrival of Xfce 4.20 in December brought a new stable Xfce desktop environment to Xubuntu. Packaging updates are still in progress on Debian and will sync to Xubuntu over the next few weeks. GIMP 3.0.0 RC2 refreshes the powerful image editing app to support GTK3 and other modern technologies. For other package updates, see last month’s December Update.

exo 4.20.0

Exo 4.20.0 patches bugs and memory leaks, boosts performance, and improves usability with two new features. The ExoTreeView component adds a new Ctrl+Shift+Click gesture to add a range of files to the current selection (#116). The second feature improves integration with other applications by communicating files created by the exo-desktop-item-edit utility (e4c86e84).

thunar 4.20.0

Thunar 4.20.0 fixes several memory leaks and bugs, makes various appearance improvements, and adds a variety of small, useful features. Regressions for middle click (#1455) and admin:// protocol support have been fixed. Optional CSD support has been added to the preferences dialog. A view switcher element has been added to the toolbar. Emblems have been added to mount points, similar to Nautilus, Caja, and Nemo (#1388). The replace dialog now shows the name of the parent folder (#62). Various improvements have been made to dialogs to ensure they’re reasonably sized (#58, #1392, #1412). Many other improvements and features can be found in the release notes!

xfce4-panel 4.20.0

Xfce Panel 4.20.0 fixes memory leaks, makes numerous improvements to Wayland support, fixes several bugs, and adds some new features! The panel adds a border width option and per-panel CSS customization. The clock plugin adds support for a 24-hour analog clock and improves the layout of the LCD and digital clock modes. The showdesktop plugin adds an option to reveal the desktop on mouse hover. The Systray plugin now always scales icons and updates the preferences dialog with improved search and smaller icon sizes. The tasklist plugin fixes button sizing and respects user icon size preferences. The panel preferences dialog features improved usability with keyboard bindings and allowing multiple applets to be removed at once.

xfdesktop 4.20.0

Xfdesktop 4.20.0 fixes several memory leaks, introduces new Xfce wallpapers, and adds some new features. Folders can now be sorted before files (#332). The icon sorting confirmation dialog can now be disabled (#266). Icon labels now have customizable text and background colors. Options have been added to the Window List Menu to show all workspaces and urgent windows from other workspaces. Editable keyboard shortcuts have been added to the desktop and icons.

There is a known issue with Xfdesktop 4.20.0 showing the Xfce default wallpaper instead of Xubuntu’s (#364). This won’t be resolved upstream and will require workarounds by the Xubuntu team. This should be resolved before Xubuntu 25.04 is released in April.

The 25.04 To-Do List

The Xubuntu 25.04 project board lists many outstanding tasks that we’d like to review this cycle. If you’d like to contribute to Xubuntu, pick a task and get to work. :) There are many other ways to contribute to Xubuntu listed on our website.

Look forward to many more updates in January!

December Schedule

The Plucky Puffin Release Schedule for December is a quiet one. We’re still early in the development cycle, and the archive is in constant flux as Debian packages are synced to Ubuntu. The biggest update to anticipate is the arrival of Xfce 4.20, expected on December 15.

Major Package Updates in Xubuntu 25.04

The Plucky Puffin currently features a modest set of changes. Updates to elementary-xfce refresh the desktop experience, while modifications to the Xubuntu metapackage improve image support and expand support VPN options.

The truncated list of important Xubuntu 25.04 package updates to date.

elementary-xfce-icon-theme 0.20

elementary-xfce 0.20 expands mime type support, adding more file types and programming icons including Crystal, Dart, Julia, and Scala. Additional actions are now supported, ensuring consistent icons in more applications. New and updated application icons expand the constantly evolving elementary icon theme to more of the Xfce desktop. Many more updates can be found on the 0.20 release page.

mousepad 0.6.3

Mousepad 0.6.3 adds support for the GVfs admin backend (admin://) and increases stability with a handful of bug fixes.

xfce4-dict 0.8.8

Xfce Dictionary 0.8.8 fixes a freeze when switching between search modes, refreshes the panel plugin, and tidies up some old code.

xubuntu-default-settings 25.04.0

xubuntu-default-settings 25.04.0 replaces our xcape integration for binding the Super (Windows) key with a native keyboard shortcut (LP: #2084326). During the Xfce 4.20 development cycle, libxfce4ui added support for single modifier key shortcuts, enabling a better-supported and faster solution.

xubuntu-desktop 2.265

xubuntu-desktop 2.265 expands image format support for .heif and .webp files (LP: #2084324). It also expands the available VPN options to include OpenVPN (LP: #2057923), aligning with Ubuntu and Ubuntu MATE, among other flavors.

The 25.04 To-Do List

The Xubuntu 25.04 project board lists many outstanding tasks that we’d like to review this cycle. If you’d like to contribute to Xubuntu, pick a task and get to work. :) There are many other ways to contribute to Xubuntu listed on our website.

That’s it for now. Happy Holidays!

In the following article, I will share some highlights from the new release. For a more expansive changelog, see the Xubuntu 24.10 release notes on the Xubuntu Wiki.

Xfce 4.19: A Development Snapshot

Xfce 4.20 is scheduled to be released in two months. In just over two weeks, the first deadline (pre1) will initiate a feature and string freeze. Until that point, the developers are frantically working to finish new features and rapidly iterating new releases.

There are two updates common between components:

• Improved scaling
• Improved support for Wayland

Several apps and libraries have been updated with quality-of-life improvements:

• libxfce4ui adds support for single modifier key shortcuts; this enables e.g. the Super (Windows) key shortcut without a helper application like xcape
• Thunar File Manager (thunar) adds support for typeahead search on the sidebar and introduces support for IPv6 remote URLs
• Xfce App Finder (xfce4-appfinder) adds keyboard shortcuts for executing commands and navigating the results list
• Xfce Desktop (xfdesktop4) now dithers wallpaper gradients to reduce color banding
• Xfce Power Manager (xfce4-power-manager) adds support for handling events when the laptop lid is closed and improves the battery level icon, brightness level management, and inhibiting power management
• Xfce Session (xfce4-session) adds support for xdg-desktop-portal
• Xfce Settings (xfce4-settings) improves dark theme detection, syncing the dark or light style to supported applications, such as GNOME’s libadwaita apps

GNOME 47: Honing the Adwaita Style

Xubuntu ships a handful of GNOME apps to provide a complete desktop experience. Of those, Disk Usage Analyzer, Font Viewer, and Sudoku received some minor improvements.

• Disk Usage Analyzer (baobab) was ported to libadwaita, modernizing the user interface
• Font Viewer (gnome-font-viewer) adds a slant preview and fixes a bug where the “Install” button would stay stuck as “Installing” after the installation was complete
• Sudoku (gnome-sudoku) adds several keyboard shortcuts and a new zoom feature and improves support for dark mode

Snap Packages: Better Each Release

Snap packages, like them or hate them, are at home on Xubuntu. We ship App Center, Firefox, Firmware Updater, and Thunderbird snap packages; each have had substantial updates this release.

• App Center (snap-store) improves self-updates, identifies running packages, enables uninstallation of packages from the manage page, adds support for scrolling on touch screens, and finally supports installation of .deb packages
• Firmware Updater (firmware-updater) includes a handful of minor fixes and significantly expands translation coverage
• Firefox and Thunderbird have both shipped significant updates in recent months. I can’t do them justice in a few lines of text, but you can read their release notes ( Firefox, Thunderbird)

Check Out Xubuntu 24.10

Xubuntu 24.10 offers a glimpse at the future of Xfce and continues to modernize the desktop while making conservative improvements to the desktop experience. It’s a bit fresher but also less stable. If you want to take it for a ride, you can download an ISO from the Xubuntu website.

We hope you enjoy the Xubuntu team’s work to bring you the best Xfce experience. If you encounter bugs on your journey, report them! This is the only opportunity for many to try Xfce before the next stable release. It’s an excellent opportunity to catch bugs and ensure the next release is stable on day one. You can report bugs either to the Xubuntu team or upstream Xfce.

August Schedule

The Oracular Oriole Release Schedule for August includes two critical milestones. Feature Freeze locks in APIs and new packages so features can start to be tested and refined. Debian Import Freeze stops the automatic propagation of updated packages from Debian to Ubuntu. This means more work for the Xubuntu and other flavor teams to keep the two archives in sync.

Expanding the Community

The Xubuntu team has joined the other flavors in embracing Matrix and Discourse.

Matrix is a modern, open-source, decentralized communication platform similar to Telegram. Xubuntu now has a presence on the ubuntu.com homeserver and the Ubuntu Community space. We’re evaluating Matrix as an additional chat platform. Our primary space for communication and support is still IRC. Join the conversation on Matrix and help us make it successful!

Discourse is a modern, open-source forum system used by Ubuntu and its various flavors. Xubuntu was recently granted its topic for communication, which can be found here. We’ll utilize Discourse as another means to communicate announcements and discuss non-support-related topics. We’re new here, so help us make it great! If you want to reach the team or broader community, our main form of communication is still through the xubuntu-users and xubuntu-devel mailing lists.

Major Package Updates in Xubuntu 24.10

The Oracular Oriole features a first glimpse at the upcoming Xfce 4.20, thanks to the inclusion of several Xfce 4.19 packages. We’ve also updated a handful of Xfce 4.18 components (Catfish, Clipman, Mousepad, Ristretto, Screenshooter, and Xfburn) and other apps we ship. Thanks to Unit193, who has single-handedly carried Xubuntu development to this point in the cycle.

The truncated list of important Xubuntu 24.10 package updates.

The 24.10 To-Do List

Beyond our package updates, Xubuntu development is starting very slowly. Here’s where we stand:

• Update development PPAs to include Oracular builds
• Update repositories with Oracular branches
• Update Xubuntu artwork to the development (disassembled mouse) artwork
• Identify new features and improvements for 24.10
• Identify and fix bugs found in 24.04
• Make it easier to translate our new installer
• Review updates needed for Greybird and elementary-xfce
• Create new Xubuntu artwork for 24.10
• Test, test, test.

Looking for Volunteers

Xubuntu is a hobby project run entirely by a small team of volunteers who live busy lives. Our core team today looks roughly the same as it did ten years ago. When life gets busy or complicated (and the older we get, the more this happens), our productivity quickly disappears. Xubuntu has difficulty moving forward and addressing an ever-increasing list of known issues. If you’d like to help keep Xubuntu’s future looking bright, please join our community and help where you can. The opportunities are endless.

Thanks to everybody in the community for keeping Xubuntu afloat!

Has your favorite browser recently let you down or get on your nerves? Are sites not rendering correctly? Has the integrated AI nonsense gone too far? Or maybe your browser doesn’t innovate anymore and feels incredibly dated next to every other option? If this is you, maybe it’s time to try something different. Enter Vivaldi.

Read the rest on Medium…

Medium, my “everything else” blog

My blog at bluesabre.org is narrowly focused on FOSS-related news and reviews. If you’d like to engage with me about my other interests, join me on Medium! You’ll find how-tos, deep dives, and opinion pieces about the wider world.

In case you’re a regular Xubuntu user or somebody with a growing interest, I’ve documented the purpose and highlights for each updated graphical app below—except Firefox, Thunderbird, and LibreOffice (those apps deserve their own separate changelogs). Enjoy!

Xubuntu Updates

Known issues fixed since 23.04 “Lunar Lobster”

The following issues were reported in a previous release and are no longer reproducible in 23.10. Hooray!

• OEM installation uses the wrong slideshow (LP: # 1842047)
• Screensaver crashes shortly after unlocking (LP: # 2012795)
• Password required twice when switching users (LP: # 1874178)

Improved hardware support

• Bluetooth headphones are now better supported under PipeWire. We caught up with the other flavors and added the missing key package: libspa-0.2-bluetooth
• The Apple Magic Trackpad 2 and other modern touch input devices are now supported. We removed the conflicting and unsupported xserver-xorg-input-synaptics package to allow libinput to take control.

Appearance updates

• elementary-xfce 0.18 features numerous refreshed icons in addition to a handful of removed, deprecated icons.
• Greybird 3.23.3 is a minor update that delivers improved support for Gtk 3 and 4 applications.
• Color emoji are now supported and used in Firefox, Thunderbird, and Gtk 3/4 applications. To enter emoji on Gtk applications (such as Mousepad), use the Ctrl + . keyboard shortcut to show the emoji picker. Some text areas will also allow you to bring up the emoji picker from the right-click menu.
• When changing your Gtk (interface) theme, a matching Xfwm (window manager) theme is now automatically selected.
• Past Xubuntu wallpapers can now be easily installed from the repositories! Additionally, wallpapers from before the 22.10 release have been removed from the default installation.

GNOME Apps

Disk Usage Analyzer (44.0 to 45.0)

Disk Usage Analyzer (baobab) visually represents disk usage for local and remote volumes. The 45.0 release features the latest GNOME 45’s libadwaita widgets and design conventions.

Disks (44.0 to 45.0)

Disks(gnome-disk-utility) is an easy-to-use disk management utility that can inspect, format, partition, image, configure, and benchmark disks. Version45.0 received a minimal update, silencing some warnings thrown in the benchmark dialog.

Fonts (44.0 to 45.0)

Fonts (gnome-font-viewer) is a font management application that allows you to view installed fonts and install new ones for yourself or all computer users. Version 45.0 features a graphical refresh to the new GNOME 45 styles.

Software (44.0 to 45.0)

Software (gnome-software) allows you to find and install apps. It includes plugins for installing Debian, Snap, and Flatpak packages (Flatpak is not included in 23.10). The 45.0 release benefits from a number of bug fixes, performance improvements, and usability improvements. Flatpak users are now offered to clear app storage when removing an app.

Rhythmbox (3.4.6 to 3.4.7)

Rhythmbox is a music player, online radio, and music management application. The 3.4.7 update drops party mode and includes a handful of improvements. User-facing improvements include:

• Imported playlists will now retain the playlist file name
• Subscribing to a podcast will no longer cause the app to crash
• WMA-format audio files will now play automatically when clicked

Xfce Apps

Dictionary (0.8.4 to 0.8.5)

Dictionary (xfce4-dict) allows you to search dictionary services, including dictionary servers like dict.org, web servers in a browser, or local spell-check programs. Version 0.8.5 includes minor updates, including switching to symbolic icons, properly escaping markup in server information, and reducing unused code.

Mousepad (0.5.10 to 0.6.1)

Mousepad is an easy-to-use and fast text editor. The 0.6.1 release includes some useful updates. A new “match whole word” toggle has been added to the search toolbar. File modification state is now tracked more reliably. Multi-window sessions are now properly restored at startup. Improvements to the menu bar and search labels round out this release.

Notifications (0.7.3 to 0.8.2)

The Xfce Notify Daemon (xfce4-notifyd) enables sending application and system notifications in Xfce. Version 0.8.2 received a massive number of bug fixes in addition to some new features:

• “Mark All Read” button added to the settings and panel plugin
• Individual log entries can now be deleted or marked as read
• Option to show only unread notifications in the plugin menu
• Option to ignore app-specified notification timeouts

Power Manager (4.18.1 to 4.18.2)

Power Manager (xfce4-power-manager) manages the power settings of the computer, monitor, and connected devices. 4.18.2 includes syncing the lock-on-sleep setting with the Xfce Screensaver, fixes to a handful of memory management issues, and some stability improvements.

Ristretto (0.12.4 to 0.13.1)

Ristretto is a fast and lightweight image viewer for Xfce. The latest 0.13.1 release introduces a long-awaited feature: printing support! It also improves thumbnailing and looks better when scaling the UI beyond 1x.

Screensaver (4.16.0 to 4.18.2)

Screensaver (xfce4-screensaver) is a simple screen saver and locker app for Xfce. Version 4.18.2 fixes some crashes and memory management issues seen in Xubuntu 23.04, correctly integrates with LightDM (no more double password entry when switching users), and correctly inhibits sleep when expected. Screensaver works in conjunction with Power Manager to secure your desktop session.

Screenshooter (1.10.3 to 1.10.4)

Screenshooter (xfce4-screenshooter) captures your entire screen, an active window, or a selected region. The 1.10.4 update introduces support for AVIF and JPEG XL files, better handles unwritable directories, and remembers preferences between sessions.

Thunar (4.18.4 to 4.18.7)

Thunar is a fast and featureful file manager for Xfce. Version 4.18.7 fixes a number of bugs and performance issues, resulting in a more stable and responsive file manager.

Thunar Media Tags Plugin (0.3.0 to 0.4.0)

Thunar Media Tags Plugin extends Thunar’s support for media files, adding a tag-based bulk rename option, an audio tag editor, and an additional page to the file properties dialog. Version 0.4.0 received only minor updates, updating some backend libraries to newer versions.

Xfburn (0.6.2 to 0.7.0)

Xfburn is an easy-to-use disc-burning software for Xfce. Version 0.7.0 includes numerous usability bug fixes (missing icons, missing progress dialogs, multi-item selection) and adds supported MIME types to open blank and audio CDs from other apps.

Xfce Panel (4.18.2 to 4.18.4)

Xfce Panel (xfce4-panel) is a key component of the Xfce desktop environment, featuring application launchers and various useful plugins. The 4.18.4 release fixes memory management issues, improves icon scaling at different resolutions, and updates icons when their status changes (e.g., for symbolic colored icons).

Panel Profiles (1.0.13 to 1.0.14)

Panel Profiles (xfce4-panel-profiles) allows you to manage and share Xfce panel layouts. Version 1.0.14 introduces saving and restoring RC files, ensures unique and consistent profile and file names, and fixes file handling issues.

Panel Plugins

Clipman Plugin (1.6.2 to 1.6.4)

Clipman (xfce4-clipman-plugin) is a clipboard manager for Xfce. Once activated (it’s disabled by default in Xubuntu), it will automatically store your clipboard history for easy later retrieval. Version 1.6.4 improves memory management, polishes up the UX with the addition of some new icons and a better layout, and fixes icon display when the UI is scaled beyond 1x.

CPU Graph Plugin (1.2.7 to 1.2.8)

CPU Graph (xfce4-cpugraph-plugin) adds a graphical representation of your CPU load to the Xfce panel. Version 1.2.8 now displays detailed CPU load information and features an improved tooltip.

Indicator Plugin (2.4.1 to 2.4.2)

Indicator Plugin (xfce4-indicator-plugin) supports Ayatana indicators to the Xfce panel. While many applications have moved to the (also-supported) KStatusNotifierItem format, some older apps still utilize the classic indicator libraries. The 2.4.2 update sees the upstream panel plugin migrate to the Ayatana indicators, a patch that Xubuntu and Debian have carried for a while.

Mailwatch Plugin (1.3.0 to 1.3.1)

Mailwatch Plugin (xfce4-mailwatch-plugin) is a mailbox watching applet for the Xfce panel. The 1.3.1 release fixes blurry icons when using UI scaling, adds a new “View Log” menu item, and updates the log when an update is manually requested.

Netload Plugin (1.4.0 to 1.4.1)

Netload Plugin (xfce4-netload-plugin) shows your current network usage in the panel. The 1.4.1 update fixes some memory management issues, uses the correct units, and adds a new option to set the decimal precision (“digits number”).

PulseAudio Plugin (xfce4-pulseaudio-plugin 0.4.5 to 0.4.8)

PulseAudio Plugin (xfce4-pulseaudio-plugin) shows your current volume levels in the panel and makes it easy to adjust your volume, switch devices, and control media playback. Version 0.4.8 fixes a bug with changing devices, eliminates flickering in the microphone icon, adds scrolling to the microphone icon to adjust recording volume, and includes many other improvements for MPRIS and device handling. And yes, it works with PipeWire.

Verve Plugin (2.0.1 to 2.0.3)

Verve Plugin (xfce4-verve-plugin) is a command line plugin for the Xfce panel. It allows you to run commands, jump to folder locations, or open URLs in your browser. The 2.0.3 release features a port to PCRE2, better handling for focus-out events, and a fix for a crash when used with the panel’s autohide functionality.

Weather Plugin (0.11.0 to 0.11.1)

Weather Plugin (xfce4-weather-plugin) shows your local weather conditions on the panel. Click the panel icon to reveal your forecast for the next few days. Version 0.11.1 fixes a bug where the temperature would read as -0C, fixes logo and icon display with UI scaling beyond 1x, and makes configuration easier.

Whisker Menu Plugin (2.7.2 to 2.8.0)

Whisker Menu Plugin (xfce4-whiskermenu-plugin) is a modern application launcher for Xfce. While the standard menu is reminiscent of Windows 2000 and earlier, the Whisker Menu has features you’d find in Windows Vista or later. Version 2.8.0 fixes breakage with AccountsService, adds support for showing specific menu instances (when using multiple plugins in multiple panels), and adds support for showing the menu at the center of the screen.

Download Xubuntu 23.10

Ready to try Xubuntu 23.10? Well, we’re not ready for you to! However, if you want to test the Release Candidate (RC) image, you can find the download information and where to report your test results on iso.qa.ubuntu.com.

See you Thursday when this release is ready to roll!

Color Emoji Have Arrived

Font updates to the desktop-common seed on August 21 added the fonts-noto-color-emoji package to all Ubuntu flavors, including Xubuntu. This enables color emoji in any application using GTK 3 or 4. In case you want to learn more, I’ve previously written about color emoji in Xubuntu.

Fixed Support for Bluetooth Headphones

When we switched from PulseAudio to PipeWire in 23.04, our changes to make Bluetooth headphones work didn’t take. While I had added the required libspa-0.2-bluetooth package to our seed, I didn’t confirm that it was included in the generated metapackages ( #2028530, #2017818). Unit 193 dug in and resolved this issue, fixing support for 23.10.

mate-polkit Replaces policykit-1-gnome

Here’s a feature that we hope you don’t notice! The policykit-1-gnome package is no longer maintained and may be dropped in a future Debian release. After the mate-polkit package was patched to support Xfce, we switched! This should be a completely transparent transition with no issues. But do let us know if anything doesn’t work right.

So Many Package Updates

The Xfce, GNOME, and other desktop components have received numerous package updates since the start of 23.10. Review the list below for any surprises!

• baobab 44.0 → 45 alpha
• gnome-font-viewer 44.0 → 45 alpha
• gnome-software 44.0 → 45 beta
• libreoffice 7.5.2 → 7.5.6
• libxfce4ui 4.18.2 → 4.18.4
• mousepad 0.5.10 → 0.6.1
• rhythmbox 3.4.6 → 3.4.7
• ristretto 0.12.4 → 0.13.1
• sgt-puzzles 20230122.806ae71 → 20230410.71cf891
• thunar 4.18.4 → 4.18.6
• thunar-archive-plugin 0.5.0 → 0.5.1
• thunar-media-tags-plugin 0.3.0 → 0.4.0
• thunderbird 102.10.0 → 115.2.0
• transmission 3.00 → 4.0.2
• tumbler 4.18.0 → 4.18.1
• xfburn 0.6.2 → 0.7.0
• xfce4-clipman 1.6.2 → 1.6.4
• xfce4-cpugraph-plugin 1.2.7 → 1.2.8
• xfce4-dict 0.8.4 → 0.8.5
• xfce4-indicator-plugin 2.4.1 → 2.4.2
• xfce4-mailwatch-plugin 1.3.0 → 1.3.1
• xfce4-netload-plugin 1.4.0 → 1.4.1
• xfce4-notifyd 0.7.3 → 0.8.2
• xfce4-panel 4.18.2 → 4.18.4
• xfce4-panel-profiles 1.0.13 → 1.0.14
• xfce4-power-manager 4.18.1 → 4.18.2
• xfce4-pulseaudio-plugin 0.4.5 → 0.4.7
• xfce4-screensaver 4.16.0 → 4.18.2
• xfce4-screenshooter 1.10.3 → 1.10.4
• xfce4-session 4.18.1 → 4.18.3
• xfce4-verve-plugin 2.0.1 → 2.0.3
• xfce4-weather-plugin 0.11.0 → 0.11.1
• xfce4-whiskermenu-plugin 2.7.2 → 2.7.3
• xfconf 4.18.0 → 4.18.1
• xubuntu-desktop 2.248 → 2.250

Testing Xubuntu 23.10

If you’d like to check out the latest developments, go download one of the daily ISO images and give it a spin. Don’t forget to report issues or leave test results!

• Xubuntu Desktop Daily ISO
• Xubuntu Minimal Daily ISO

Thanks to everybody in the community for continuing to support our project!

Goodbye Glade

Glade is a powerful design and development tool that has enabled me to build nearly every Linux app that I’ve worked on over the years. Combined with GtkBuilder, it enables rapid prototyping and development. I frequently discovered new widgets and functionality through Glade’s many menus.

While powerful, Glade can also be limiting. Some widgets simply aren’t available or don’t work quite right. Building advanced or dynamic interfaces requires a lot of hacky manipulation outside of Glade. Building repeat and advanced widgets is either difficult or full of repeat effort. Finally, porting between major toolkit versions (GTK 3 to 4, for instance) has varying levels of complexity. I’d rather not dig in too far.

Starting with version 2.3.2, Glade and GtkBuilder are gone from MenuLibre. In their place, I’ve ported the entire interface to Python code using PyGObject and strictly utilizing GTK libraries. This opens up future development options. I can upgrade the toolkit from GTK 3 to 4 relatively easily. I could migrate the codebase to Vala or maybe even Rust. It just depends on my mood when I get back to work. 🙂

New Features

Help Dialogs

Say goodbye to the huge, informative, and difficult-to-use tooltips that would appear while hovering labels in MenuLibre. Instead, I’ve introduced a new concept: on-demand help buttons! As you hover labels or navigate the interface with your keyboard, a small help icon is presented next to each label. Click this icon to show a dialog with more information and, when necessary, links to the online documentation.

The Copy Button

In the same theme, I’ve also added an on-demand copy button for the launcher filename displayed at the bottom of the MenuLibre window. Click this to add the filename to your clipboard for whatever nefarious purpose you have. ( Either that file is getting deleted or modified directly… I won’t judge you.)

User Experience (UX) Improvements

Migrating away from Glade gave me an opportunity to familiarize myself with the MenuLibre user experience. The more I worked, the more I wanted to improve. Enjoy this refreshed application.

The Big, Noticeable Ones

• Headerbars are now used in more places… but only while headerbars are active for the main window. If you’re using a traditional desktop or have opted out of headerbars using the command-line flags, you have nothing to worry about. For everybody else, enjoy seeing the headerbars in select dialogs.
• The icon browser now makes much better use of space with a full-width search bar and smaller, more consistent icons with padding. The result: a no-nonsense, less stress-inducing icon lookup experience.
• Separators are now rendered on screen again. Sometime in recent years, the strikethrough hack I was using stopped working. As a result, separators turned into blank sections in the application treeview. Now, they are displayed with an icon and text but with reduced opacity to denote their lower priority in the list.
• Tooltips have been added for the Add and Delete buttons (you thought I didn’t like them anymore!). There are several instances where the Delete button becomes unavailable. The current reason is now displayed when you hover the button. Hopefully, this makes somebody a bit less confused.

The Smaller, But Welcome Ones

• Double-width borders and internal border radii have been removed from the application sidebar. Some themes, Greybird included, still render an additional border between the top of the sidebar and the toolbar, but this is improved largely.
• When headerbars are active, the Add button presents a popover menu instead of a traditional dropdown. This is consistent with the application menu button, just to the left of the Add button.
• The Execute button is now disabled when a directory or separator is selected. Previously, separators still allowed execution… which caused a nice little crash.
• The Remove and Clear buttons in the Category and Action editors are now disabled when appropriate.
• A new Help button was added to the Command Editor. Clicking this button opens the online documentation for the Exec key, with examples for the advanced flags.
• Various spacing and indentation improvements.

Code Quality

Once the porting and feature improvements were complete, I turned toward cleaning up years of accumulated development cruft. Utilizing autopep8, I restructured the codebase with tighter, more consistent formatting. Using Pylance and pygobject-stubs, I resolved several potential bugs. Hopefully, this makes getting through the backlog of over 90 issues easier.

Translation Updates

Finally, this update features some new translations and translatable strings. I was able to eliminate some unused strings, too, which should make supporting this project a bit easier. Many thanks to those who are translating MenuLibre into your native language! Here are the updated localisations for version 2.3.2:

Arabic, Basque, Brazilian Portuguese, Breton, Catalan, Chinese (China), Chinese (Hong Kong), Chinese (Traditional), Croatian, Czech, Danish, Dutch, English (Australia), English (United Kingdom), Esperanto, Finnish, French, Frisian, Galician, German, Greek, Hebrew, Icelandic, Italian, Japanese, Kazakh, Korean, Lithuanian, Malay, Malay (Arabic), Malayalam, Norwegian Bokmal, Polish, Portuguese, Portuguese (Portugal), Russian, Serbian, Sinhalese, Slovak, Slovenian, Spanish, Swedish, Turkish, Ukrainian

Downloads

Source tarball ( sig)

The Command Editor

Building application launchers can be tricky. Environment variables have to be passed in a certain way. Some, but not all, components have to be escaped or quoted. Secret codes have to be used to support opening files and URLs. There has to be an easier way.

The command editor removes the guesswork from launcher commands. Environment variables are added before the rest of the command, along with the requisite env command. Commands can be added from the file picker or the list of installed applications. File, URL, and other argument expansions are clearly detailed for all supported field codes.

Improved support for missing icons

If you’ve used MenuLibre on Fedora recently, you might have been greeted with many missing icons. Since GNOME Shell doesn’t show application directories, the base Adwaita icon theme doesn’t ship most icons. The result… a pretty sparse MenuLibre application window.

Icon handling was significantly improved with 2.3.1. An appropriate fallback icon is now used instead when an icon cannot be found. Additionally, a warning is displayed in the application editor, overlaying the fallback icon. Finally, there was an issue where symbolic icons might be replaced by their non-symbolic counterparts. MenuLibre will now preserve this setting.

Translation Updates

Many thanks, as always, to the wonderful translators supporting MenuLibre! Since 2.3.0, translations were updated for the following languages: Brazilian Portuguese, Catalan, Dutch, Finnish, Italian, Lithuanian, Malay, Malay (Arabic), Polish, Russian, Spanish, Swedish, and Turkish.

Testing Appreciated

MenuLibre 2.3.1 is the second development release in the 2.3.x series. I’m adding features and improving cross-desktop support, but I’m also invariably adding some new bugs to the mix. Please take this release for a spin, and report any bugs you find on GitHub. Thanks a bunch!

Downloads

Source tarball ( sig)

Oh, that’s disappointing. We have emoji support, but it’s all monochrome. While expressive, without color, they lack life and don’t always convey the proper meaning. The good news is that there is a quick and easy fix.

Install Color Emoji Support

The monochrome emoji comes from the fonts-symbola package that’s included with Xubuntu. If you install the fonts-noto-color-emoji package, the emoji picker will automatically upgrade to the full-color set. You can install this package in Xubuntu using the following button or command.

Install fonts-noto-color-emoji

sudo apt install fonts-noto-color-emoji

Afterwards, restart any running applications and the emoji picker will be refreshed, no restart required.

Affected Applications

• GTK 3 and 4 graphical apps support the on-demand emoji picker ( Ctrl + .) and embedded color emoji.
• GTK 3 and 4 terminal apps display color emoji.
• I can tell that KDE apps do not take advantage of the color emoji without some additional configuration. If anybody knows what that is, I’d love to find out.
• Firefox and Thunderbird will display the color emoji in most instances. Chromium browsers tend to have better support.

Bonus: Use emoji in any app

Once you start using emoji, you might be disappointed at the number of apps you use that are not native GTK and, therefore, do not support the keyboard shortcut. Don’t despair; there is another solution. Emote is available in the Snap Store and GNOME Software. Once you install and launch Emote, a new keyboard shortcut is enabled. Type Ctrl + Alt + E to show the app. Click your emoji, and it will be inserted into your app.

Have fun with Emoji in Xubuntu! 😉

Xubuntu Minimal has arrived for Xubuntu 23.04

After seven long years, Xubuntu Minimal (formerly Xubuntu Core) has become an official sub-project built and published on Canonical infrastructure. 🎉️

Xubuntu Minimal is a slimmed-down version of Xubuntu that lacks the additional features of a modern desktop operating system. You get the basics: Xfce, Xubuntu defaults, a file manager, and other essential components. Build your own experience atop Xubuntu’s stable and tested minimal environment.

Xubuntu Minimal currently weighs 1.7 GiB (1.8 GB), while the standard Xubuntu desktop image weighs 2.8 GiB (3.0 GB). When we started this project seven years ago, the image fit on a standard CD-ROM at less than 700 MB. Since then, everything has gotten bigger, and reducing the image size will require some clever adjustments. If you’d like to check Xubuntu Minimal out, daily ISO builds can be found on cdimage.ubuntu.com.

Flatpak removed for Xubuntu 23.04

Following a joint decision between the Ubuntu flavors, no official flavor will include Flatpak integration in their installation starting with the upcoming April release, 23.04 “Lunar Lobster.” 23.04 would have been the first Xubuntu release to ship with Flatpak integration, so this change will not affect any user. Anybody already using Flatpak will not be affected either, as the package will not be uninstalled if you have interacted with Flatpak.

If you want to enable Flatpak in Xubuntu, the process is straightforward. Check out my recent article, Enable Flatpak in Xubuntu, for instructions on enabling Flatpak and adding the Flathub repository to your system.

Xubuntu is now on Mastodon

Have your social networks felt a little too… centralized lately? Come to Mastodon and enjoy interacting with Xubuntu’s new social media presence, @xubuntu@floss.social. While you’re at it, you might also be interested in following Xfce ( @xfce@floss.social), Lubuntu ( @LubuntuOfficial@fosstodon.org), Kubuntu ( @kubuntu@fosstodon.org), or Ubuntu Studio ( @ubuntustudio@mastodon.art), to get you started with a few projects.

Package updates

There was a smattering of relevant package updates in Xubuntu 23.04 this month. You can find the full list of package updates on GitHub by comparing commits to the xubuntu-manifest project.

• baobab 43.0 > 44 beta
• gnome-disk-utility 43.0 > 44 Beta
• gnome-font-viewer 43.0 > 44 Beta
• gnome-sudoku 43.1 > 44 Beta
• libreoffice 7.4.3 > 7.5.1 RC2
• libxfce4ui 4.18.1 > 4.18.2
• parole 4.16.0 > 4.18.0
• synaptic 0.91.2 > 0.91.3
• thunar 4.18.3 > 4.18.4
• xfce4-notifyd 0.7.2 > 0.7.3
• xfce4-panel 4.18.1 > 4.18.2
• xfce4-power-manager 4.18.0 > 4.18.1
• xfce4-session 4.18.0 > 4.18.1
• xfce4-settings 4.18.0 > 4.18.2
• xfce4-systemload-plugin 1.3.1 > 1.3.2
• xubuntu-desktop 2.246 > 2.248

Thanks!

That’s all from me this month! If you’ve come this far, you’re looking for something to do. Why not join the Ubuntu 23.04 Testing Week that’s going on now?

If you like my work, consider sponsoring me. You can find links for how to support me and contribute to Xfce, Xubuntu, and elementary OS at bluesabre.org/donate. Thank you!

What is Flatpak?

Flatpak bills itself as “the future of apps on Linux.” It’s an increasingly popular app distribution platform that offers sandboxing and simplified builds and deployment, similar to Snap. As it is a Linux packaging format, many politics and strong feelings surround it. You won’t find Flatpak preinstalled on any official Ubuntu flavor. Likewise, Snap is frequently absent outside of the Ubuntu ecosystem.

The Flatpak (and Flathub) introduction video, as featured on flatpak.org.

You might choose to enable Flatpak on Xubuntu to get access to the latest version of an app. GNOME, elementary OS, and a number of upstream maintainers now publish Flatpak packages themselves. Some software, such as the gesture-enabling Touché (see my previous post on enabling multi-touch gestures in Xubuntu), is only distributed on Flathub. If you can’t find something in the software repositories or Snap Store, you should check Flathub next.

Enabling Flatpak support

Xubuntu ships with GNOME Software, as opposed to the Snap Store in other flavors. As a result, enabling Flatpak support is as simple as installing the flatpak and gnome-software-plugin-flatpak packages. You can do this from the terminal or by clicking the Install button below, thanks to Xubuntu’s included AptURL support.

Install Flatpak Support

sudo apt install flatpak gnome-software-plugin-flatpak

Adding the Flathub repository (optional)

With Flatpak installed, you can now open .flatpakref (application) and .flatpakrepo (repository) files. To enable the Flathub repository, download and launch the Flathub repository file. I’ve linked to the Fedora Quick Setup guide since it features instructions for the download file. I’ve also linked to the file below.

Flathub repository file

And finally, reboot!

Remember to reboot once you’ve installed everything. This will ensure everything is set up correctly and ready to run. Afterwards, install your apps and enjoy having access to the latest and widest variety of software possible across the Debian/Ubuntu, Snap, AppImage, and Flatpak ecosystems.

23.04 November New Additions

PipeWire replaces PulseAudio

During the 22.10 release cycle, Ubuntu and several flavors replaced PulseAudio with the new PipeWire multimedia system. PipeWire has been reported to improve many of users’ issues with PulseAudio, including high CPU usage and Bluetooth connection issues. Xubuntu 23.04 adds PipeWire, WirePlumber, and Bluetooth connection libraries.

Flatpak makes it easier for users to install apps

With the addition of the flatpak and gnome-software-plugin-flatpak packages, Xubuntu now supports the popular Flatpak packaging format. You can now easily install Flathub applications with just a couple of clicks. In fact, any .flatpakref or .flatpakrepo file is natively supported by GNOME Software.

23.04 November Package Updates

In November, Xubuntu started development with updates to our defaults and the latest development point releases from the Xfce 4.17 development series.

xubuntu-default-settings (23.04.0)

The latest xubuntu-default-settings package includes a handful of accessibility and usability improvements. The tooltip for the Whisker Menu now supports translations instead of always showing the English “Applications Menu”. .deb packages will now correctly open in GNOME Software instead of the Archive Manager. System tray icons will now use automatic sizing, making them consistent with the other panel plugins. And finally, the Xfce Terminal font size has been increased for better consistency and contrast.

exo (4.17.3) – Xfce Application Library

Exo 4.17.3 (from 4.17.2) fixes horizontal smooth scrolling in Thunar’s compact view ( #86) and makes text copied from the desktop item editor available after the dialog is closed ( #93).

garcon (4.17.2) – Xfce Menu Library

Garcon 4.17.2 (from 4.17.1) fixes menu icon blurriness when using UI scaling ( #33) and properly escapes % characters in URL desktop files ( #31).

libxfce4ui (4.17.8) – Xfce UI Library

libxfce4ui 4.17.8 (from 4.17.6) expands the About Xfce dialog to include the kernel and GTK versions on the system tab ( !76). It also improves the display of both client-side (CSD) and server-side (SSD) decorations ( #26, !72, !78).

thunar (4.17.11) – Xfce File Manager

Thunar 4.17.11 (from 4.17.9) adds undo and redo functionality for several file operations ( #819). It also adds a button to the toolbar to toggle Split View ( #889, not yet enabled on Xubuntu) and introduces a new Image preview side pane ( #357).

xfce4-appfinder (4.17.1) – Xfce Application Finder

Xfce Application Finder 4.17.1 (from 4.17.0) switches to symbolic icons, adds a new option to hide window decorations ( #51), and fixes a bug where duplicate entries were created ( #58).

xfce4-panel (4.17.4) – Xfce Panel

Xfce Panel 4.17.4 (from 4.17.3) enables setting a custom command to run when the panel plugin is clicked ( #560). It improves UI scaling support for icons and status notifier applets. Theme colors are now used for symbolic icons ( #635).

xfce4-power-manager (4.17.0) – Xfce Power Manager

Xfce Power Manager 4.17.0 (from 4.16.0) now inhibits DPMS when it receives a power inhibit request. It also adjusts the default timeouts for inactivity to 5 minutes and sleep to 6 hours.

xfdesktop4 (4.17.1) – Xfce Desktop

Xfdesktop 4.17.1 (from 4.17.0) features UI scaling improvements to the window list and icons. Context menus, file properties, and drag-and-drop support are improved when multiple icons are selected. Keyboard typeahead functionality has also been upgraded with this release.

xfwm4 (4.17.1) – Xfce Window Manager & Compositor

Xfwm 4.17.1 (from 4.16.1) includes an abundance of updates and fixes for the compositor, window positioning and placement, and focus. Additionally, symbolic icons are now used more widely.

Coming in December

Xfce 4.18 is just around the corner. The second pre-release (pre2) was just published and includes additional updates to those listed above. Once the final release is published, look forward to it landing in Xubuntu 23.04 shortly after.

It’s been interesting to observe the development of Xfce 4.18 from the outside. These days, I have far less time to support the project, and I have chosen to focus on Xubuntu instead. From what I can see, Xfce is in good hands, and development is the healthiest it’s ever been. Keep up the great work, Xfce devs!

Subscribe with RSS

My blog supports RSS (Really Simple Syndication) feeds for all content and individual tags. If you’ve got a feed reader, add the feed and wait for the updates. I personally recommend Feedly, but numerous options exist. Thunderbird and Vivaldi have native RSS support baked in.

Subscribe to your favorite feed:

• All content
• Xfce updates
• Xubuntu updates

Follow me on…

Mastodon

As Twitter marches toward an uncertain future, Mastodon has exploded in popularity. Mastodon is a decentralized, open-source social network reminiscent of Twitter, and if you enable the advanced web interface, TweetDeck. You can find me on floss.social at @bluesabre@floss.social

Twitter

Since the death of Google+, Twitter has been my social media platform of choice. As more people move to Mastodon, I’ll use Twitter less frequently. Nonetheless, if you’re on Twitter, follow me for the latest updates at @bluesabredavis

Thanks

Thanks for reading! Stay tuned for a very busy November as Xubuntu 23.04 development opens up and Xfce 4.18 heads toward a final release in December.

• Release Announcement
• Release Notes

Xfce 4.17

Xfce 4.17 is the development series for the upcoming Xfce 4.18, expected later this year. With a few exceptions, it doesn’t introduce major new features or toolkit changes but instead refines the Xfce experience. Some notable updates are included below.

• Catfish has received a series of appearance and usability updates. The new “Open with” context menu makes it easier to open files, and the Ctrl+A accelerator adds a useful select-all function.
• Mousepad has added search history and automatic reloading of changed files.
• Thunar now features a built-in, recursive file search. Catfish is still within reach for more advanced file lookups. Thunar also includes a new graphical shortcut editor and per-directory zoom levels.
• Thunar Archive Plugin now allows the compression of zip files (including common document types odt, docx, and others).
• The Application Finder has added support for the PrefersNonDefaultGPU property. This improves the launching of games and other apps that depend on more powerful graphics in a multi-GPU system.
• The Desktop will now ask for confirmation before rearranging icons. Users can optionally disable the Delete context menu item.
• Notifications now feature improved matching of application icons and names in the settings dialog. During the slideout animation, notifications will now be correctly positioned.
• The Panel has added a new binary time mode and middle-click options for the tasklist plugin. It has also improved support for systray and status notifier applets.
• The panel’s PulseAudio Plugin now displays an indicator when any app is recording audio. Notifications are now displayed when the microphone volume level is adjusted.
• Screenshooter includes a fix for capturing HiDPI windows. Screenshots can be easily opened in the file manager, and a new back button allows you to start over.
• Task Manager now has a right-click option to copy the full process command line to the clipboard.
• The Terminal boasts improved scrolling, a new Fill background image style, and fixes for the unsafe paste dialog.

GNOME 43

GNOME 43, “Guadalajara,” features several usability enhancements, and more apps migrated to the new GTK4 toolkit. GTK4 enables building apps that have faster and smoother graphics with the addition of hardware acceleration. Some apps use the new libadwaita library that features a consistent look for GNOME apps, but one that does not fit in with the rest of the Xubuntu desktop theming. Nonetheless, the apps look good and deliver on the promises of improved performance.

Of the GNOME apps included in Xubuntu 22.10, Disk Usage Analyzer (baobab), Font Viewer, and Software now use GTK4 with libadwaita. Disk Utility and Sudoku have modest version bumps to the 43.x series. Rhythmbox is the standout application this time around, featuring an improved podcast downloader, network stream support, and Android/MTP device syncing.

MATE 1.26

Since Xubuntu 22.04 this spring, MATE 1.26 has seen only modest updates. None of those updates extend to the Atril Document Viewer, Engrampa Archive Manager, or MATE Calculator. We still include the latest releases of each component.

Additional Updates

SGT Puzzles Collection

The latest update to Simon Tatham’s Portable Puzzle Collection includes the new grid-filling puzzle, Mosaic. I’d describe it as “Minesweeper, but find all the mines.” It’s a fun challenge, so I recommend checking it out on Xubuntu or online.

Xubuntu Artwork

The new wallpaper for Xubuntu 22.10 features multi-colored transparent triangles overlaying a deep blue background. Small, glowing white bubbles float just above the rest of the image. The full-quality version of the wallpaper is available on GitHub.

Xubuntu Default Settings

We introduced a handful of small improvements to our settings this cycle.

• The Noto fonts are now recommended instead of dependent packages. You can easily remove the Noto fonts from your system if you prefer another font. (Launchpad #1891714)
• The URL custom actions in Xfce Appfinder have been broken for a few releases. This has finally been addressed in 22.10. (Launchpad #1892651)
• Swapping Caps Lock and Escape would result in the Super (Windows) key becoming a Caps Lock instead. This is now resolved. (Launchpad #1961506)
• Xubuntu now includes default settings for the Picom compositor. Picom is the successor to the Compton compositor, which Xubuntu has included a configuration file for some time.

Xubuntu Metapackage

We didn’t majorly update the package set during this cycle. But we did add a nice improvement. The Firefox transitional Debian package is now included again. This fixes a bug where the x-www-browser alias doesn’t work with Snap packages, causing some issues loading a browser from Ubiquity, for example. You may have also noticed that the ISO manifest included the chromium package. This is also resolved. ( Launchpad #1991470)

Get Xubuntu 22.10

Xubuntu 22.10 can be downloaded from the Xubuntu website. For installation instructions, please refer to the Xubuntu documentation.

If you’re using 22.04 and want to upgrade to 22.10, please check out our upgrade instructions on the Xubuntu Wiki.