Jack Wallen/ZDNET
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ZDNET's key takeaways
Ready or not, Ubuntu's default display will be Wayland.
The new Ubuntu includes the first user-facing Rust-based utilities.
This release also comes with numerous smaller improvements.
Canonical has released Ubuntu 25.10, codenamed Questing Quokka, with an array of upgrades for Linux users eager for cutting-edge features, improved security, and a new desktop experience. As my comrade in Linux, Jack Wallen, said of the beta, it comes with "a few features that could be eye-openers to longtime (and new) users."
Also: The easiest way to try out Ubuntu Linux
For me, the biggest feature -- or misfire -- is the switch from the old (some might say archaic) X.org, the open-source X Window System implementation, to the modern Wayland. Both are display server protocols that provide the graphical interface. How old is X? I started using it in 1984 on an AT&T 3B2 computer running Unix System 7 Version 1. It's improved a lot since then, but under the hood, its design still looks familiar.
As you might imagine, X has its fair share of problems. But -- and this is the important bit -- all older software works well with it.
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