Canonical’s Utkarsh Gupta announced in an email sent to the Ubuntu developer mailing list that Ubuntu 24.04 is now open for development and revealed that the codename for this version is “Noble Numbat.”
We are pleased to announce that Noble Numbat is now open for development. Automatic synchronization has been enabled and will run shortly.
As usual, we expect a large influx of builds and automated tests in the initial stages, leading to some delays. Please assist in fixing any issues that arise.
According to Wikipedia, the Numbat (also known as the banded anteater) is a small marsupial found in the southwestern part of Australia. It feeds almost exclusively on termites, consuming about 20,000 termites daily.
They are currently surviving in a few areas and are considered an endangered species, listed on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Numbats have a small body size with a long snout, as many as 52 teeth, which is more than any other terrestrial mammal, thin teeth arranged in long rows, and a long, extendable tongue (about 10 cm) used to catch termites.
Ubuntu 24.04 will be the 10th LTS version of Ubuntu since 2006. Ubuntu LTS versions receive 5 years of security updates, bug fixes, and select app updates. Ubuntu Pro offers an additional 5 years of security on top of this, providing up to ten years of support for modern LTS versions.
Currently, little is known about the new features and improvements that will be included in Ubuntu 24.04. However, for long-term support versions, Ubuntu is usually more conservative in terms of major new features and significant user interface changes, focusing more on a robust, stable experience.
What’s certain is that 24.04 will come equipped with a new Linux kernel (6.7 or 6.8, depending on timing) and GNOME 46 (expected to be released in March). Canonical’s Oliver Grawert also revealed that an immutable, snap-based Ubuntu 24.04 image will be available for download in April (but will not be the default recommended download).
This and other important dates in the Ubuntu 24.04 development cycle include:
- February 29, 2024 – Feature Freeze
- March 21, 2024 – User Interface Freeze
- April 4, 2024 – Ubuntu 24.04 Beta
- April 11, 2024 – Kernel Freeze
- April 25, 2024 – Ubuntu 24.04 LTS Released
Daniel Li
Sunday 29th of October 2023
Looking forward for the new Ubuntu LTS release.