Ubuntu 21.04: Yes, there ARE new features - Review + variants
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Ubuntu 21.04 is here! It's definitely not the most feature packed release of the last 2 or 3 years, and there are some disappointing omissions, but there are still a few things to talk about, so let's get into it.
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The first thing of note is that Ubuntu 21.04 uses Wayland by default.
Pipewire is also included, so the screen sharing and recording issues of using Wayland are solved for most people.
As an intermediate release, Ubuntu uses the Linux kernel version 5.11.
On the installer side, you also get the option to create an recovery key if you decided to encrypt your hard drive.
You'll find a host of updated default apps, as always, with Firefox 87, LibreOffice 7.1 and Thunderbird 78.8.
In terms of Updates, Ubuntu 21.04 is a weird hybrid: it mixes elements from GNOME 40, and elements from GNOME 3.38.5.
Now, officially, from the system settings, you'll see the release number is 3.38.5, and the GNOME shell very much reflects that.
In the meantime, they still shipped some new app versions from GNOME 40, the System Monitor with its new tab icons, the Characters app, which is now a responsive app and should be usable on Linux mobile devices, and Disk Usage Analyser. None of the major, day to day apps are updated, though: no Nautilus, no GNOME Software 40 here, you'll get the same versions you used to have on 20.10.
Now, that's not to say that nothing has changed!
Apart from the new default wallpaper, which represents this version's codename, Hirsute Hippo, the shell has also been tweaked a little bit.
It's now in dark mode by default. previously, you had white elements when opening the clock applet, or the system menu, now it's all dark mode, and a lot easier on the eyes. The application menus in the top bar, and the quick lists on the dock will also use that dark theme.
You'll also get a little bell icon next to the clock in the top bar to indicate when you have unread notifications, instead of a small dot, which is easier to understand, I guess, and it will also be used to indicate when you're in do not disturb mode.
Everywhere where symbolic icons are used, like the small triangles that let you dig down into sub menus in the shell, on in the emoji picker, the icons have been made thinner. That's a really small, subtle change, though.
The theme for apps has also been slightly altered, notably in lists: selecting an item isn't pure orange anymore, you'll get a less legible grey highlight, with a small orange bar on the left. I find this new look harder to read, but it does look more elegant.
New icons have also been added to the Yaru theme, including for gParted, Sound Recorder, the Transmission bittorrent client and the system backup app Timeshift.
File mimetypes icons now all sport a folded, rounded corner in the top right, for more consistency, and the LibreOffice icons have also been redesigned, although the difference is really minor.
Now, let's move on to the biggest change, probably, in Ubuntu 21.04, and that's how desktop icons are handled. THe previous Shell extensions didn't allow for drag and drop to and from the desktop, which was a major limitation. Ubuntu 21.04 now moves to Desktop Icons NG, or DING for short, which replicates the full functionality of the desktop icons of old.
You can drag and drop from the file manager to the desktop, and from the desktop to any folder. You can customize how things look and work with a nice, feature full settings panel, including icon sizes, which folders or items you want to view, sorting, placement, adding new drives to the right or left side of the screen, and more.
Finally, laptop users will have access to power profiles in the settings, letting them switch from balanced power, which is the normal mode, to "power save". These settings don't persist after a reboot though, so there is still a bit of work to do here. Still, it's nice to see that battery life is a focus here, because it hasn't been a very strong point for Linux in the past.