Ubuntu 20.04 is an LTS (long term support) release that will be supported for five years. This means if a person uses the 20.04 version, they can use it till April 2025 without having to upgrade the to a new Ubuntu release. For people using Ubuntu 18.04 or Ubuntu 19.10, they will be able to upgrade to Ubuntu 20.04 from the system. Ubuntu 20.04 codenamed Focal Fossa is now available. Since it’s an LTS release, stability is essential.
New features in Ubuntu 20.04 Focal Fossa
Default theme variants and the aubergine touch
Canonical is experimenting with different themes. In Ubuntu 19.10, the default Yaru theme had a dark version; Ubuntu 20.04 takes it further with three variants of the default Yaru theme: Light, Dark, and Standard. It also has a slightly different look with emphasis on aubergine as the second accent color.
GNOME 3.36 and Visual and Performance Improvements
Ubuntu 20.04 comes with the latest GNOME 3.36 release. This means that all new features in 3.36 are also available for Ubuntu 20.04. Also, there is a new login feature in Ubuntu 20.04. Users now don’t need to scroll down to the lock screen anymore. With a single click, they will be on the login screen.
Disable desktop notification with ‘Do Not Disturb.’
For people who get distracted by desktop notifications, they can use the ‘do not disturb’ feature to toggle the desktop notifications.
Fractional scaling
Ubuntu has fractional scaling. If a user finds the icons at 100% looked too small and bit too big at 200%, they can use the fractional scaling. When this feature is enabled, one can set the scaling to 125, 150, 175, and 200. This fractional scaling doesn’t work for multiple monitor setup, though.
Don’t like the Dock? Remove it!
Some people don’t like the launcher or the dock with application shortcuts. If you are the one who doesn’t like this, you can disable it completely. There is a new application called Extensions, whereby one can manage extensions and use it to disable the dock.
Linux Kernel 5.4
Ubuntu 20.04 features the latest LTS kernel 5.4, which means users will get the ExFAT support, performance improvements, and new hardware supports that come with it.
Improved ZFS support
Ubuntu became the first mainstream Linux distribution to introduce ZFS as root with Ubuntu 19.10 release.
No Amazon app, no python 2
Over the years, Ubuntu included an Amazon app by default. Ubuntu 20.04 doesn’t have this app. Python 2 was the first release in 2000. After twenty years of its release, Ubuntu 20.04 doesn’t support Python 2 anymore.
Wire Guard VPN back-ported
Though Ubuntu 20.04 won’t be using kernel 5.6, it is backporting WireGuard in kernel 5.4. WireGuard is the new buzz in the VPN industry.