Canonical has officially announced the release of Ubuntu 25.10, codenamed “Questing Quokka.” One of the headline features of this update is the introduction of memory-safe implementations for several core system tools, including coreutils and sudo, now rebuilt as uutils and sudo-rs. By adopting these modern, Rust-based replacements, Canonical has significantly enhanced the reliability and security of Ubuntu’s critical system components.
The new memory-safe version of sudo dramatically reduces the risk of system exploitation, though the traditional sudo tool remains available for users who prefer it. These improvements stem from Rust’s inherent design — the language prevents potential memory errors at compile time, effectively eliminating many classes of vulnerabilities linked to unsafe memory operations.
Ubuntu 25.10 ships with the Linux 6.17 kernel, bringing early support for nested virtualization on ARM platforms such as NVIDIA Grace and AmpereOne. This feature allows running hypervisors inside virtual machines, improving automation testing (CI/CD) and workload isolation. The new kernel also lays the groundwork for native Intel TDX host support, a key step toward next year’s long-term support release, Ubuntu 26.04 LTS, making it an ideal base for confidential AI and data-cleanroom environments. Additionally, Ubuntu 25.10 integrates the latest RISC-V RVA23 standard, further strengthening compatibility and ecosystem growth for RISC-V hardware.
On the desktop side, the release upgrades to GNOME 49, featuring redesigned lock screens with media and power controls. Default apps have been refreshed as well, introducing the Loupe image viewer and the new Ptyxis terminal emulator.
Accessibility and usability have also improved: the App Store and Settings panels now offer better support for high-contrast themes, keyboard navigation, and screen readers, meeting European Accessibility Act (EAA) standards. When users choose to “install restricted extras,” the system now automatically enables Bluetooth AAC codecs and hardware-accelerated screen recording under GNOME, enhancing both multimedia and performance.
For developers, Ubuntu 25.10 delivers a suite of toolchain updates, including OpenJDK 25, Python 3.14 RC3, Golang 1.25, GCC 15, and Rust 1.85 (with 1.88 available as an option). Zig compiler previews for amd64 and arm64 are also included, along with the .NET 10 preview and improved Snapcraft plugin support for monorepo and MSBuild workflows. PowerShell is now supported across arm64, ppc64el, and s390x architectures via snap installation.
Users can download the official Ubuntu 25.10 release today from the Ubuntu website:
👉 https://ubuntu.com/download/desktop