Canonical has made available to the public the Ubuntu 25.10 “Questing Quokka” beta, a preview version intended for testing purposes that anticipates the stable release on October 9. Anyone who wants to get a taste of it can download it and see for themselves how this intermediate release is progressing.
The proposal is continuous, but with a very current base: it is based on the Linux kernel 6.17 and debuts the environment GNOME 49Along with this come significant changes to startup, time synchronization, and security, as well as a handful of package and utility updates.
System and base news
One of the headlines is the jump to Linux kernel 6.17, which improves the compatibility with recent hardware and updates kernel drivers and subsystems. In parallel, the default desktop becomes GNOME 49, with its usual cycle of improvements in performance and accessibility.
On new installations, Ubuntu replaces initramfs-tools by Dracut, a more modern tool for generating the boot image, which facilitates modularity and maintenance of the boot process.
It is also adopted Chrony with NTS support as the default NTP client, providing greater accuracy and protection against spoofing in the time synchronization.
Desktop and default applications
In the apps section, the default image viewer becomes Magnifying glass, which replaces Eye of GNOME, and the default terminal emulator is now Ptyxis instead of GNOME Terminal. These are replacements that aim to provide a more streamlined experience aligned with the current GNOME ecosystem.
They remain as Snap packages Firefox 142 y Thunderbird 140ESR, while the office suite is updated to LibreOffice 25.8, offering the latest stability and feature improvements.
It also incorporates its own module called Security Center, which for now easily centralizes certain application permissions and basic security settings for the user.
Components in Rust and security improvements
Ubuntu 25.10 continues the shift towards Peace in critical system components. It arrives sweat-rs as the default implementation of sudo and are included Coreutils in Rust, with the aim of gaining robustness and security in essential tools.
On the encryption front, the system offers recovery key management for the TPM-backed full disk encryption (TPM-backed FDE), facilitating secure access management on modern computers.
Graphical session and window server
The desktop session in Ubuntu becomes exclusively Wayland in the main GNOME release. This means that Xorg is no longer supported by default, adding benefits in terms of security and process isolation.
Clock, network and synchronization
With Chrony + NTS As standard, the system gains reliability in heterogeneous networks and reduces the risk of timing attacks. It is an important step towards a more secure time synchronization inspection process
Toolchain and graphics stack
The beta updates to the latest development toolchain and several key libraries for developers and administrators, improving compatibility and build performance.
- GCC 15.2, GNU C Library 2.42 y GNU Binutils 2.45
- Python 3.13.7, LLVM 20 y Boost 1.88
- systemd 257.9, Rest 1.85 y Go 1.24
- Open JDK 25, Open SSL 3.5 y Table 25.2
Updating Table 25.2 y Open SSL 3.5 brings direct benefits in graphics and encryption, respectively, while systemd 257.9 ensures more refined service startup and management.
Graphics and gameplay
For the most gamers, add NVIDIA Dynamic Boost support, which optimizes power distribution between the CPU and GPU on compatible computers to get more performance in demanding titles.
Installation, update and availability
Although it is a previous version, it can be upgrade from Ubuntu 25.04 to this beta or perform fresh installations. However, due to its very nature, it is not recommended for production environments.
Installation images are available at the official download page, and according to Canonical they are reasonably stable, without critical failures that prevent its use in testing.
The Server edition includes the next-generation installer subiquity, which inherits the live session and quick and easy installation processes of the desktop version.
In addition to Ubuntu Desktop, Server, Cloud, and WSL, the beta comes to the flavors Edubuntu, Kubuntu, Lubuntu, Ubuntu Budgie, Ubuntu Cinnamon, UbuntuKylin, Ubuntu Studio, Ubuntu Unity, Xubuntu and Ubuntu MATE, all of them updated with their respective desktops and tools.
On a daily basis —Linux 6.17, GNOME 49, Wayland by default— and background changes like Dracut, sweat-rs, Coreutils in Rust and new apps (Loupe and Ptyxis), this beta lays the groundwork for a polished edition that will soon see the light of day in its final version.
