Check out the new features in the first point release of Ubuntu Jammy Jellyfish and how you can upgrade without touching the command line.
After a little delay due to installer issues, the first point release for Ubuntu 22.04 has officially been released. While point releases are often overlooked by users as they are not major upgrades, this time you should definitely run the upgrade immediately.
The biggest reason is that this point release incorporates all the bug fixes and security improvements that have been added since the first release of Jammy Jellyfish. So if you haven’t bothered to upgrade Ubuntu 22.04 since you first installed it, which you should have done from scratch, this point upgrade will add everything you missed in a times performed.
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Upgrade from 20.04
One of the biggest upgrades for end users will be the ability for 20.04 users to upgrade to the latest release without ever having to touch the command line. At some point, 20.04 users will see an upgrade prompt on their desktop, allowing them to easily migrate to 22.04.1. This is a big deal because in the past such upgrades would require running a number of commands. That means no more:
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get upgrade -y
sudo apt-get dist-upgrade -y
sudo do-release-upgrade -y
Of course, you should keep in mind that version 20.04 is an LTS (long-term support) release supported until April 2030 (though mainstream support ends in 2025), so there’s no need to upgrade. hurry. However, if you want the latest Ubuntu release, you’ll want to go through the upgrade process.
42 point GNOME release
Another point release found in 22.04.1 is GNOME 42, which has a new enhanced dark mode and switches to Wayland by default, with the inclusion of Xorg for unsupported hardware. One odd thing I’ve noticed is that Ubuntu still hasn’t switched to the new terminal and text editor.
Ubuntu 22.04.1 still uses Gedit and GNOME Terminal for those applications. When the official migration will happen for Ubuntu is a mystery. This is odd, since Fedora 36 has at least switched to the new Text Editor while still using GNOME Terminal as the default terminal emulator.
New tools and major bug fixes
Ubuntu 22.04.1 comes with the latest tools, including Python, Rust, Ruby, Go, PHP and Perl as well as new frameworks like OpenCV, TensorFlow, Keras, PyTorch, Kubeflow and kernel 5.15.0-46 . As far as security patches are concerned, one of the biggest ones is the Retbleed Specter mitigation for older CPUs (both AMD and Intel).
Other fixes include fixes for NVIDIA R515 graphics drivers, screenshot memory leaks, patches to fix various RDP issues, and more. To see the full list, be sure to check out Jammy Jellyfish release point changes.
Other additions/fixes
You will find many other new fixes and additions for Ubuntu 22.04.1, such as:
- A new Hardware Support stack for updated graphics drivers and a new kernel.
- LibreOffice 7.3.
- Brand new for installers.
- NetworkManager 1.36.
- Wayland now supports NVIDIA graphics drivers on hybrid systems.
- New Snap App for Steam, Kdenlive, Discord and OBS Studio.
- Certified for Dell XPS 13 Plus Developer Edition.
- Better Active Directory integration.
Why rush or wait?
Given that 22.04 is still fairly new, it’s a natural conclusion to not bother with point releases. However, in this case, you should definitely be interested in this upgrade. Even if it is only for the Fixed patch, this point release is required. Therefore, as soon as you see that upgrade prompt, take the time to complete it. Any chance you might apply security patches to your operating system (OS) should be taken seriously.
If you’re not a fan of upgrades and want to go the new installation route, you can download the point release from official Ubuntu download page and install without having to worry about the southward upgrade.
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