--- title: "Ubuntu 26.10 is out with GNOME 51 and an unfinished Linux 7.3 kernel" description: "Canonical released the final Ubuntu 26.10 on 15 October 2026, shipping a Linux 7.3 kernel that is not yet finalised. A short-lived interim release deserves a second look before you install it." canonical: https://inyourgeek.com/en/articles/2026-10-15-ubuntu-26-10-est-sorti-avec-gnome-51-et type: article author: "Sébastien Soulier" publisher: "InYourGeek" language: en datePublished: 2026-10-15 dateModified: 2026-10-15 section: "Software" tags: ["ubuntu", "linux", "gnome"] --- # Ubuntu 26.10 is out with GNOME 51 and an unfinished Linux 7.3 kernel > Canonical released the final Ubuntu 26.10 on 15 October 2026, shipping a Linux 7.3 kernel that is not yet finalised. A short-lived interim release deserves a second look before you install it. October 15, 2026 · Software · 2 min Canonical has released the final version of Ubuntu 26.10 on 15 October 2026, on the date it had planned long ago. You can download it from the official site, but the official flavours haven't caught up yet. They should arrive within the next few hours. If you want the short version: it's out, it's a short-term release, and its kernel is still a work in progress. ## An interim release, not an LTS Ubuntu 26.10 is not an LTS release. It gets nine months of support and must be upgraded every six months, whereas LTS releases only receive updates every two years. If you installed Ubuntu 26.04, this version won't reach you automatically: you have to change the associated setting yourself. For a machine you'd rather leave alone, the LTS remains the calmer choice. It's the sort of detail that slips your mind at the exact moment you click "Update". ## A "bold" kernel Next, the French tech outlet, calls Canonical's choices in putting this release together "bold". The most visible one is Linux 7.3, a kernel that is not finalised yet. Ubuntu 26.10 ships with GNOME 51 and that kernel, and the part of the article available here doesn't say what still needs finishing in the kernel. So it's hard to judge the technical side from this source alone. What we can say is that the bet is deliberate, and it's being placed on a release with a short shelf life. On a workstation, you'd be wise to keep your caution on. ## Beyond the desktop This release also brings, for the first time, ISO images for the RISC-V architecture. For regular Ubuntu, they're only available in the Daily repository, which holds unstable nightly builds. For Xubuntu, the variant built on the Xfce desktop, the ISO is stable. The timetable didn't quite hold either. The beta, planned for 24 September, arrived on 1 October, which left less than two weeks of testing before the final release. Anyone who likes a leisurely testing period has had to adjust their expectations. ## What comes next Canonical has already named the next release, 27.04, codenamed "Tenacious T-Rex". As for 26.10, the release is out the door, the kernel is still unfinished, and the source doesn't say when that will change. A name that promises tenacity, for a release that will ask a bit of it from anyone who installs it. ## Sources - [[MàJ] Ubuntu 26.10 est disponible avec GNOME 51 et un noyau Linux 7.3](https://next.ink/259478/la-beta-dubuntu-26-10-est-disponible-avec-gnome-51-et-un-noyau-linux-7-3/) — next.ink _Article written with AI assistance from the cited sources, reviewed and approved by a human before publication._ --- Equivalent HTML page : https://inyourgeek.com/en/articles/2026-10-15-ubuntu-26-10-est-sorti-avec-gnome-51-et Published by InYourGeek — https://inyourgeek.com/en/a-propos Method and safeguards : https://inyourgeek.com/en/methode All articles : https://inyourgeek.com/en/archives