Ubuntu 18.04 LTS will be released tomorrow to the public. It is codenamed as “Bionic Beaver”. It will sports many new features, most importantly GNOME 3.28, Linux Kernel 4.15, Xorg as default video server, and will ship with a brand new welcome screen!
Canonical dropped the plan to include a default GTK+ community theme and also the suru icon theme. Though these are big eye candy setbacks, it doesn’t make the upgrade worthless due to the other exciting new features. If you haven’t checked the new features in the Bionic Beaver, head over to our article on “New Features in Ubuntu 18.04“. Today, we shall take a look at the new welcome screen.
Brand New Welcome Screen in Ubuntu 18.04 Bionic Beaver
We grabbed the latest Ubuntu 18.04 development build and test drove it. The first thing we noticed is the new welcome screen that popped up after installation is complete and just after logging in.
Clicking “next” took us into Canonical Livepatch setup screen. This is a convenience feature which allows users to update the Linux Kernel without the need to restart the PC. To set up Canonical Livepatch, you will need to have an Ubuntu SSO (Single Sign-On) account. It is a great option, especially for Ubuntu servers.
Livepatch Setup
The following step leads to the controversial data collection screen. Canonical thinks it makes Ubuntu better due to users feedback and so the option is enabled by default. You have the option to opt-out of it if needed.
Ubuntu 18.04 Data Collection Screen
The final step of the welcome screen displays few top apps that can be easily installed right away. There is also a convenient “Open software now” button, which takes you to Ubuntu Software Center, just in case you want to kickstart your journey by installing the apps you need.
Bionic Beaver Welcome Screen -Apps
