Ubuntu 19.04 – Release Date, Features & More

Everything you need to know about the new Ubuntu 19.04 – release date, new features, code name, download links, and more.

After our posts on Ubuntu 18.04 and 18.10, it’s time to create a new post about 19.04.

This release is NOT going to be an LTS release.

Ubuntu 19.04’s codename is Disco Dingo

Following Ubuntu’s usual naming standard, the next letter they use is D. Dingo is a type of dog native to Australia, and we already know what Disco is. There still hasn’t been any official statement of what the name actually means. Interestingly enough, “dingo” is an (outdated) Australian slang term meaning “a cowardly or treacherous person”, though people rarely use it in that context nowadays. So that alone has left the Ubuntu community coming up with hundreds of interesting meanings behind the name.

Here’s the new Disco Dongo wallpaper:

There’s a grayscale version and the wallpapers are available in png and higher resolutions here.

Canonical recently posted Disco Dingo artwork on their Twitter:

Only 45 days until Ubuntu 19.04 – Disco Dingo 🎧 is released! We decided to get the disco started early, by unveiling our new mascot. Party on 🍾 pic.twitter.com/VHqa1wNYEU

— Ubuntu (@ubuntu) March 4, 2019

Ubuntu 19.04’s release date is the 18th of April, 2019

The official stable version of Ubuntu 19.04 will be released on 18.04.2019, hence the “04.19” number version.

Here’s the exact release schedule, which is subject to change:

• 29th of November, 2018 – Feature Definition Freeze
• 3rd and 31st of January, 2019 are the first 2 Ubuntu Testing Weeks. Testing weeks are essentially Alpha/Beta releases. They’re optional. A “testing week” lasts from Tuesdays through Thursdays. With this change, Ubuntu developers will encourage more testing and the releases would be quite faster, being daily, instead of frozen releases for a few days. You can read more about that here.
• 21st of February, 2019 – Feature Freeze. At this point, no new features will be introduced, with rare exceptions. Developers and users will only work on improving the existing features.
• 28th of February, 2019 – Another Testing Week.
• 14th of March, 2019 – UI Freeze. No further changes will be done to the user interface. If you’re writing documentation, tutorials, or take screenshots, then it’s safe to start from this day onwards.
• 21st of March, 2019 – Documentation String Freeze. No changes will be made to the documentation. if you’re a translator you can start translating the documentation on this date.
• 28th of March, 2019 – Beta Freeze. If you can’t wait to try out the new Ubuntu release, I’d personally recommend starting on this date. Though it’s always safe to start with the final release.
• 4th of April, 2019 – Kernel Freeze.
• 11th of April, 2019 – Final Freeze. Nothing will be changed, added, or updated, with rare exceptions of fixing bugs, if any are found just then.
• 18th of April, 2019 – Final Release. The date of the official release date of Ubuntu 19.04. Everyone can update to this release now.

Ubuntu 19.04 will get 9 months of updates

As per usual, non-LTS releases get 9 months of updates till they reach their End Of Life. So Ubuntu 19.04’s EOL should be somewhere around January 2020.

New (possible) features in Ubuntu 19.04

There still isn’t any concrete info on what the planned new features will be, but we can still guess.

A lot of Ubuntu 18.10’s new features got postponed, so it’s likely that they’ll come back in 19.04. Some software is scheduled to release a new version during 19.04’s development cycle, so it is likely that the new version will be included in 19.04.

Anyway, here’s a list of the features:

GNOME 3.32

GNOME 3.32 is scheduled for release on 13th of March, 2019, which is pretty close to Ubuntu 19.04’s release date. It makes the perfect candidate for the new release.

Linux Kernel 5.0

Same as GNOME 3.32, it’s likely that the 5th version of the Linux Kernel will release during 19.04’s development cycle. Makes it a perfect candidate.

Android Integration

Planned for 18.10, but postponed, a better Android integration with GSConnect should be available in Ubuntu 19.04.

A new look for Ubuntu Software

It’s likely that the proposed Ubuntu Software mockups be implemented in the Ubuntu Software Center.

And more

Lots of new improvements, features, and bugs fixed. New snaps, performance improvements, new apps installed by default, and more.

Download links for Ubuntu 19.04

You can download the Desktop and Server images here.

We’ll update this page when there’s more info on Ubuntu 19.04, so make sure to check back. Not much is known as of writing this.

FAQs About Ubuntu 19.04

There are some questions that are usually asked when there’s a new release. Here are 19.04 FAQs with answers that might help beginners and anyone else.

Is Ubuntu 19.04 going to be an LTS release?

It’s a common misconception among beginners that all 04 releases are LTS. Ubuntu 19.04 will NOT be an LTS release. It will reach its EOL after 9 months.

Should I use Ubuntu 19.04 for a server?

You can if you want to test things out. Vultr offers servers starting at $2.50 per month, billed hourly, which is great if you want to quickly try it out as a server.

How can I try Ubuntu 19.04 without installing it?

You can use VirtualBox and create a virtual desktop (you can use VirtualBox on Windows too). You can also create a live CD/USB and try it out without installing it.

When is it safe to switch to 19.04?

It depends. If you want to stay perfectly safe, I’d recommend waiting at least a week after the official release. If you’re an experienced user you can switch around the Final Beta Freeze. It’s up to you, really.

If you’re using Ubuntu for production, don’t risk anything and postpone as much as you can. Try it out on a virtual machine or on a server before updating your production machine.

Any other questions about the new Ubuntu 19.04? Anything we missed? Leave a comment below!