Ubuntu Cinnamon 22.04 -- A great 22.04 release!

[harlan4096]

The most well-known and arguably most widely used Linux system, Ubuntu, has a flavour called Ubuntu Cinnamon, which has been updated to 22.04 to match the latest Ubuntu release. This new version brings 5 years of support with it.



The Ubuntu Cinnamon downloads page has not been updated with the new files yet, days after release...but the blog post above, announcing their official release, has the download links.

I’ve not used the default ‘flavour’ of Ubuntu for longer than enough time to write a review of it, and then quickly scrub it off my system in years...But it’s not because Ubuntu isn’t a great OS, it’s just because I haven’t liked the Desktop Environments that default Ubuntu has shipped with since it used GNOME 2.x...Ubuntu is a rock solid system, with some of the largest support channels available, so for anyone who wants to dip their feet into the Linux way of life, Ubuntu might be for you, especially if you’re used to MacOS.

However, I adore the Cinnamon environment, and it's a constant battle between Cinnamon and KDE for supremacy in my world...So, I decided to give Ubuntu Cinnamon 22.04 a spin, and boy am I glad I did!

My Specs:

• Ryzen 5 3500X
  
• 32GB DDR4 3200Mhz
  
• AMD Radeon 6900XT
  
• 2x 1080P Screens + 1x 21:9 1440P Screen
  
• Audio through DAC/Amp combo unit plugged in via USB-C
  

Installation

At this point, if your Linux OS doesn’t install in 5 minutes with very few button clicks, you’re doing it wrong...And thankfully, Ubuntu Cinnamon does it right. Installing the system was a breeze, and I was able to install the OS alongside a windows partition on the same drive, without any issues. During installation I did opt for installing third party drivers and codecs, so when installation was done and I was booted into the system my GPU worked quite fine and I had zero issues at all when testing things out. I didn’t do any extensive testing, but it was obvious that my GPU was functioning properly; and all monitors were at their optimal resolutions by default however I did need to increase the refresh rate of my main monitor, as it was set to 60 and can go up to 100.

Included Software and Features

Some of the new features of Ubuntu (all flavours) 22.04 are:

• Wayland is default when using non-NVIDIA graphics
  
• Active Directory upgrades and further support
  

In regards to the Active Directory support, the Ubuntu blog says, “In 22.04 we bring Active Directory integration to the next level with full installer integration and ADsys, a client that enables full Group Policy support, privilege escalation and remote script execution.”
Ubuntu Cinnamon 22.04 also comes with pretty well all the basic essentials, providing you did not select ‘minimal’ during install. You’ll find Firefox, LibreOffice, Thunderbird, Rythmbox, GIMP, and Transmission all installed by default, so you’ll have a great head-start on having everything you need.

Performance

Ubuntu Cinnamon flew. My machine is no slouch, so I expected smooth performance, but I was a little surprised at how snappy and responsive the system was, even with everything at default. With LibreOffice Writer open and Firefox with 3 tabs open, my system used at most 6% CPU usage, and 2.5GB of RAM used. This system was installed on a SATA SSD, not NVME, but it flew when installing things, surfing the web, and when writing this review.

Final Thoughts

I might keep Ubuntu Cinnamon 22.04 installed for a little while and play with it more. I use Ubuntu on some of my servers, and I’ve always enjoyed Ubuntu for its simplicity, larger package / software repositories, and the huge community for support at times...It’s a great system, I just hate the Unity Desktop Environment. But, with Ubuntu Cinnamon, I get a more personally preferred environment, and all the benefits of the latest Ubuntu release.

I've had this installed for about a week now since writing this article originally, and I'm still using it, and have seen no reason or need to change it; and I'm picky! So, that's just this nerds opinion.
 
Will you be giving the new Ubuntu an install? Have you used Ubuntu in the past? What about Ubuntu Cinnamon as an alternative to the original? Let us know your thoughts in the comments!
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