Ubuntu 24.04 LTS ‘Noble Numbat’: What’s New in Performance, Toolchains, and Desktop?

Canonical has officially announced Ubuntu 24.04 LTS, code‑named Noble Numbat , succeeding the 22.04 LTS “Jammy Jellyfish”. The release promises at least 12 years of support, significant performance engineering improvements, and integration of TCK‑certified Java, .NET, and the latest Rust toolchain.

Key highlights include the Linux 6.8 kernel, an upgraded desktop installer, the newest GNOME desktop, and various gaming enhancements. The system now uses Netplan for network configuration, offers a modernized installer, new Ubuntu fonts, and extensive performance optimizations.

New management utilities such as the graphical Firmware Updater, native support for Raspberry Pi 5, Netplan 1.0 for advanced network management, and default Snap integration for Mozilla Thunderbird are also included.

New System Interface

Several screenshots illustrate the refreshed desktop environment.

Performance Engineering Tools

Ubuntu 24.04 LTS ships with the Linux 6.8 kernel, delivering improved system‑call performance, nested KVM support on ppc64el, and support for the emerging bcachefs filesystem. Low‑latency kernel features are merged into the default kernel, reducing scheduling delays.

Frame pointers are enabled by default on all 64‑bit architectures, allowing performance engineers to generate complete flame graphs for CPU and off‑CPU analysis. Brendan Gregg notes that the performance gains far outweigh the modest overhead.

bpftrace is now a standard tracing tool, and pre‑loaded analysis utilities give site‑reliability engineers immediate access to critical resources.

Developer Toolchain Enhancements

The release includes Python 3.12, Ruby 3.2, PHP 8.3, and Go 1.22, with a strong focus on .NET, Java, and Rust.

.NET 8 receives full support throughout the LTS lifecycle, including on IBM System Z platforms.

OpenJDK 21 is the default Java version, while OpenJDK 17 and 21 are TCK‑certified; OpenJDK 11 is available for Ubuntu Pro users with FIPS compliance.

Rust 1.75 and an easier‑to‑use Rust toolchain via Snap are provided, supporting the growing use of Rust in key Ubuntu packages.

New Management Tools for Desktop and WSL

The desktop installer now shares the same technology as Ubuntu Server, enabling automated installations and cloud‑init image customizations for developers.

The UI has been rebuilt with a modern design using Flutter.

Ubuntu Pro adds an Active Directory group‑policy client with enterprise proxy configuration, permission management, and remote script execution for mixed Windows‑Ubuntu environments.

Canonical continues to invest in Ubuntu on Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL), treating it as a premier platform for developers and data scientists. Starting with this LTS, WSL Ubuntu supports cloud‑init for standardized image customization.

Conclusion

Ubuntu 24.04 LTS marks the tenth LTS release since the first “Dapper Drake” in 2006, reflecting Canonical’s commitment to extensive improvements across the board. Interested users can download the ISO from the official site.

Download address: https://ubuntu.com/download

Further reading: https://ubuntu.com/blog/canonical-releases-ubuntu-24-04-noble-numbat https://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2024/04/ubuntu-24-04-released