What’s New in Ubuntu 17.10? A Deep Dive into GNOME, Wayland, and the Ubuntu Dock

Ubuntu 17.10 "Artful Aardvark" is the latest short‑term support release of the world’s most popular Linux desktop operating system, introducing a substantial upgrade over previous versions.

Ubuntu 17.10 uses a brand‑new desktop launch

This is the first Ubuntu version to ship with GNOME Shell as the default desktop, replacing Unity. Features such as HUD, global menus, and other Unity‑specific elements have been removed.

The new desktop layout consists of a full‑height vertical dock on the left side of the screen and a stripped‑down top panel.

Ubuntu Dock

The Ubuntu Dock acts as both a task manager and an application launcher, showing running windows as dots and providing quick access to favorite applications.

It is global across all workspaces, displaying icons from every workspace regardless of the current view.

Activities and Workspaces

The main desktop area remains usable for placing icons, folders, and files, a feature that GNOME Shell’s vanilla version disables.

Users can manage running applications via the Ubuntu Dock or the Activities screen, which appears when pressing the Super/Windows key or clicking the Activities label.

Workspaces are displayed as two separate desktops on the right side of the Activities view, allowing windows to be moved between them.

Applications

Clicking the Ubuntu Dock’s bottom icon opens the Applications view, showing all installed software in alphabetical order with scrollable pages.

Applications can be launched by clicking, using arrow keys and Enter, or via touch on touchscreen devices.

Appearance

Ubuntu 17.10 retains the Ambiance GTK theme and Ubuntu Mono Dark icon set, and includes a custom GNOME Shell theme that uses the Ambiance palette for top bars, menus, and dialogs.

Lock Screen

GDM3 (GNOME Display Manager 3) now handles login and lock screen duties, replacing LightDM and Unity Greeter.

The lock screen requires a key press to reveal the password prompt, but notifications from selected applications can still be displayed.

Wayland is the default display server

Ubuntu 17.10 switches to Wayland as the default display server for new installations and upgrades, while still offering an X.org session for compatibility.

Users can select “Ubuntu on Xorg” from the gear menu on the login screen if needed.

New Settings app

The Settings application has been redesigned with a new side‑panel layout, consolidating various panels into a more consistent design.