Ubuntu 17.04 Zesty Zapus available now

Ubuntu 17.04 code named Zesty Zapus is the 26th release for Ubuntu and is available to the end users. The release was in development from some time and will be supported for 9 months from April. The new Ubuntu release will support Kubernetes, Docker, LXD and Snaps and contains various bug fixes and software updates. With Mark Shuttleworth announcing the shutting down of Unity DE, the 17.04 and 17.10 release will run Unity 7 only. 

What's new in Ubuntu 17.04 Zesty Zapus 

Running on Linux Kernel 4.10, Ubuntu 17.04 has various new features and updates. 

• LibreOffice updated to 5.3
• Supports printers which allow printing without printer-specific drivers. 
• 32-bit PowerPC support dropped 
• Default DNS resolver is now systemd-resolved.
• For new installs, a swap file is used instead of swap partition. 
• Apps provided by Gnome has been updated to 3.24.
• Calendar app has a week view now.
• Unity 8 is available as an alternative session. 

and more. You can read the complete update logs here.

The Ubuntu 17.04 release will use a swap file instead of swap partitions making the use of OS a bit faster in a resource crunch situation. Also, the Snaps is now been supported across 10 distributions including Arch and Fedora. Snap is a packaging tool from Canonical. There is support for AMD Ryzen and Intel Kaby Lake processors. 

Download Ubuntu 17.04 Zest Zapus 

You can download the latest Ubuntu release from the official website : https://www.ubuntu.com/download/desktop. You can find download links and torrents links to download Ubuntu 17.04 Zesty Zapus. 

Upgrading to Ubuntu 17.04 from Ubuntu 16.10

To upgrade to Ubuntu 17.04 from 16.10, open Dash and search for Software Updater. 

• In Software Updater, Select Updates and set the Notify me of a new Ubuntu version drop down menu to For any new version. 

• Press Alt + F2 and type update-manager which will open the update manager confirming you for a new release availability. 

• Click Upgrade and follow the on-screen instructions to upgrade to Ubuntu 17.04 Zesty Zapus. 

My Thoughts

If you are running the Ubuntu 16.04 LTS release, I will suggest to stick to it and wait for the next years 18.04 LTS release since the 17.04 Zesty Zapus do not pack something great. However, if you are a Ubuntu lover and wants to remain updated, go for it.