Xubuntu 19.04: The Exhaustive Update

Xubuntu 19.04 “Disco Dingo” is just around the corner. It features numerous updates and an updated snapshot of Xfce 4.14 development. If you want to see all the changes, you’ve come to the right place!

What’s New?

Click here for a complete list of package changes.

Changes to the Xubuntu Packageset

Orage and Quick Launcher, Gone!

• Orage Calendar is no longer included. This decision comes following a team vote during the November community meeting.
• Xfce Quick Launcher Plugin has been removed from the Debian and Ubuntu archives due to it no longer being supported.

AptURL Now Included!

AptURL provides an easy way to link to and install packages from the repositories. It supports most browsers and works without any additional configuration when installed. Anytime you see an apt:// link on the internet, just click and install. For example, why not install Super Tux Kart?

GIMP Returns!

It’s back! Not seen in Xubuntu since 15.04 “Vivid Vervet”, GIMP (GNU Image Manipulating Program), the powerful and feature-packed image editor has been added back to Xubuntu 19.04. While it has a bit of a learning curve, there’s a number of tutorials on gimp.org to get you up to speed.

LibreOffice Impress Has Finally Arrived!

With the addition of LibreOffice Impress, the Xubuntu office suite is now complete! Impress makes it possible for users to quickly and easily produce and present high-quality presentations. It comes with a number of great templates already installed, and hundreds more at the LibreOffice Extensions website.

Updates to Existing Components

This list will quickly highlight some of the biggest changes in each new update.

Atril Document Viewer (1.20.2-1 to 1.20.3-1)

• Support was added for RAR-compressed comic archives
• Files are now saved in the same path they are opened from

Catfish File Search (1.4.6-1 to 1.4.7-1)

elementary Xfce Icon Theme (0.13.1-1 to 0.13.1-1ubuntu1)

• The icon theme now correctly inherits from the Adwaita icon theme, fixing some issues  with KDE applications (LP #1787989)

Exo (0.12.2-1 to 0.12.4-1)

• 

  The thumbnail directory was updated to align with other applications, reducing file duplication and speeding up the desktop (Xfce #14799)

• Improved icon view highlighting with GTK 3, with items now highlighted in the current theme’s selection color (Xfce #14971)
• Improved positioning of the icon view type-ahead search, the search overlay will now always be displayed on-screen (Xfce #14994)

Garcon (0.6.1-2 to 0.6.2-1)

• All application menu items are now rendered at the same size (Xfce #13785)
• Added support for the Keywords key in desktop entries (Xfce #10683)
• Added support for composite XDG_CURRENT_DESKTOP variables (Xfce #14137)

Gigolo (0.4.2-2 to 0.4.91-0ubuntu1)

• Ported to GTK 3! 🎉
• Improved appearance of various dialogs
• Improved sizing for the icon view

Greybird GTK Theme (3.22.9-0ubuntu1 to 3.22.10-1)

LibreOffice Elementary Style (1:6.1.2-0ubuntu1 to 1:6.2.2-0ubuntu2)

I feel like this update deserves a special mention. rizmut did an amazing job refreshing the elementary theme and making it consistent everywhere.

• Blurry icons are blurry no more
• Icons were updated to meet the elementary HIG
• Icons were made consistent between sizes, and a 32px size variant was added
• Numerous icons were added for various commands and menu options
• Support for the Notebookbar layout was vastly improved

MATE Calculator (1.20.2-1 to 1.20.3-1)

• Equations can now be entered using MathML
• Equations are copied from the calculator as ASCII text

Mugshot (0.4.0-1 to 0.4.1-1)

Parole Media Player (1.0.1-1build1 to 1.0.2-0ubuntu1)

• Fixed various issues with disabling plugins (LP #1698540)
• Fixed play button sensitivity items are added to playlist (Xfce #13724, LP #1705243)

Ristretto Image Viewer (0.8.3-1 to 0.8.4-0ubuntu1)

• Fixed thumbnail generation (Xfce #13419)
• Fixed memory leak related to thumbnail generation (Xfce #12034)
• Fixed opening of PPM files (Xfce #14709)
• Added file size to the status bar (Xfce #14791)

Thunar (1.8.1-1 to 1.8.4-1ubuntu1)

Thunar Archive Plugin (0.4.0-1 to 0.4.0-2)

• Support was added for the Engrampa Archive Manager (Debian #911370)

Thunar Volume Manager (0.8.1-2build1 to 0.9.1-1)

• Ported to GTK 3! 🎉
• Added support for Blu-Ray media (Xfce #13297)
• Automatic browsing of removable media now respects the default file manager (Xfce #9537)
• Notifications are now transient, reducing notification log spam

Xfce Application Finder (4.12.0-2ubuntu3 to 4.13.2-1)

• 

  Ported to GTK 3! 🎉

• Menu items without a name are no longer displayed (Xfce #14655)
• Applications can now be launched by pressing Enter once (Xfce #14469)
• The Application Finder will no longer crash when toggling bookmarks (Xfce #14134)
• A new preference was added to hide the category panel (Xfce #14893)
• Searches are now fuzzy (Xfce #10393)
• Improved application sorting and keyboard navigation

Xfce Desktop (4.13.2-0ubuntu1 to 4.13.3-0ubuntu2)

• Added orientation option for icon arrangement (Xfce #14979)
• Added support for the RandR primary monitor (Xfce #10688)
• Added integration for the AccountsService wallpaper
• Fixed crash with monitor changes (Xfce #14609)
• Fixed icon size in the “Open With” submenu (Xfce #14774)

Xfce Dictionary (0.8.1-0ubuntu1 to 0.8.2-1)

• Crashes related to invalid URLs were resolved (Xfce #14786)
• Web search links are only displayed when URLs are valid
• The link tooltip is now escaped, fixing display issues

Xfce Notifications (0.4.2-0ubuntu3 to 0.4.3-1)

• The fadeout preference is now correctly displayed (LP #1763674)

Xfce Panel (4.13.3-1ubuntu1 to 4.13.4-1ubuntu1)

Xfce Screenshooter (1.9.3-1 to 1.9.5-1)

• Added width and height to the region select overlay (Xfce #12664)
• Fixed delay functionality in the panel plugin (Xfce #14604)
• Fixed saving screenshots from the panel plugin (Xfce #15187)
• Improved Imgur upload results dialog (Xfce #14973)
• Improved support when XInput is not available (Xfce #15166)
• Improved support for HiDPI displays

Xfce Session (4.12.1-3ubuntu4 to 4.12.1-6ubuntu1)

• Replaced packaging recommendation on Xscreensaver with Light Locker (LP #1754872)
• Added support for MATE Screensaver and Xfce Screensaver

Xfce Settings (4.13.4-1ubuntu1 to 4.13.4-1ubuntu2)

• Fixed scrolling in the Settings Manager (LP #1653448)

Xfce System Load Plugin (1:1.2.1-0ubuntu1 to 1:1.2.2-1ubuntu1)

• Reworked preferences dialog (still functionally the same)
• The default update interval was updated to 0.5 seconds (Xfce #13536)

Xfce Task Manager (1.2.1-1 to 1.2.2-1)

• Builds now default to GTK 3, with GTK 2 being removed in the next release
• Improved UTF-8 normalization (Xfce #14172)
• Fixed crash when closing processes (Xfce #14466)

Xfce Terminal (0.8.7.4-0ubuntu1 to 0.8.7.4-2ubuntu1)

• Improved support for longer and more complex URLs

Xfce Weather Plugin (0.8.10-1build1 to 0.9.1-0ubuntu1)

• 

  Port to GTK 3!

• HTTPS is now used for all network connections (Xfce #13645)
• The latest Sunrise API (version 2.0) is now used (Xfce #14972)
• The displayed weather icon now respects the panel icon size
• Improved forecast background with both dark and light themes
• Improved spacing in the preference and forecast dialogs

Xfce Whisker Menu Plugin (2.2.1-1 to 2.3.1-1)

• Fixed crash when the menu is reloaded
• Fixed sidebar being wider than categories without icons
• Added buttons for individual logout commands (Xfce #14639)
• Added option to stay visible when focus is lost (Xfce #12240)
• Improved spacing in the preferences dialog (Xfce #14683)

Xubuntu Artwork (18.10.3 to 19.04)

• New desktop wallpaper for 19.04
• New release-agnostic wallpaper for Plymouth (see below tweet for a video)

With 19.04, #Xubuntu is back to a black boot background. This makes life a bit easier for the artwork team, while also making the boot process (boot/reboot -> GRUB -> Init) feel nice and clean. #discodingo pic.twitter.com/tvLs9qFEJF

— Sean Davis (@bluesabredavis) March 22, 2019

Xubuntu Default Settings (18.10.2 to 19.04.1)

• Added F4 accelerator to open a Terminal in Thunar (LP #1793395)
• Added Ctrl + Shift + F accelerator to open Catfish File Search from Thunar (LP #1793395)
• Added Shift + Print accelerator to capture a region screenshot (LP #1812234)
• Added GNOME/GTK 3 dconf keys for fonts (LP #1769774)
• Added support for startup notifications in Thunar’s custom actions (LP #1794118)
• The default inactivity mode is now set to Suspend on AC and Battery (LP #1768038)

Wrapping Up

You’re still here after all that, amazing! Excited about Xfce or Xubuntu, and want to help out? Share this post on your favorite social media and let everybody know how much you love our work. If you want to contribute (and anybody can, really!), check out the Xubuntu contributor documentation to learn how to get started.

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