Ubuntu 25.10 "Questing Quokka" is the next interim release that's on track to be a packed release, with the notable inclusion of sudo-rs and other Rust-based components signaling the oxidation of Ubuntu.
It is expected for an October 2025 release, but meanwhile, a development update by Canonical highlights what we can expect from it.
Ubuntu 25.10's New Terminal and Image Viewer
As revealed by The Questing Quokka Roadmap, Ubuntu 25.10 is set to arrive with the upcoming GNOME 49 release, which is expected to deliver many upgrades to further refine the desktop experience for users.
In line with that, they have set out to include two new applications, Ptyxis and Loupe, which will respectively be the default terminal emulator and image viewer on Ubuntu 25.10.
A modern terminal emulator for GNOME, Ptyxis has been designed with a strong focus on providing container integration and an intuitive user experience for both developers and power users alike.
It has some really interesting features like integration for container tools like Podman, Distrobox, and Toolbx; a terminal inspector for debugging issues when writing terminal apps; a GTK4-based interface; and support for themes.
Ptyxis installation on Ubuntu, both APT and Flatpak methods.
If you can't wait for Ubuntu 25.10, then you can install Ptyxis on your Ubuntu system by running any one of the following commands.
Similarly, Loupe is the modern image viewer for GNOME, which was introduced as a replacement to the aging Eye of GNOME image viewer. Written in Rust, it takes advantage of GTK4 and Libadwaita to offer a sleek and responsive user interface that doesn't feel clunky.
Key features of it include extensive file format support, GPU-accelerated rendering, support for touch and gesture, detailed metadata display, and sandboxed image decoding to prevent insecure image file shenanigans.
Loupe installation on Ubuntu, both APT and Flatpak methods.
You can install Loupe on your Ubuntu system by running one of the following commands:
Fedora Workstation already adopted these two as the default terminal and image viewing apps a long time ago. It's good to see that Ubuntu finally made the switch, as in the past, it has preferred sticking to proven/older applications.
So, far, the Ubuntu 25.10 release is shaping up to be a big one. The roadmap mentions many other cool changes, too, like:
Full implementation of Variable Refresh Rate (VRR) support for a smoother visual experience.
At the risk of stating the obvious, this interim Ubuntu release is paving the way for the next long-term support (LTS) release, Ubuntu 26.04, which is scheduled to arrive in April 2026.
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