AnduinOS 1.4 is Released, Based on Ubuntu 25.10 (Questing)

 The AnduinOS team has announced the release of AnduinOS 1.4.0, the latest version of the project's Ubuntu-based Linux distribution that offers a familiar and easy-to-use experience for anyone moving to Linux. The new version is based on Ubuntu 25.10 and uses GNOME 49 as the preferred desktop.

v1.4.0 (Forked from 1.3.7)

• Changed the base system from Plucky (Ubuntu 25.04) to Questing (Ubuntu 25.10).
• Gnome was bumped to 49.
• Kernel was bumped to 6.17.
• Added a new language support for ro_RO for Romanian users.
• Added 3 new gnome-shell extensions: to automatically switch the accent color based on gnome settings. (Thanks to @florintanasa for the help)
• Removed switcher@anduinos gnome extension.
• Added AnduinOS To Go option in the boot menu to allow users to run AnduinOS with persistent storage on a USB drive.
• gnome-startup-applications was removed. See reason here.
• Use sudo-rs to as the default sudo command.
• Removed Gnome Evince and added Gnome Papers as the default PDF viewer.
• Removed X11 support. Wayland is now the only display server. (This change was from upstream Ubuntu 25.10)
• Uses Firefox ESR to replace the regular Firefox as the default web browser. This is because the Canonical launchpad http://ppa.launchpad.net/mozillateam/ppa/ubuntu/dists/questing/ no longer provides the latest Firefox builds for Questing.
• Added new app gnome-calendar as default calendar app. Pinned to the start menu by default.
• Added system-config-printer package to the default app list to support printer configuration.
• Removed gnome-console(kgx) as the default terminal app. Added ptyxis as the default terminal app.
• Removed Openweather Refined gnome extension. Added SimpleWeather gnome extension.
• Added NO_AT_SAME to ubiquity to fix a possible crash during installation.

Future of 1.3

Based on our Version Schedule:

1.3 is still under maintaiance until Jan 2026.

A lot of people are asking that is it possible to upgrade 1.3 to 1.4 directly?

A direct upgrade from 1.3 to 1.4 is currently feasible. However, given the significant differences between these two versions, we have been testing a solution that involves modifying the package source, running apt upgrade, and then applying all the new changes from 1.4.

This approach, however, carries significant risks. For instance, a crash during the upgrade process could leave the system with half new components and half old components. To eliminate these risks, we are currently developing and testing a safer upgrade strategy.

We will develop an upgrade script from 1.3 to 1.4 within the next two months (while 1.3 is still within its support window). This will allow 1.3 users to eventually transition smoothly to 1.4 without worrying about losing personal files. However, some features and settings may be reset, and some incompatible software might crash or be unable to update.

In summary, we are committed to not abandoning any 1.3 users and will ultimately help them transition to 1.4 safely and reliably. This plan is expected to be fully implemented by January 2026 at the latest.

Read the rest of the release announcement for further information and upgrade instructions.