Ubuntu Cinnamon 22.04 - A great 22.04 release!

Mike Turcotte-McCusker
May 2, 2022
Updated • Jun 7, 2022
Linux
|
40

The most well-known and arguably most widely used Linux system, Ubuntu, has a flavour called Ubuntu Cinnamon, which has been updated to 22.04 to match the latest Ubuntu release. This new version brings 5 years of support with it.

The Ubuntu Cinnamon downloads page has not been updated with the new files yet, days after release...but the blog post above, announcing their official release, has the download links.

I’ve not used the default ‘flavour’ of Ubuntu for longer than enough time to write a review of it, and then quickly scrub it off my system in years...But it’s not because Ubuntu isn’t a great OS, it’s just because I haven’t liked the Desktop Environments that default Ubuntu has shipped with since it used GNOME 2.x...Ubuntu is a rock solid system, with some of the largest support channels available, so for anyone who wants to dip their feet into the Linux way of life, Ubuntu might be for you, especially if you’re used to MacOS.

However, I adore the Cinnamon environment, and it's a constant battle between Cinnamon and KDE for supremacy in my world...So, I decided to give Ubuntu Cinnamon 22.04 a spin, and boy am I glad I did!

My Specs:

  • Ryzen 5 3500X
  • 32GB DDR4 3200Mhz
  • AMD Radeon 6900XT
  • 2x 1080P Screens + 1x 21:9 1440P Screen
  • Audio through DAC/Amp combo unit plugged in via USB-C

 

Installation

At this point, if your Linux OS doesn’t install in 5 minutes with very few button clicks, you’re doing it wrong...And thankfully, Ubuntu Cinnamon does it right. Installing the system was a breeze, and I was able to install the OS alongside a windows partition on the same drive, without any issues. During installation I did opt for installing third party drivers and codecs, so when installation was done and I was booted into the system my GPU worked quite fine and I had zero issues at all when testing things out. I didn’t do any extensive testing, but it was obvious that my GPU was functioning properly; and all monitors were at their optimal resolutions by default however I did need to increase the refresh rate of my main monitor, as it was set to 60 and can go up to 100.

Included Software and Features

Some of the new features of Ubuntu (all flavours) 22.04 are:

  • Wayland is default when using non-NVIDIA graphics
  • Active Directory upgrades and further support

In regards to the Active Directory support, the Ubuntu blog says, “In 22.04 we bring Active Directory integration to the next level with full installer integration and ADsys, a client that enables full Group Policy support, privilege escalation and remote script execution.”

Ubuntu Cinnamon 22.04 also comes with pretty well all the basic essentials, providing you did not select ‘minimal’ during install. You’ll find Firefox, LibreOffice, Thunderbird, Rythmbox, GIMP, and Transmission all installed by default, so you’ll have a great head-start on having everything you need.

Performance

Ubuntu Cinnamon flew. My machine is no slouch, so I expected smooth performance, but I was a little surprised at how snappy and responsive the system was, even with everything at default. With LibreOffice Writer open and Firefox with 3 tabs open, my system used at most 6% CPU usage, and 2.5GB of RAM used. This system was installed on a SATA SSD, not NVME, but it flew when installing things, surfing the web, and when writing this review.

Final Thoughts

I might keep Ubuntu Cinnamon 22.04 installed for a little while and play with it more. I use Ubuntu on some of my servers, and I’ve always enjoyed Ubuntu for its simplicity, larger package / software repositories, and the huge community for support at times...It’s a great system, I just hate the Unity Desktop Environment. But, with Ubuntu Cinnamon, I get a more personally preferred environment, and all the benefits of the latest Ubuntu release.

I've had this installed for about a week now since writing this article originally, and I'm still using it, and have seen no reason or need to change it; and I'm picky! So, that's just this nerds opinion.

 

Will you be giving the new Ubuntu an install? Have you used Ubuntu in the past? What about Ubuntu Cinnamon as an alternative to the original? Let us know your thoughts in the comments!

Summary
Ubuntu Cinnamon 22.04 -- A great 22.04 release!
Article Name
Ubuntu Cinnamon 22.04 -- A great 22.04 release!
Description
Mike gives an overview, and his opinion, on Ubuntu Cinnamon 22.04.
Author
Publisher
Ghacks.net
Logo
Advertisement

Previous Post: «
Next Post: «

Comments

  1. Norm said on July 22, 2022 at 5:39 am
    Reply

    I have to admit, I really wish the extra applications during install were optional. It would be nice if the install paused with a screen that let the user decide which additional apps he or she wanted to include during installation. Other than that, I’m quite happy.

    I’ve been using Linux off and on for 5 years but don’t consider myself a “seasoned user”. I still look a lot of stuff up on the internet and have an extensive document documenting my system. I have no idea how folks that are not in the computer industry or have no computer background ever cope with Linux or Windows for that matter. Things can quickly get complicated….

  2. Rush said on May 6, 2022 at 12:17 am
    Reply

    @MIKE TURCOTTE-MCCUSKER

    Great article, more Linux stuff please.

    You said, ” I was a little surprised at how snappy and responsive the system was, even with everything at default. ”

    Wait…….after a couple of updates, systemd will be in full effect….thus the reality of the s l o w down.

    Systemd won’t be happy until they own every kernel that is not M$.

    OpenRC for me, Arch Linux, ” Artix ” w/KDE Plasma. I still cannot get PC Linux to load on my system… a little leprechaun is in my shell, wining and dining with my TPM.

    LOL

  3. Klaas Vaak said on May 4, 2022 at 4:26 pm
    Reply

    @Jesse Bassett: so, you went from Mint to Ubuntu then back to Mint and conclude that Mint is the most user-friendly distro there is? Wow, that is quite a conclusion: not trying out 99.9% of the distros and still being able to judge them. How does that work?

  4. Jesse Bassett said on May 4, 2022 at 4:08 am
    Reply

    Mint is by far the most user friendly Linux distro out there to date. I used Ubuntu cinnamon for a bit but hate some parts of it. So back to mint I go….

  5. dmacleo said on May 3, 2022 at 6:35 pm
    Reply

    so I fired up a VM (virtualbox) to check this out.
    first default 22.04. hate gnome.
    then installed cinnamon.
    still a POS.
    https://distrowatch.com/weekly.php?issue=current
    DistroWatch Weekly, Issue 966, 2 May 2022
    I agree with Jesse here.

    I think the launch of Ubuntu 22.04 is a clear sign Canonical is much more interested in publishing releases on a set schedule than producing something worthwhile. This version was not ready for release and it is probably going to be a costly endeavour to maintain this collection of mixed versioned software and mixed display server and mixed designs for a full five years. It’s a platform I would recommend avoiding

    after 2 hours I deleted the vm. mint, to me, better.
    but thats whats good about gnu/linux stuff. you can configure and run what you want.

    1. Hubertus said on May 4, 2022 at 1:24 pm
      Reply

      So true. A plane doesn’t depart before the security steps have been taken and there’s fuel in the tank, no matter what time it was supposed to depart. It doesn’t take off and gets a point release mid-air. Just goooo..we’ll fix it lateeeeer… Same should apply to major linux distros, a set in stone release date even before any damn code is written is just beyond logic and that’s why we get all these unfinished things where everyone complains and waits for the first point release..which is as useless, since it doesn’t solve a problem it just is a quick band-aid fix. Throw away the schedule, thank you. I prefer a good and ready OS instead.

      1. Klaas Vaak said on May 4, 2022 at 4:23 pm
        Reply

        @Hubertus so, if you do not accept that an initial Linux release has teething problems (I don’t of many systems, computer and non-computer that do), why do you accept it from Windows? Even initial Mac releases have them – check out Big Sur and Monterey.

    2. dmacleo said on May 3, 2022 at 6:35 pm
      Reply

      grr block quote don’t work here, sorry. the paragraph with space before/after was copy/paste from distrowatch

      1. Rick said on October 24, 2023 at 11:13 pm
        Reply

        I’ve been using it for two weeks and love it. It’s how I felt about Ubuntu before they ruined it with unity. I can only assume the bugs reported on distro watch have been sorted with updates, my system is spot on. I like that I don’t want to install themes because it all looks great. I have been using lmde but I don’t like mint icons etc
        Great distro

  6. IO13853 said on May 3, 2022 at 1:43 pm
    Reply

    The beauty of live USB is that you are able to try any distro, without commitment, until you find what works for you.

    @SHIRO: KUDOS TO YOU! Well said.

  7. Anonymous said on May 3, 2022 at 5:55 am
    Reply

    I upgraded from ubuntu 20 to ubuntu 22 and it’s really awesome,, jellyfish experienced x4 faster than Ubuntu focal fossa,… Too smooth,, and UI and display is awesome <3, #dual boot system, running win10pro along ubuntu 22.. /// but still facing few problems, with python10, cuda installations, and web cam not working properly,,

  8. yanta said on May 3, 2022 at 3:57 am
    Reply

    I wish Mint would provide a base only distro.

    Without all the “tools” and “apps”. No, let’s call a spade a spade… Without all the “bloatware”. Nothing but OS and those programs required to manage the OS.

    Please let me choose what productivity programs I install.

    Every time I install Mint I have to spend hours uninstalling the default programs installing the stuff I prefer to use.

    Is Ubuntu the same? A Fully loaded distro?

    1. Superhater said on May 3, 2022 at 1:47 pm
      Reply

      @yanta

      Careful careful, you just personally insulted, belittled and caused serious emotional trauma to over 50 million linux users worlwide with your irrational and insane requirements that you and only you want. Install programs you prefer to use yourself???? What are you, a SAVAGE!!!!????????

    2. Klaas Vaak said on May 3, 2022 at 5:23 am
      Reply

      @yanta: there are user-friendly distros without bloatware, such as e.g. Solus.

  9. VioletMoon said on May 2, 2022 at 10:40 pm
    Reply

    Some update instruction could help:

    https://blog.linuxmint.com/?p=4216

    Mint is a wonderful distro; I devoted an entire tower and screen to it and use it as a VM on my main machine.

  10. Ubuntu said on May 2, 2022 at 4:14 pm
    Reply

    “At this point, if your Linux OS doesn’t install in 5 minutes with very few button clicks, you’re doing it wrong”

    I think partitioning is always slow and careful operation.

  11. Jellyroll said on May 2, 2022 at 3:56 pm
    Reply

    Found this tutorial on installing Cinnamon Desktop on Ubuntu 22.04

    https://linuxconfig.org/ubuntu-22-04-cinnamon-desktop-installation

    Enjoy

  12. Tony said on May 2, 2022 at 3:48 pm
    Reply

    Is there a way to bring rounded window decorations to all corners of every window in Cinnamon? I use KDE primarily because I like being able to use rounded corners.

  13. Pedro said on May 2, 2022 at 1:57 pm
    Reply

    The Unity Desktop Environment hasn’t been the main environment of Ubuntu for a few years. They moved back to Gnome.
    Also, if you want to use Cinnamon in an Ubuntu base just go with the original: Linux Mint.

  14. motang said on May 2, 2022 at 1:53 pm
    Reply

    I have been extremely amazed by 22.04. GNOME version is exceptionally good. Almost 100% of what I want in a desktop in my book. Very minor gripes that I can easily fix via a dconf editor (for example minimize on click dock setting). Aside from that all the tweak Canonical makes for GNOME for me are welcome and make GNOME that much better for usage. I feel like I can stick this on a system and forget about it and use it for my daily usage for the next few years. That being said I will try our Ubuntu Cinnamon, thanks for the article.

  15. John G. said on May 2, 2022 at 1:35 pm
    Reply

    I am certainly a beginner into the Ubuntu’s world, however I must say that it works like a charm! :]

  16. Henk said on May 2, 2022 at 12:46 pm
    Reply

    I agree with both @Anonymous and @Gerard above: overall, Linux Mint is probably the better alternative. But of course, to each his own!

  17. Superhater said on May 2, 2022 at 12:36 pm
    Reply

    “You’ll find Firefox, LibreOffice, Thunderbird, Rythmbox, GIMP, and Transmission all installed by default, so you’ll have a great head-start on having everything you need.” Boy, is that subjective ever. None of those would be my option in their categories. None of them. This is a big problem in linuxworld, what the developer thinks I need or want is hardly so in most cases. What linux needs is: while installing, present choices for all programs in all major categories. I do not feel that a torrent program is of any use to the average user, so choosing one while installing is not necessary. same goes for an email client, most of the planet do not use a dedicated client. Those of us who are serious about local music and have large collections, will never ever use something like Rhythmbox. The amount of people who HATE Firefox is also staggering. LibreOffice is far from being the best option, VLC comeoooooon etc etc.. it’s just a goddamn mess all that garbage they soil your fresh install with, most distros.99% of them. And here we have another fine example.. Also, minimal install should MEAN minimal too. It’s not, ever. Use this approach: Minimal, Custom, Standard, SUPER BLOATED, options while installing. You can rest assured not many will go for the last two. There, rant over. Go ahead, give me the usual crap yadada you can uninstall anything you like that’s the beauty and freedom of linux you should try arch yada dada yada doo
    STOP PREINSTALLING USELESS STUFF. PERIOD.

    1. AssBurger said on May 4, 2022 at 9:24 am
      Reply

      Even though @superhater is a bit emotional he/she not in the wrong. I’m a Ubuntu user since the 16.04 version, I’m by any stretch of the imagination a power user. However we can imagine during the installation process having a toggle button saying “check if you want the good stuff”, or choosing 1 by 1 the applications we want. Troll mode on: “Even an Apple user who decided to be in the right is able to read and check a box.”

    2. Hulusi Akar said on May 4, 2022 at 12:38 am
      Reply

      Superhater, are you by any chance also a “super” Canonical hater? Because people like you almost always turn out to be that.

    3. Superhater said on May 3, 2022 at 5:11 pm
      Reply

      Here’s some more for you all to get very upset over: I think that distros fill their systems with garbage just so it would feel like you get soooooo muuuuuuuch stuff, FOR FREE. You know, to impress. You want your pepperoni pizza, but it comes with extra shrimp cucumber banana peanuts ostridge-ass lettuce spam raisins eggs and a huge slab of oatmeal porridge! FOR FREE!!!!!!!!!! You can always change it if you want!!! That’s the BEAUTY of linux!!!!

      ..geee, thanks..

      You’re all wrong in the head.

    4. silly kid said on May 3, 2022 at 4:55 am
      Reply

      @Superhater

      What’s wrong with you, your post smells Assburger troll long way, just because it doesn’t fit Your fringe-ego needs there’s no need to whine, go and choose your Linux distro of choice and be done, there are some distros that offer several options of the install media with where a minimum install is one option so you can go and install SW the majority have never heard of, bye!

      1. Shiro said on May 3, 2022 at 9:13 am
        Reply

        I don’t care either way. What I do care about is your insult to Asperger’s people. Please edit your post and refrain from such silly degrading remarks in future, if you’re clearly not even aware what autism means.

    5. Klaas Vaak said on May 2, 2022 at 6:44 pm
      Reply

      @Superhater: whilst I see where you are coming from, your comments are a reflection of someone who is an experienced Linux user and know what he/she wants.

      But many users who move to Linux and choose Ubuntu are not familiar with many of the Linux-specific apps and are likely to be happy for the dev to make a choice for them. Then, as they get more familiar, they can move to other, more suitable apps.

      So, when you refer to “useless” stuff, you are expressing a highly subjective view that is yours, but the part of the Ubuntu community that does not agree with you is likely to be big, if not the major part.

      1. Superhater said on May 2, 2022 at 9:17 pm
        Reply

        @Klaas Vaak

        No. there should be no pre-made choices installed from the get go. Uninstalling things break linux in most cases. Remove something from supermegabloated Linux Mint and something else doesn’t work anymore. This is not user friendly at all. Install NOTHING without specific permission, instead after install (preferably during) present options that explain things for those who do not know. Not too many options. In fact most users today don’t even need a local music player for anything, ever. For some damn reason linux distros just ignore this and shove the same garbage programs automatically year after year..and we complain when Microsoft do it but should be THANKFUL when linux does the same thing? My “highly subjective” view is the most userfriendly view in this case. My initial rant still stands. Who knows, maybe one day some distro boss somewhere sees things from new users perspective but today none of them do. They complicate things. When I buy a house I want to choose furniture and drapes, I do not want to haul away all the “USEFUL” furniture and ugly drapes someone else picked for me before I can choose my own.
        Maybe one day this can be a reality.

      2. Klaas Vaak said on May 3, 2022 at 5:21 am
        Reply

        @Superhater: your comparison with buying a house does not make sense. People are familiar with what a house looks like and what goes inside from the day they are born.

        That is not the case with Linux, at all. Apart from the fact that the average user is not a techie, he/she is also mostly familiar with Windows or Mac.

        For people like you there are already bare bone distros.

      3. Sudo su said on May 3, 2022 at 5:06 am
        Reply

        “Uninstalling things breaks Linux in most cases.” Wow…you’re definitely not a seasoned Linux user. And it’s also super easy to remove the apps you don’t want and install what you do like to use. Like someone else mentioned, if you are that unhappy with what someone else is building for you, then maybe you should build your own kernel.

      4. Just an Ed said on May 3, 2022 at 12:43 am
        Reply

        You are obviously NOT a new user. So go Gentoo, build your own kernel.
        Sudo apt purge Superhater :-) (cordially, a simpleminded Mint man)

  18. piomiq said on May 2, 2022 at 12:09 pm
    Reply

    Not so great. Many users version 21.10 say that it was better.

    1. maturity said on May 3, 2022 at 5:11 am
      Reply

      Your shortcoming comment doesn’t make sense, first of, 22.04 LTS is not replacing 21.10, it is an LTS release (LTS = Long Term Support) and is replacing 20.04 LTS.
      22.04 LTS seem to be hastened though, but none the less, it’s nothing new when a very fresh release comes out there are always more bugs in the beginning, this is valid for both Windows and Linux, you would be better to wait through a few updates until maybe 22.04.2 LTS or 22.04.3 LTS the development team have ironed out the most annoying bugs and stuff, and that will take time.
      I remember when jumping on 18.04 LTS in an early stage, it was quite buggy, not until 18.04.3 or 18.04.4 did it get useful and that took over a year, Windows same headache, avoid using latest relase for the first year or even two.

  19. Gerard said on May 2, 2022 at 11:16 am
    Reply

    I think that Linux Mint with the Cinnamon desktop is the better Ubuntu Cinnamon.

    1. Paul(us) said on May 2, 2022 at 12:38 pm
      Reply

      I agree with @Gerard that Linux Mint is the best and with Cinnamon it’s even better.
      https://linuxhint.com/install_linux_mint_cinnamon/

  20. Yash said on May 2, 2022 at 9:01 am
    Reply

    Thanks for the article Mike. Helpful for this Ubuntu user.

  21. Anonymous said on May 2, 2022 at 8:59 am
    Reply

    The link you provided https://ubuntu.com does not show a Ubuntu Cinnamon available.

    Linux Mint is better for regular people running the desktop, like the people reading ghacks.net.

    Linux Mint is geared for regular people, and the provided tools work very well.
    Their software update manager is so much better than every other distro I’ve tried.
    You can easily pick the best servers, and it displays all the info I need when showing the download and install progress.

    The KDE/Plasma update tool Discover is not quite as good.

    The Ubuntu update tool is also inferior, plus it broke my system when upgrading from 18.04 to 20.04.

    Fedora has the worst update tool I’ve tried; I wasn’t able to see the progress as the tool was downloading or installing updates. I found their command line update tool better, but I deleted that distro.

  22. Tim said on May 2, 2022 at 8:42 am
    Reply

    Cinnamon is great. Perhaps it’s not the most innovative, but it definitely is well designed, functional, friendly and nice to look at. Ubuntu in its latest iteration and with any flavour (Gnome, Cinnamon etc) seems a solid and very good distro too. The only real problem is Snaps.

Leave a Reply

Check the box to consent to your data being stored in line with the guidelines set out in our privacy policy

We love comments and welcome thoughtful and civilized discussion. Rudeness and personal attacks will not be tolerated. Please stay on-topic.
Please note that your comment may not appear immediately after you post it.