Published Feb 19, 2026, 4:00 PM EST
Afam's experience in tech publishing dates back to 2018, when he worked for Make Tech Easier. Over the years, he has built a reputation for publishing high-quality guides, reviews, tips, and explainer articles, covering Windows, Linux, and open source tools. His work has been featured on top websites, including Technical Ustad, Windows Report, Guiding Tech, Alphr, and Next of Windows.
He holds a first degree in Computer Science and is a strong advocate for data privacy and security, with several tips, videos, and tutorials on the subject published on the Fuzo Tech YouTube channel.
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Ubuntu is a great distro, even for first-time Linux users. This April, Ubuntu 26.04 LTS will be out, and it ships with GNOME 50. If you have used Ubuntu long enough, this transition won't be a sudden break. The updates over the last few years should have prepared you for it. As recent Ubuntu releases have already started introducing GTK4 and libadwaita apps, GTK3 apps are beginning to take a back seat. 26.04 is only a continuation of this trend. Showtime will take the place of Totem, and Resources will phase out GNOME System Monitor.
I installed some of these new replacements via Flatpak, and it's safe to say that I won't miss the old tools. If I have any concerns, they are more philosophical, bordering more on what the direction signals than on the actual new tools.
Two decades later, it was time
Totem feels out of place
I have used and liked Totem (GNOME Videos) for about a decade. But the reality is that it's now stuck in GTK3 and doesn't show any real signs of upstream momentum. In fact, when Ubuntu made it an expanded installation option in 2023, I wasn't surprised.
Of course, there are better, more feature-rich video players, but what actually makes Totem feel stuck is that the rest of Ubuntu's desktop is advancing at a faster pace. Since GNOME integrated GTK4 and libadwaita, a lot has changed. The GNOME interface received a facelift with upgraded spacing, typography, and adaptive layouts. Amid these changes, Totem started to look out of place.
Ubuntu 26.04 introduces Showtime as its default, modern video player for the new GNOME, and its interface is a welcome upgrade from Totem. It features fading playback controls, supports rotation, playback speed, screenshots, and multiple language and subtitle tracks. It's the better option for modern media needs.
Showtime will be renamed to Video Player in Ubuntu 26.04.
Resources shows Canonical is choosing values, not just visuals
Accessibility is the tiebreaker
GNOME System Monitor was another tool that I believed did its job. But it's a stagnating GNOME Core app that hasn't seen much innovation to prepare it for modern hardware. Ubuntu 26.04 LTS replaces it with Resources, and it already feels much better.
The Resources tool monitors core system metrics, which include CPU, memory, storage, network, and GPU usage. Beyond this, for modern AI-capable hardware, it also monitors NPU activity. While the old GNOME System Monitor could not surface battery health details, Resources displays charge cycles, design capacity, and manufacturer information. Resources is built on GTK4 and libadwaita and enjoys seamless integration with the new GNOME stack.
Additionally, it's a GNOME Circle app with strong accessibility support. Compared to third-party Linux system monitor apps like Mission Center, the keyboard navigation and screen reader compatibility of Resources is more advanced. This is an important element considering that Ubuntu 26.04 is an LTS release; you will probably be using it for at least five years.
One downside in real-world use is that I always have to reset my column layout and sorting preferences between sessions. But for Ubuntu, this is a philosophical choice; rather than simply looking modern, it's trying to make the default user experience better suited for accessibility, hardware awareness, and coherence.
Software and updates is where the ground actually shifts
Simplifying the surface can reshape who Ubuntu is for
The most significant change Ubuntu 26.04 is making is removing Software & Updates from the default installation. This means the only way to access the package will be to install it manually.
Just like several other Ubuntu users, Software & Updates was my real introduction to how Ubuntu handles software sources. It was the tool that managed PPAs, repositories, and download mirrors. It even managed proprietary sources, NVIDIA drivers, and other driver selections. This is what Canonical developers had to say:
Many of the controls either aren’t useful for most people, or are easy to misuse...
This rationale makes sense. Lowering surface complexity reduces the risk of accidental misconfiguration. However, this is a philosophical conflict. The reputation of Ubuntu was built on the accessibility of powerful tools outside the terminal. It begs the question: Who is this default experience designed for if it makes it harder to discover driver management or PPA visibility? Could this be a factor that drives people away from Ubuntu?
Ubuntu 26.04 feels more intentional than any recent LTS
Ubuntu 26.04 LTS is in a pre-release, unstable development phase, and the only way I have truly been able to test it is by using the daily builds. However, I can still draw some conclusions. One that stands out is that Ubuntu no longer looks like a collection of apps from different eras. Adopting GTK4 and libadwaita results in consistent spacing, adaptive layouts, and a dark mode that has more uniform behavior.
I still believe power users may prefer VLC, not only because it's still the best open-source media player, but because Showtime still relies on GStreamer, which isn't great for certain hardware decoding scenarios. Also, GNOME 50 has removed the X11 session code, and this Ubuntu release will be a Wayland-only desktop. The only issue with this possibility is that older hardware and some proprietary drivers will need special attention throughout the LT.
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