Ubuntu 26.10 is getting close to the finish line. Canonical has released the beta of Stonking Stingray, giving Linux users an early look at what should arrive later this month. While there are plenty of package updates and platform changes, Rust is one of the more interesting parts of this release.
The biggest change is hiding in some of the most basic commands Linux users take for granted. According to the Ubuntu 26.10 release notes, the operating system now uses the Rust-based uutils implementation for all of its default core utilities. The remaining GNU Coreutils holdouts, cp, mv, and rm, have finally made the move.
That means Ubuntu can now claim 100 percent Rust coreutils by default. For everyday users, this probably won’t feel dramatically different. Copying, moving, and deleting files should still work exactly as expected. Underneath, however, Canonical is continuing its push toward memory-safe software in some very fundamental parts of the operating system.
The Rust push doesn’t stop with coreutils. Ubuntu 26.10 also brings Sequoia PGP into the main archive. This Rust-based OpenPGP implementation is intended to eventually become Ubuntu’s default OpenPGP toolchain, with sq and sqv serving as counterparts to gpg and gpgv. The older GNU tools aren’t disappearing yet, though, and both remain available in the main repository.
Stonking Stingray has plenty going on beyond Rust. The beta currently ships with a Linux 7.3 release-candidate kernel, while its updated development stack includes GCC 15.2, Python 3.14.7, Go 1.27, LLVM 22.1.6, OpenJDK 25.0.4, Rust 1.97.1, .NET 10.0.112, and Zig 0.16.
Ubuntu Server users should also pay attention to an OpenSSH packaging change. GSSAPI and Kerberos support has been separated into dedicated packages, allowing fresh installations to use OpenSSH without that additional code when it isn’t needed. Ubuntu says this reduces security exposure, while systems that actually depend on GSSAPI or Kerberos can continue using the appropriate packages. The release upgrader is designed to detect existing usage and handle the transition automatically.
RISC-V support continues to expand as well. Ubuntu 26.10 officially supports multiple RVA23 platforms, including SpacemiT K3 boards and the SiFive BigSky platform. Ubuntu Desktop and Xubuntu Minimal RISC-V images are also available with support for SpacemiT K3 and QEMU.
The Ubuntu 26.10 beta announcement covers Ubuntu Desktop, Server, WSL, and Cloud images, along with all of the official flavors. Canonical says the images should be reasonably free of showstopper installer and image-building bugs, but this is still prerelease software and additional fixes will arrive before launch.
Want to try Stonking Stingray now? Here are the beta downloads:
- Ubuntu and Ubuntu Server
- Edubuntu
- Kubuntu
- Lubuntu
- Ubuntu Budgie
- Ubuntu Cinnamon
- UbuntuKylin
- Ubuntu MATE
- Ubuntu Studio
- Ubuntu Unity
- Xubuntu
The final version of Ubuntu 26.10 is expected on October 15. I’m particularly interested in Canonical’s continued embrace of Rust. Replacing familiar GNU components deep inside Ubuntu isn’t something most desktop users will notice immediately, but it shows where the distribution is heading. Stonking Stingray may have a ridiculous name, but some of the changes underneath it are quite serious.
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