Ubuntu 19.10 Bundles NVIDIA Drivers in ISO for First Time

Ubuntu 19.10 Ships with Default NVIDIA Support and Experimental ZFS

On October 17, 2019, Canonical released Ubuntu 19.10, codenamed Eoan Ermine. The image weighs just over 2 GB and is available only in 64-bit; users seeking a clean install must download it from the official site, as there has been no direct upgrade path since the previous LTS. It promises the fastest boot yet thanks to LZ4 compression. It also breaks two traditions: proprietary NVIDIA drivers are included in the ISO for the first time, and the ZFS filesystem appears as an installable option, though marked highly experimental.

What’s New in Ubuntu 19.10 Eoan Ermine

The version jump is substantial. Linux Kernel 5.3, GNOME 3.34, and PulseAudio 13.0 arrive alongside the latest versions of Firefox, Thunderbird, and LibreOffice. The Yaru theme and icons have been tweaked, the application launcher now supports folder creation, Calendar event creation is improved, and a new set of wallpapers lands. None of this alone would make headlines, but it adds up: this is the last regular release before the next long-term support (LTS) edition, a detail that shapes everything else.

On paper, the crown jewel is the boot process. LZ4 compression should yield startup times better than any previous release. The problem is that average users don’t reinstall every six months to measure stopwatches.

Who Can Upgrade to 19.10 and Who Must Wait

Upgrading directly from Ubuntu 19.04 is possible. From 18.04 LTS, it is not: those users must wait for the next LTS, Ubuntu 20.04. This split isn’t a technical whim; it’s the consequence of a model maintaining two support speeds that struggles to coexist internally.

In practice, anyone on an LTS wanting to try Eoan Ermine has two paths: wait over a year or perform a clean install using an ISO slightly larger than two gigabytes. And only 64-bit, as 32-bit images no longer exist. With that starting point, any promise of convenience clashes with an uncomfortable reality for those with older hardware gathering dust in the garage.

NVIDIA Drivers Inside the ISO: Breaking Tradition

For years, installing Ubuntu with NVIDIA graphics was a ritual: fresh system, flickering screen, and an entire afternoon wrestling with proprietary drivers. Now, the installation screen itself offers the option to select the latest driver for your card. A first in distro history.

This decision is controversial within much of the free software ecosystem, which sees it as a concession to proprietary code. The counterargument gaining traction among users is more pragmatic: if you own the computer and the GPU, ideological purity doesn’t pay the electricity bill. The declared benefit is clear for a specific profile—the gamer—who saves themselves that awkward step.

The Battle for 32-bit Software: Steam and WINE

The other open front concerns 32-bit libraries, whose official support has been largely abandoned. Trinc controversy with Valve and Steam, Canonical committed to maintaining functional space for legacy software, namely Steam and WINE. It’s a bare-minimum promise that satisfies no one completely.

In reality, some argue the issue is already resolved: Valve integrates Wine into Steam, allowing Windows titles to run on Linux. The opposing view is that relying on a third party’s goodwill for your game library to function isn’t exactly robust architecture. The doubt remains unresolved.

Can You Game and Edit Photos on Linux Like on Windows?

Here, opinions split. On one side, those claiming games run better than on Windows and that Steam’s Wine integration leaves no excuses. On the other, those stating that until performance matches Windows, the system doesn’t count.

Graphics issues inflame passions further. Some users describe a winding path to edit photos, create video montages, or simple collages, ending up buying PaintShop Pro in a bundle and finding, by their experience, it beats GIMP hands down. Responses from the other side list alternatives: ten photo editors, best video editing programs, free compatible office suites like WPS Office. Another practical tip circulating: use the Disks tool to format USBs; for WhatsApp, a browser with synced sessions suffices. The gap isn’t in tools, but in friction.

LTS vs. Six-Month Releases: An Unresolved War

The most repeated criticism targets not Ubuntu 19.10 itself, but the cycle producing it. Critics argue intermediate six-month versions are a calamity the company insists on maintaining, driving people away through errors and surprises. The only sensible recommendation, they insist, is sticking with LTS.

Defenders of the cycle claim these releases are effectively betas for advanced users, and the flaw lies in not emphasizing enough that ordinary users should always stick to LTS. Meanwhile, conversation shifts to alternatives: Debian 10 as a reference choice, Mint for comfort despite its outdated fruta. Underneath it all, the recurring joke: 2020 will be the year of Linux.

With kernel 5.3 inside, NVIDIA drivers out of the closet, and 32-bit support in limbo, Canonical’s model prioritizes convenience over dogma. Whether that’s enough to stop someone from formatting to install Windows is a question no October release answers alone.