Ade Malsasa Akbar contact
Senior author, Open Source enthusiast.
Friday, August 11, 2017 at 11:25


Continuing Part 1, here's Preview Part 2 covering features & applications of Ubuntu 17.10 Alpha 2. While on Part 1 you see the desktop appearance, you'll see here its memory consumption, default apps, base system details, GNOME 3.24, and how easy Google Drive sync on Artful file manager. Keep in mind that this preview is based on pre-release version so there's probability the final version will have difference.

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Memory Usage


Ubuntu 17.10 "Artful Aardvark" Alpha 2 consumes around 1GB of RAM at idle time after freshly installed.


The biggest processes running are two gnome-shell (112MiB + 52MiB) and gnome-software (25MiB).


Default Applications


At Alpha 2, Ubuntu Artful brings its usual set of applications with GNOME 3.24 as its basis:

  • File manager: Nautilus
  • Web browser: Firefox
  • Email & RSS: Thunderbird
  • Office suite: LibreOffice
  • Webcam: Cheese
  • PDF reader: Evince
  • Image viewer: Eye Of GNOME
  • Image editor: Shotwell
  • GNOME parts: Calculator, Calendar, Games (Mahjongg, Mines, AisleRiot), Text Editor, Archive Manager, Rhythmbox Music Player, Videos, Software Center
  • Download manager: Transmission BitTorrent
  • Scan: Simple Scan
  • Remote desktop: Remmina


LibreOffice 5.3


Artful comes with the latest LibreOffice Stable 5.3.4.2. It brings Writer, Calc, Impress, and Math without Draw and Base.


Sources.list & Repo


In a simplest way, the Artful sources.list will have these four lines enabled.

deb http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ artful main restricted universe multiverse
deb http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ artful-updates main restricted universe multiverse
deb http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ artful-backports main restricted universe multiverse
deb http://security.ubuntu.com/ubuntu artful-security main restricted universe multiverse


GNOME 3.24


Artful brings the latest GNOME Desktop Environment version for now, it is 3.24. Most of GNOME components are already 3.24 here, such as the Shell, File Manager, even Terminal. GNOME is the replacement for Unity as the official Ubuntu user interface starting from 17.10.


If you want to check it via console, use  dpkg -l  to find them like this:



GNOME Shell Extensions


The desktop on Artful is compatible with GNOME Shell Extensions. For example, I can install my favorite Netspeed Indicator right from its website. However, Artful Alpha 2 doesn't come with GNOME Tweak Tool preinstalled.



Nautilus 3.24


The file manager of Artful is Nautilus, or simply Files 3.24.



GNOME Calendar 3.24


Artful comes with Calendar from GNOME with Week tab and sync features to Google Calendar online service.


Here's my Google Calendar being accessed from Artful:


Easier Sync


Artful comes with Online Accounts feature so you can connect to Google Gmail or GDrive, Facebook, Flickr, or even Nextcloud right from the desktop. For example, here's my Google account being synchronized on Artful and I can choose between many choices (Mail, Calendar, Files, etc.).



Here's Artful file manager showing my Google Drive after synchronizing:



GNOME Software 3.24


Artful helps you install applications using latest GNOME Software. You can install Flatpak using it, right from right-click on a .flatpakref/.flatpak file or just visit http://flatpak.org/apps.html and GNOME Software will install it for you.


GNOME Software installing a Flatpak from a .flatpakref file.



Base System


The detail about Artful Alpha 2 system is here:

  • Kernel 4.11
  • GNOME Shell version 3.24.3
  • XWayland 1.19
  • XOrg 7.7
  • Snap 2.26.10
  • GDM 3.24.2
  • APT 1.5
  • GNU libc 2.24, coreutils 8.26, binutils 2.28, bash 4.4, gnupg 2.1.15

More Info


There are many interesting news and info about Artful: