Ubuntu Summit "Extended" 25.10 in Thessaloniki: A celebration for the community and the new release

The heart of the global Ubuntu community beat strongly in Thessaloniki on Saturday, October 25th, as the local community celebrated the new Ubuntu 25.10 release and participated in the global Ubuntu Summit with its own event. Following the new hybrid format of the conference, where the main event took place in London on October 23-24, open-source enthusiasts in Thessaloniki organized a successful "Ubuntu Summit Extended" at the University of Macedonia.

The event was a unique opportunity for community members to connect with the global spirit of the conference, learn about the latest developments in the Ubuntu ecosystem, and, of course, celebrate the release of the new version.

A Deep Dive into Knowledge from London

The evening began in Hall 10 of the University of Macedonia, where attendees gathered to watch recorded talks from the main conference. The session kicked off with the opening remarks from the founder of Canonical and Ubuntu, Mark Shuttleworth. Through his words, the Thessaloniki community connected directly with the vision and future goals of Ubuntu, feeling the pulse of the latest developments.

Immediately after, the focus shifted to an unusual and fascinating topic with the talk "DOOM in space" by Ólafur Waage. The speaker presented the incredible story of the project to play the classic video game DOOM on a satellite, analyzing the technical and logistical challenges his team faced in collaboration with the European Space Agency.

Release Party for Ubuntu 25.10 "Questing Quokka"

After the screenings concluded, the celebration moved to a nearby shop for the traditional release party. In a more relaxed atmosphere, with plenty of pizza, sausages, and soft drinks, a lively discussion sparked around the new Ubuntu 25.10 release, codenamed "Questing Quokka."

Community members exchanged views on the new technological features introduced in the release. Particular emphasis was placed on significant security enhancements, such as the adoption of Rust-based tools like sudo-rs and uutils, which improve the system's memory safety. Also discussed were performance upgrades thanks to the new Linux 6.17 kernel and the refreshed desktop experience offered by GNOME 49. In parallel, ideas and proposals were put on the table for interesting projects that the university's open-source team could organize in the near future.

The date of October 25th proved to be ideal, allowing the local community to align with the global event, combining learning with fun and socialization.

This successful evening could not have been possible without the valuable support of Canonical, whom the Thessaloniki community warmly thanks for sponsoring both the global Summit and the local Release Party.