Major differences between versions?

Question

I'm having problems with 12.10 and 13.04 regarding Steam (specifically Team Fortress 2 game) which at some random point I will experience a fps drop, something like from 200 to 10. I'm not sure but this could be a memory leak because the whole system gets slow afterwards, only a reboot to fix (sometimes a lightdm restart).

I even created a thread on Steam Linux Discussions reporting how to fix it on 12.04.1 by manually upgrading the kernel to 3.5.0-25 (Link HERE), but somehow if the kernel comes with the system (like on 12.04.2/12.10/13.04) the problem still persists.

I love 13.04 and 12.10, but I can't see any major differences in performance or anything else, just in their repositories (12.04 has "older" versions of the majority of programs out there). So, what makes 12.10/13.04 better than 12.04?

Welcome to Ask Ubuntu! Your question relates to an alpha or beta release of Ubuntu. Such questions are generally not within Ask Ubuntu's ambit. Please look at There's an issue with an Alpha/Beta Release of Ubuntu, what should I do? for further assistance. Thanks! — , Mar 02 '13 at 13:42
It's not only about the BETA, but 12.04/12.10 also, all seem to have the same issue about fps drops. — Amanda, Mar 02 '13 at 13:47
Also asked here: Major differences between 12.04/12.10/13.04?. — , Mar 02 '13 at 13:58
Hi vasa. I have copied the same question since the OP there didn't get any response in a short time. Here questions tend to get answered more quickly so I didn't open the same thread on the forums; — Amanda, Mar 02 '13 at 13:59

score 3 · Accepted Answer · answered Mar 02 '13 at 14:51

Most changes between different Ubuntu release versions are not very interesting to an average user. The newer version would usually include the latest software version available at the time of its development.

These include the kernel, various tool chains and many of the desktop applications. The newer versions of the software have lots of benefits, including

newer features
better performance and
various bug fixes.

While these might be non-obvious to users who are not overly interested in the development of Ubuntu, they are very much helpful in making the newer version better in every way possible.

If you are interested in all the technical and non-technical changes in 12.04 and 12.10, you can take a look at the release notes of both the versions:

The release notes lists all the major improvements of crucial components that is good to know for the end user.

Major differences between versions?

1 Answers1