Ubuntu developers decided to remove wget from the default installation of Ubuntu Server 25.10, in favor of wcurl, which offers similar functionality.
The package has been removed from the default seed (which contains the packages that make up a default installation and are included in the ISO). It will not be immediately available on new installations, and existing Servers that are upgraded will not be affected.
Instead, wget will be moved to the 'supported' seed which groups packages that are officially supported by Canonical but are not installed by default. They receive security updates for the lifetime of the release and remain available in the main software repository.
Why this change?
The goal of switching wget from wcurl is part of a broader effort to simplify Ubuntu Server and reduce the number of duplicate tools included in a default installation.
"The Ubuntu server seed has not been evaluated for some time. The goal is to reduce installations to those that are necessary and useful," he says John Chittum, Engineering Manager in the Public Cloud team at Canonical.
The goal is to create a default Ubuntu Server installation that covers a wide range of needs, while removing unnecessary packages to reduce the size of the installation. Other tools removed in this cycle include the terminal multiplexers byobu and screen (leaving only tmux).
Although the press releases will range from very select to rare, I said I'd pass...because sometimes the editors hide.
