Ubuntu to Reduce Non-LTS Support
Technical board votes for shorter support cycles on standard releases.
The Ubuntu Technical board has voted to change the support period for non-LTS releases from 18 months to 9. Ubuntu developed the concept of LTS “Long Term Services” releases to extend support for enterprise customers who were more interested in stability and continuity than in chasing the latest new release. An LTS version appears appear every two years and are supported for 5 years. The current LTS version is Ubuntu 12.04. The change affects all releases that aren’t LTS releases, which the Ubuntu community now refers to as “standard” releases. Since standard releases appear every 6 months, the 9 month support window provides continuous support until the next standard version appears and gives the user three months to upgrade.
The Ubuntu community has gone through an active discussion for the last few months about possible changes to the release schedule. Ubuntu VP Rick Spencer suggested a rolling release schedule, which would basically eliminate that need for standard release entirely, but founder Mark Shuttleworth was ultimately unwilling to take this extreme step. The compromise developed by the Ubuntu Technical board affirms the importance of standard releases but minimizes redundant maintenance efforts and provides a greater share of resources for maintaining the LTS versions.
The board also offer to devise a way for users or developers to “track the tip of development” without waiting for a full release. This concept is similar to what Spencer originally proposed as a “rolling release.” According to the Ubuntu website, “The general idea is that a user could opt for continuous upgrades on what is essentially the development release.”
They agreed to implement this change effective with version 13.04 and later. The LTS releases will continue to be supported for the full 5 years. Visit here to read the IRC log of the meeting online.
Issue 261/2022
Buy this issue as a PDF
News
-
GNOME 43 To Bring Some Exciting New Features
GNOME 43 is getting close to the first alpha development release and it promises to add one particular feature that should be exciting to several users.
-
KaOS 2022.06 Now Available With KDE Plasma 5.25
The newest iteration of KaOS Linux not only adds the latest KDE Plasma desktop but sets LibreOffice as the default.
-
Manjaro 21.3.0 Is Now Available
Manjaro “Ruah” has been released and includes the latest Calamares installer, GNOME 42, and much more.
-
SpiralLinux is a New Linux Distribution Focused on Simplicity
A new Linux distribution, from the creator of GeckoLinux, is a Debian-based operating system with a focus on simplicity and ease of use.
-
HP Dev One Linux Laptop is Now Available for Pre-Order
The System76/HP collaboration Dev One laptop, geared toward developers, is now available for pre-order.
-
NixOS 22.5 Is Now Available
The latest release of NixOS with a much-improved package manager and a user-friendly graphical installer.
-
System76 Teams up with HP to Create the Dev One Laptop
HP and System76 have come together to develop a new laptop, powered by Pop!_OS and aimed toward developers.
-
Titan Linux is a New KDE Linux Based on Debian Stable
Titan Linux is a new Debian-based Linux distribution that features the KDE Plasma desktop with a focus on usability and performance.
-
Danielle Foré Has an Update for elementary OS 7
Now that Ubuntu 22.04 has been released, the team behind elementary OS is preparing for the upcoming 7.0 release.
-
Linux New Media Launches Open Source JobHub
New job website focuses on connecting technical and non-technical professionals with organizations in open source.