14 DAY TRIAL // As Ubuntu 14.04 LTS (Trusty Tahr) is getting close to the final release in April, the Ubuntu developers are also preparing to end the series of kernel updates for this development cycle.
Canonical will integrate Linux kernel 3.13.x in the final version of Ubuntu 14.04 LTS (Trusty Tahr), although a lot of users have been hoping that Linux kernel would be out in time for the current release.
During one of the previous Ubuntu Developer Summits, the Linux kernel team from Canonical expressed their hopes for a 3.14 release that would be just in time for Ubuntu 14.04 LTS (Trusty Tahr), but that obviously didn't happen.
Unlike Canonical, the Linux kernel developers and maintainers don't abide by a specific schedule and it's very hard to predict what version will be out in six months (this is the development cycle for the Ubuntu distro). You can make some general assumptions but, like with any major project, there are delays and unforeseen problems that can postpone a release or that can force the launch of another Release Candidate.
“The 3.13.0-19.40 Trusty kernel has been uploaded to the archive. We'll anticipate one more upload before kernel freeze on Thurs Apr 3. If there are any patches which need to land in our 14.04 Trusty kernel, get them submitted to the Ubuntu kernel team mailing list asap. After kernel freeze, all patches are subject to our Ubuntu SRU policy,” said Joseph Salisbury from Canonical.
Ubuntu 14.04 LTS (Trusty Tahr) will be released with three years of support for the desktop version and with five years of support for the server version. This means that the new operating system from Canonical will be around for some time. Just look at Ubuntu 12.04 LTS, which is still widely used today, even if other Ubuntu versions have been released since then.
It would have been nice to get a newer Linux kernel, 3.14 for example, but keep in mind that the LTS build of Ubuntu benefits from point releases, which usually come with kernel updates. This means that Ubuntu 14.04.1 will most likely feature a much newer – maybe even better – version than Linux kernel 3.14.
Ubuntu 14.04 LTS (Trusty Tahr) is scheduled for launch on April 17. The final Beta freeze is already in place and the final kernel freeze is on April 3. The Ubuntu developers might do one more update until then, but 3.13 is definitely the final build for this release branch.