New long-term support version of Ubuntu is now up for grabs

Feb 13, 2020 05:53 GMT  ·  By

Canonical has recently announced a new long-term support version of Ubuntu for desktop, server, and cloud, all running on Linux Kernel 5.3

Known as Bionic Beaver, Ubuntu 18.04.4 LTS comes alongside all the other flavors that are based on this system, including Kubuntu and Xubuntu (you can find the full list, along with links to their release notes, in the box after the jump).

Just as expected, the new release comes with all the patches and security fixes included in the latest updates, and given it’s an LTS version, it’s specifically focused on stability and compatibility going forward.

Five years of maintenance updates

“Like previous LTS series, 18.04.4 includes hardware enablement stacks for use on newer hardware. This support is offered on all architectures and is installed by default when using one of the desktop images,” the Ubuntu team explains.

“As usual, this point release includes many updates, and updated installation media has been provided so that fewer updates will need to be downloaded after installation. These include security updates and corrections for other high-impact bugs, with a focus on maintaining stability and compatibility with Ubuntu 18.04 LTS.”

Devices where Ubuntu 16.04 is already installed will be offered an upgrade to the new version in the Update Manager, so no further actions are required. This means Ubuntu 18.04.4 LTS will land on these devices as an automatic upgrade that can be performed without any cost.

Since it’s a long-term release, Ubuntu 18.04.4 LTS will receive maintenance updates for a total of 5 years for Ubuntu Desktop, Ubuntu Server, Ubuntu Cloud, and Ubuntu Base. On the other hand, if you install the other flavors that are based on Ubuntu, you’ll only get updates for three years, after which an upgrade to a newer release will be required going forward.

Ubuntu 18.04.4 LTS Flavors Release Notes