Ubuntu
| Distribution of Linux | |
 | |
 Ubuntu 24.10 desktop | |
| Architecture | amd64, i386 (formerly), ARM64, armhf, ppc64el, s390x |
|---|---|
| Release type | Fixed |
| Latest version | Ubuntu 24.10 |
| Initial release | 20 October 2004 |
| User interface | GNOME, Unity (formerly) |
| Package manager | APT (modified) |
Ubuntu is a distribution of Linux created in 2004 by Canonical Ltd. Unlike many other Linux distributions, Ubuntu is designed for use as a desktop OS and currently owns the third largest market share on operating systems.
Early versions of Ubuntu were derived closely from Debian, from the design of their server infrastructure to the tools used by the operating system. Over time however, Canonical invested in additional tools to differentiate its offering from Debian, such as Snappy, Unity, and AppArmor.
Versioning[edit | edit source]
Ubuntu uses a date-based version scheme, where the major version is the year of release and the minor version is the month padded by a zero if necessary, e.g. Ubuntu 10.04 is the April 2010 release. Each version also has a codename consisting of an adjective and animal name both starting with the same letter, which since Ubuntu 5.10 follows alphabetical order.
Two Ubuntu versions are released each year, one in each half of the year (usually in April and October). The first release in even years is a Long Term Support release ("LTS") supported for five years, but Canonical offers the Ubuntu Pro service to provide additional coverage for ten years. Ubuntu Pro is a commercial service available for personal use on up to five machines for free, but requires registration to use. Other releases are referred to as Interim releases, and are only supported for nine months, after which it is recommended to upgrade to a newer version.
Flavors[edit | edit source]
The standard Ubuntu desktop uses GNOME; however, there are alternative variants called flavors, which are based predominantly around alternative desktop environments and use cases. Unlike derivatives, which typically set up extra repositories and potentially change some of Ubuntu's internals, flavors only change the default software installed and depend solely on Canonical's own repositories.[1]
| Name | First | Last | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kubuntu | 5.04 | — | Uses KDE Plasma and KDE Frameworks |
| Edubuntu | 5.10 | — | For use in education. Originally discontinued after 14.04, then revived for 23.04. |
| Xubuntu | 6.06 | — | Uses the Xfce desktop environment |
| Ubuntu Studio | 7.10 | — | For use in multimedia production |
| Gobuntu | 7.10 | 8.04 | Strictly uses free software only; made obsolete by a setup option with the same effect in regular Ubuntu |
| Mythbuntu | 7.10 | 17.10 | Ubuntu with the MythTV media center |
| Kubuntu Netbook Remix | 9.10 | 10.10 | Kubuntu optimized for netbooks |
| Kubuntu Mobile | 11.04 | 11.10 | Kubuntu with the KDE mobile environment |
| Lubuntu | 10.04 | — | Uses the LXQt desktop (LXDE until 18.10) |
| Ubuntu Kylin | 13.04 | — | Designed for the Chinese market |
| Ubuntu GNOME | 13.04 | 17.04 | Used the GNOME desktop; discontinued when Ubuntu discontinued Unity |
| Ubuntu MATE | 15.04 | — | Uses the MATE desktop, which itself is based on GNOME 2 |
| Ubuntu Budgie | 17.04 | — | Uses the Budgie desktop |
| Ubuntu Unity | 22.10 | — | Uses the Unity desktop |
| Ubuntu Cinnamon | 19.10 | — | Uses the Cinnamon desktop |
Timeline[edit | edit source]
| Name | Codename | Release date | Support end date | ESM end date | Initial kernel version |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ubuntu 4.10 | Warty Warthog | 20 October 2004 | 30 April 2006 | — | 2.6.8 |
| Ubuntu 5.04 | Hoary Hedgehog | 8 April 2005 | 31 October 2006 | — | 2.6.10 |
| Ubuntu 5.10 | Breezy Badger | 13 October 2005 | 13 April 2007 | — | 2.6.12 |
| Ubuntu 6.06 LTS | Dapper Drake | 1 June 2006 | 1 June 2011 | — | 2.6.15 |
| Ubuntu 6.10 | Edgy Eft | 26 October 2006 | 25 April 2008 | — | 2.6.17 |
| Ubuntu 7.04 | Feisty Fawn | 19 April 2007 | 19 October 2008 | — | 2.6.20 |
| Ubuntu 7.10 | Gutsy Gibbon | 18 October 2007 | 18 April 2009 | — | 2.6.22 |
| Ubuntu 8.04 LTS | Hardy Heron | 24 April 2008 | 9 May 2013 | — | 2.6.24 |
| Ubuntu 8.10 | Intrepid Ibex | 30 October 2008 | 30 April 2010 | — | 2.6.27 |
| Ubuntu 9.04 | Jaunty Jackalope | 23 April 2009 | 23 October 2010 | — | 2.6.28 |
| Ubuntu 9.10 | Karmic Koala | 29 October 2009 | 30 April 2011 | — | 2.6.31 |
| Ubuntu 10.04 LTS | Lucid Lynx | 29 April 2010 | 30 April 2015 | — | 2.6.32 |
| Ubuntu 10.10 | Maverick Meerkat | 10 October 2010 | 10 April 2012 | — | 2.6.35 |
| Ubuntu 11.04 | Natty Narwhal | 28 April 2011 | 28 October 2012 | — | 2.6.38 |
| Ubuntu 11.10 | Oneiric Ocelot | 13 October 2011 | 9 May 2013 | — | 3.0 |
| Ubuntu 12.04 LTS | Precise Pangolin | 26 April 2012 | 28 April 2017 | 26 April 2019 | 3.2 |
| Ubuntu 12.10 | Quantal Quetzal | 18 October 2012 | 16 May 2014 | — | 3.5 |
| Ubuntu 13.04 | Raring Ringtail | 25 April 2013 | 27 January 2014 | — | 3.8 |
| Ubuntu 13.10 | Saucy Salamander | 17 October 2013 | 17 July 2014 | — | 3.11 |
| Ubuntu 14.04 LTS | Trusty Tahr | 17 April 2014 | 30 April 2019 | 25 April 2024 | 3.13 |
| Ubuntu 14.10 | Utopic Unicorn | 23 October 2014 | 23 July 2015 | — | 3.16 |
| Ubuntu 15.04 | Vivid Vervet | 23 April 2015 | 4 February 2016 | — | 3.19 |
| Ubuntu 15.10 | Wily Werewolf | 22 October 2015 | 28 July 2016 | — | 4.2 |
| Ubuntu 16.04 LTS | Xenial Xerus | 21 April 2016 | 30 April 2021 | 23 April 2026 | 4.4 |
| Ubuntu 16.10 | Yakkety Yak | 20 October 2016 | 20 July 2017 | — | 4.8 |
| Ubuntu 17.04 | Zesty Zapus | 13 April 2017 | 13 January 2018 | — | 4.10 |
| Ubuntu 17.10 | Artful Aardvark | 19 October 2017 | 19 July 2018 | — | 4.13 |
| Ubuntu 18.04 LTS | Bionic Beaver | 26 April 2018 | 26 April 2023 | 26 April 2028 | 4.15 |
| Ubuntu 18.10 | Cosmic Cuttlefish | 18 October 2018 | 18 July 2019 | — | 4.18 |
| Ubuntu 19.04 | Disco Dingo | 18 April 2019 | 23 January 2020 | — | 5.0 |
| Ubuntu 19.10 | Eoan Ermine | 17 October 2019 | 17 July 2020 | — | 5.3 |
| Ubuntu 20.04 LTS | Focal Fossa | 23 April 2020 | 23 April 2025 | 23 April 2030 | 5.4 |
| Ubuntu 20.10 | Groovy Gorilla | 22 October 2020 | 22 July 2021 | — | 5.8 |
| Ubuntu 21.04 | Hirsute Hippo | 22 April 2021 | 20 January 2022 | — | 5.11 |
| Ubuntu 21.10 | Impish Indri | 14 October 2021 | 14 July 2022 | — | 5.13 |
| Ubuntu 22.04 LTS | Jammy Jellyfish | 21 April 2022 | 21 April 2027 | 21 April 2032 | 5.15 or 5.17 |
| Ubuntu 22.10 | Kinetic Kudu | 20 October 2022 | 20 July 2023 | — | 5.19 |
| Ubuntu 23.04 | Lunar Lobster | 20 April 2023 | 25 January 2024 | — | 6.2 |
| Ubuntu 23.10 | Mantic Minotaur | 12 October 2023 | 11 July 2024 | — | 6.5 |
| Ubuntu 24.04 LTS | Noble Numbat | 25 April 2024 | 31 May 2029 | 25 April 2034 | 6.8 |
| Ubuntu 24.10 | Oracular Oriole | 10 October 2024 | 17 July 2025 | — | 6.11 |
| Ubuntu 25.04 | Plucky Puffin | April 2025 | TBA | TBA | |
|
Legend:
Old version
Older version, still supported
Current stable version
Latest preview version
Future release
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References[edit | edit source]
- ↑ UbuntuFlavors, Ubuntu Wiki.