If I install Ubuntu 18.10 (non LTS) now, then follow all the releases until next year where we will get the next LTS, will I (next year) be able to install the new LTS from my non LTS? I am not talking about downgrading, but upgrading to the next LTS from a non LTS system.
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3Yeah you can. You need to make multiple hops. From 18.10 to 19.04 to 19.10 to finally 20.04. It's better to install a LTS version to avoid these hops, i.e. 18.04. – Kulfy Mar 13 '19 at 17:00
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Thank you, can you post it as an answer. The reason I want 18.10 is that it solves alot of problems for me – Mar 13 '19 at 17:02
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Possible duplicate of Switch from normal to LTS release and Can I skip over releases when upgrading? – karel Mar 13 '19 at 17:29
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1I asked the opposite question when I first joined Ask Ubuntu. Some of the answers may be interesting for you: https://askubuntu.com/q/101050/8698 – Dan Mar 14 '19 at 09:29
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Upgrade to a new Ubuntu release is always provided "over the air" if your current installation is still supported, i.e. not reached its respective end of life which is usually 9 months for a non-LTS versions and 5 years for LTS versions. These updates are provided irrespective of the fact that your installation is LTS or non-LTS. It is also to be noted that the release upgrades that would be provided can be managed via /etc/update-manager/release-upgrades or Software and Updates app in Upgrades tab.
Since 18.10 is non-LTS, you need to make multiple jumps (18.10→19.04→19.10→20.04) to get 20.04 LTS version. Whenever new release is available, to update simply run:
sudo do-release-upgrade
If you want to avoid such many jumps, install latest LTS, i.e. 18.04. In case of LTS, generally upgrades to LTS are not available until first point release, i.e. YY.MM.1, which is usually released in the month of July. This is because it may happen that there are some bugs reported in the initial version. So, you might not get updates for 20.04 but directly for 20.04.1 may be in July 2020.
Kulfy
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1I think that only LTS to LTS has to wait for first point release. From 19.10 to 20.04 will be available immediately in April 2020. – Soren A Mar 13 '19 at 17:18
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3Since the OP's first version is a normal release, once they reach the LTS version next year, they may need to make sure the following file
/sure etc/update-manager/release-upgradeshasPrompt=ltsinstead ofPrompt=normal. This is just so that they don't get prompted when a normal release is available. I'm not certain if it will be auto-updated. (do-release-upgradewill also mention that no new releases are available if Prompt was set tolts). – Dan Mar 14 '19 at 09:58 -
What's the typical use case for using a non-LTS then? It seems like you must upgrade it within 9 months over and over again. So what are the typical use cases for opting to install a non-LTS? – matanox Apr 27 '21 at 09:48
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2@matanster Ideally, to get new features/package versions without waiting for 2 years, i.e., next LTS release. For example, 21.04 has newer kernel, newer Python 3 version by default (though you can install them on 20.04 but they might won't work as expected or conflict with other packages or in worst case, may leave OS broken). – Kulfy Apr 27 '21 at 13:26
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