I'm tired of Windows updates, the monthly and all the updates that doesn't update to a new OS, breaking something and thinking in to set Ubuntu as main OS. So I have some questions before I move to the new OS.
What happens when the EOS(End Of Support) dates arrives in Ubuntu? Can I keep my OS running?
Ubuntu uses the unattended-upgrades package to automatically apply updates that are considered to be critical bugfixes and security updates. This is done in the background and does not interrupt use of your system. It will not force a restart, like Windows.
It can be disabled by removing the package with sudo apt remove unattended-upgrades.
However, this does not mean that you should never update your system. Regular updates are considered basic essential maintenance. It's generally considered best practice to fully update your system on a monthly basis, at a minimum.
There can be consequences for failing to update your system regularly.
There are the obvious reasons: you can open yourself up to security flaws and be subject to critical bugs.
However, Ubuntu/Debian/Linux also works very differently than Windows. In Windows, most applications are packaged with their own dependencies. In Ubuntu, most applications rely on other applications in the repositories (dependencies). One of the reasons you need to keep your system up-to-date is because in order for software to work properly, these dependencies need to be properly satisfied. While it may be commonplace for Windows updates to break things. It is probably more common in Linux for things to break when you don't keep things up-to-date.
In fact, when installing new software, you should make sure that your existing software is up-to-date before you attempt to add anything new. Failing to do this can result in dependency problems and a broken package management system.
There are also other considerations. For example, if you are running a standard release of Ubuntu, these releases only have 9 months of support after they are released. LTS releases enjoy longer support periods-- up to 5 years. If you do not keep your system up-to-date and you do not release upgrade before the end of support, you may find it difficult or impossible to release upgrade after the support period.
You can manually update your system any time with the following commands:
sudo apt update
sudo apt upgrade
As far as running a Ubuntu release past EOL or EOSS, it's not recommended. Once a release becomes unsupported, there are no longer package updates, including security updates and bug fixes. EOL and EOSS releases no longer receive community support, like on Ubuntu Forums and Ask Ubuntu. An EOL release is subject to all of the potential problems of not keeping an up-to-date system with the added burden of not having access to repositories.
There exists (Extended Security Maintenance) ESM support for LTS releases, however you must sign up for ESM support. The basic subscription to ESM is free for individuals, but does not include anything more than access to essential and critical updates. Updates that include new features are generally not offered, and there is no community support. Any additional support would need to be purchased from Canonical. Keep in mind that ESM is also designed for organizations and production environments where release upgrades involve a lot of moving parts that demand a lot extra testing and training and so forth. Even for organizations using ESM, it is strongly encouraged to migrate to a supported release as a priority. ESM is not designed for people who just don't want to update.
This answer is based on the clarifications made by OP in the comments to the question. OP is not asking about distribution upgrades, but periodic security and other upgrades.
Does Ubuntu force updates like Windows or I can choose if I want to update?
No. Ubuntu does not force updates like Windows. You can choose if and when and which app or kernel you want to update.
You may choose not to update anything at all at your own risk. This is not recommended.
I will repeat it again: You should update your Ubuntu computer regularly at your own convenience.
What happens when the EOS(End Of Support) dates arrives in Ubuntu?
You stop getting all updates.
It becomes harder to upgrade to a more recent version once the installed version reaches EOS.
Questions about EOS versions of Ubuntu are off-topic in this site with the exception of upgrading to a current version.
Can I keep my OS running?
Yes. Yes.
Microsoft provides three kinds of updates/upgrades according to my understanding.
These happen every second Tuesday of a month. Security and bug fixes are released. For home users, there is no escape. One has to install these updates sooner or later. Typically these monthly updates involves a reboot of the computer.
Windows 10 (and 11) typically has a "new version" once(used to be twice) a year. These updates include new features of the OS, updated or new apps, sometimes a slightly different looks of the OS. They are typically numbered by the last two digits of the year followed by the letter "H" and either "1" or "2" depending on if it is released on the first or the second half of the year. For example, Windows 10 21H2 was released in the second half of 2021.
According to Windows 10 Release Information:
Beginning with Windows 10, version 21H2 (the Windows 10 November 2021 Update), feature updates will be released annually in the second half of the year via the General Availability Channel.
More details about annual feature updates for Windows 11.
One can decline this update and stay in 21H2 rather than update to 22H1. However, at some point in time, for example, June 13, 2023 for 21H2, Microsoft will stop providing the Patch Tuesday updates for this release.
This is not an update, but it appears as an update in the Windows 10 Update settings.
Unlike Windows, Ubuntu does not have any monthly "Patch Tuesday" updates or semi-annual/annual feature updates.
Ubuntu updates fall under two categories:
Ubuntu does not have any update schedules. Security issues and bugs are fixed as they happen and released at the earliest possible time. However, as an user of Ubuntu you can choose if and when to update your Ubuntu system.
Exception Snap: Some default applications in Ubuntu come in Snap packages and more are available in the Snap Store. Snap applications are confined, standalone Linux applications that bundle all their necessary dependencies, which means they do not need to rely on the underlying system. These Snap packages update on their own without any action from the user or the OS. This link has more information about how to manage Snap updates. Also see Pending Update of Snap Store
Ubuntu comes with an app called Software & Updateto help you make some of these choices. It is also possible to manually edit the appropriate configuration files (these are plain text files) and get more fine-grain results.
The picture above shows the Update tab of the Software & Updates app.
First: Choose which updates you want:
Note, you must subscribe to one of the three above.
Second: Choose how frequently Ubuntu should check for updates:
Note the last choice. If you select Never, you will never be notified of any pending updates. You will have to manually check for updates, and then you can decide whether to accept or reject them.
The next two options does not apply if you choose Never to automatically check for updates.
Third: What to do when there are security updates
Fourth: What to do when there are other updates
Finally: There is the matter of new versions of Ubuntu. Notify me of a new Ubuntu version:
If you know that a specific update for an app, say Firefox, has a bug, you can keep your installed version of Firefox and not update it by typing a command like:
sudo apt-mark hold firefox
And Firefox will not be updated again until you "unhold" it.
Similarly, there are means to revert back to the previous kernel if the new kernel has issues with your hardware.
Here is an example of a bug that was caused by an update and was fixed:
No system tray detected after latest update for some applications
On the GUI side, the Software Updater app will pop up if you decide above. If not, you may start the app anytime you want to update your computer.
The app will check for updates and display the available updates like this:
As you can see, there are both security and other updates available on this computer. You may highlight the upgrade and check the Technical Description. It will list changes from the installed version. In the picture above, you can see the two vulnerabilities were fixed in this security update to LibreOffice Calc. Then you may decide whether to update it or not.
Unlike Windows, Most Ubuntu updates do not require a reboot. A reboot is only required if the most essential system files like kernels are updated. Ubuntu does not reboot the computer on its own or bother you with pop-ups about the reboot. You can reboot the computer when you want.
If you enable this service, on your computer you don't have to reboot your computer after kernel updates. This service requires creating an online account and signing in and is limited to three computers for free for personal use.
There are two kinds of Ubuntu versions: 1. short term support (STS) and 2. long term support (LTS).
LTS versions are released in the even numbered years such as 2022, in the month of April. The newest LTS version of Ubuntu is 22.04. LTS versions are supported for 5 years. That is, you will get security and other updates for five years. Whether you ignore them or install them is up to you.
STS versions are supported for only 9 months. That is, you will get security and other updates for nine months from the date of release. A newer version of Ubuntu is released every fix months.
If you choose not to update your computer to a newer version of Ubuntu, before that version reaches the end of life, then your computer will not get any security and other updates and will not be supported in this site.
However, your computer will continue to keep working. You will not get any popup from Microsoft Canonical that your version of Ubuntu is not supported anymore and the sky is going to fall on you.
I recommend that you let Ubuntu automatically install security updates on your desktop computers if they are on 24/7. On laptops or computers that are only turned on occasionally I recommend checking for updates manually.
Hope this helps.
I think there is an important part of the Ubuntu ecosystem that needs to be mentioned, given that you explicitly complain about things like package regressions. Snaps are a software packaging framework that Canonical are extremely keen on pushing to their users. They are a convenient way to deploy software, but have nevertheless produced controversy in the community. Many popular applications are now packaged only as snaps, and a default Ubuntu user has little choice for opting out of them.
One "feature" of snaps is that the software publisher can force automatic updates of the software, outside the direct control of the user. The update can be delayed for a little bit, and sometimes regressions can be backed out of, but you are forced to eventually follow the main release track. The unfortunate serf who dislikes an update, or wants to postpone the update longer than they're permitted, is forced to package it themselves.
I recommend Debian, if this bothers you. To the best of my knowledge, they have retained the principle that the owner of a system is responsible for maintaining it. And it's very similar to Ubuntu in other respects.
You can choose if you want but may I ask why? Ubuntu isn't like windows and updates don't break things. Also, updates don't install when you turn off or on the computer. The only time I've ever had an update break something is when the nvidia drivers were installed improperly. This is no longer a problem because nvidia drivers are available through the main repositories and updates are now integrated with system updates.
You have to understand that, unlike windows, ubuntu does all the software updates through the package manager. So when you do an update, you're simply checking if individual software packages need updates. If any are available, they are applied and it usually takes less than 60 seconds total. Since everything is in individual packages, there are no system updates that upgrade your entire interface like they do on windows.
More along the lines of a system update would be a kernel update which also usually takes less than 60 seconds to install. Again, this rarely breaks devices (driver issues) but if this does, you can always choose to boot an older kernel from your grub menu before you boot.
As for breaking the system, like I mentioned, the system will sometimes break if you've installed some third party driver manually. This case scenario is extremely rare as nearly all drivers are included in the Linux kernel or are available through the package manager or a ppa.
As for reverting your settings, this will not happen unless you explicitly allow it. If an update needs to replace a configuration file, it will ask you if you want to keep your existing version. Additionally, most settings are configured through your user's home directory and these configuration files are off limits to any updates.
More often than not, people run into problems with their system or installing software when they do not update their system. Personally, I update the system daily and don't have any issues. Windows is a completely different story.
sudo apt-mark hold <packagename> to prevent updates for that specific package. This is by no means a reason to not update the rest of the system.
– mchid
Jun 18 '22 at 23:16
snaps. As far as OS-only updates, you're right, I don't ever remember one causing problems. Doesn't mean it could never happen - but I would agree that balancing the risks either way, installing official updates is the better decision. (And that Ubuntu is much more trustworthy than Windows).
– John C
Jun 19 '22 at 13:55