What's the difference between LTS and Normal releases?

Question

In the download section I see choices for versions 13.10 and 12.04. Also, I notice that 13.10 will be supported for 9 months and 12.04 LTS has support until year 2017. I have read information in this forum explaining Ubuntu support and I guess I have an idea about what all this means.

The following is the conclusion I have:

If I install a short-term support version then it is a good idea to replace it as soon as a new version comes out.
If I install a long-term support version then I can keep it until the end of it. Support will be available for bugs, new hardware, new software, etc.

Am I correct?

Yes. Don't install 13.10 or 12.04: go to 14.04 directly... – Fabby Feb 09 '15 at 10:03 — Fabby, Feb 09 '15 at 10:03

score 2 · Answer 1 · edited Apr 13 '17 at 12:24

2

There is a some nice documentation on Ubuntu releases here:

I think LTS releases are supported for around 5 years, while normal ones are supported for around 2.

When the release has reached EOL (End Of Life), there are various methods of Upgrade available - see here for one.

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There are also some ridiculously long answers on Ubuntu releases, complete with a flowchart, here

edited Apr 13 '17 at 12:24

Community

1

answered Dec 11 '13 at 17:58

Wilf

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Avinash Raj · Answer 2 · 2013-12-11T18:20:57.077

1

Yes,you are absolutely correct.

LTS versions are realeased once after three normal ubuntu versions.

edited Dec 11 '13 at 18:20

answered Dec 11 '13 at 17:39

Avinash Raj

78,556

Once per four releases, actualy. – Nkciy84 Dec 11 '13 at 18:14
yes,see 12.04 is an LTS version after that 12.10,13.04,13.10 are not LTS.But the upcomming 14.04 is an LTS release. – Avinash Raj Dec 11 '13 at 18:18
whoops, misread.. – Nkciy84 Dec 11 '13 at 18:47

score 0 · Answer 3 · edited Sep 09 '19 at 13:16

Which one you install may be influenced by what type of work you do. If you do a lot of submitting articles to peer review journals, you may want to stick with the LTS versions as some of the reference managers (e.g., Zotero) don't update with every new version of Ubuntu, but do support the LTS.

The LTS should be the most stable and trouble free version for someone new to Ubuntu. If you like a steep learning curve and enjoy a challenge, then get the most recent and then try to make all your software and hardware compatible.

Good luck; Ubuntu is fabulous!

What's the difference between LTS and Normal releases?

3 Answers3