Nathan's Journal Ramblings and other weird stuff nhaines



Which version of Ubuntu do I install? Every two years, the Ubuntu community works really hard to produce a stable, solid version of Ubuntu that we can be really proud of. A bit conservative, but ready to be reliable for the next 5 years, each Long Term Support (LTS) release is a technical and logistical triumph that everyone associated with Ubuntu can be proud of. And when businesses or novice users are looking for a way to use Ubuntu for everyday and production systems, a release such as Ubuntu 12.04 LTS is a solid place to start. When the next LTS is released, upgrades are easy and reliable. Ubuntu releases major updates every six months. Now known as “interim” releases, these non-LTS updates are supported for only 9 months after each release. This is enough time to join the next interrim release a bit later when any bugs have settled down. Upgrading is easy and graphical, and is a fairly pain-free process in most instances. For any expert or enthusiast desktop user, this is where new software and new features are and is always a tempting and useful choice for everyday desktops and development systems. When it comes to recommending Ubuntu to friends and family and at installfests, the question of which version to use is simple. When a new LTS is released, that's the version to install. And the question needn't be asked for another year. Anyone who wants a stable system to become familiar with should definitely use the latest LTS release. But the question gets a little harder as a year and a half starts to go by. LibreOffice is always getting better. Unity has continuously improved since 12.04 LTS and only shows signs of continuing as convergence work brings intriguing new features like Smart Scopes and HUD improvements. As 2014 dawns, there are fantastic opportunities ahead for Ubuntu and new users. But the question looms large: Which version of Ubuntu do I install? Ubuntu 12.04.3 LTS is as solid and reliable as ever, as Ubuntu 12.04.4 LTS will be in February. It's a trustworthy system with a little over 3 more years of security updates promised. And Unity works very well in this version. Everything is looking good for 12.04 LTS users. Ubuntu 13.10 was the result of a massive focus on getting Ubuntu running on smartphones and tablets in preparation for a major change in the way we think of computers and how they work for us. And while many of the changes aren't flashy, they are extremely beneficial. Core Ubuntu development came to rely on automatic software testing for each update, and as a result, Ubuntu 13.10 was as stable during development as it was during its release. Thanks to this major focus on careful updates, Ubuntu 13.10 is extremely reliable. Add to this the various usability improvements, greater hardware support thanks to the massive leaps in the Linux kernel this year, Smart Scopes, and updated software packages, this is probably the best Ubuntu desktop system that's been released in two years. In April, there will be no question that Ubuntu 14.04 LTS is the version of choice. With 5 years of support and the continuing development practices laid out for Ubuntu 13.10, it's guaranteed to be a premium experience whether on desktops, servers, smart phones, or tablets. But we can't install Ubuntu 14.04 LTS on user systems today. That would be irresponsible. And so we have two versions to choose from: Ubuntu 12.04 LTS and Ubuntu 13.10. Both of these will be upgradeable to 14.04 LTS. I'd like to advocate for Ubuntu 13.10 on new user systems until April. User experience Unity has changed and improved. Hardware support has come a very long way. And Ubuntu 13.10 much more closely represents the type of experience an Ubuntu user will have with 14.04 LTS. The software is stable and shouldn't change dramatically. LibreOffice 4.1 is a huge advance from the 3.5 experience in 12.04 LTS. Smart Scopes make using searching easy and powerful no matter what one's searching for. Web apps are integrated into the Ubuntu experience. There's no doubt that Ubuntu is more convenient in 13.10 than ever before. Software updates are available Ideally, users will upgrade to Ubuntu 14.04 LTS soon after it is released. This means that even if a user installs Ubuntu 12.04 LTS today, he'll still be facing an OS upgrade in April with fairly substantial Unity changes. This is no different than if the user is using Ubuntu 13.10—except the Unity experience will be largely left unchanged. Once 14.04 LTS is installed, the user can enjoy the 5 year support window and will have the option to upgrade to 14.10 but won't have to consider upgrading until 16.04 LTS is released. You can even help by opening the Dash, searching for “Software & Updates”, then going to the Updates tab and changing the “Notify me of a new Ubuntu version:” to “For long-term support versions”. Once Ubuntu 14.04 LTS is released, the user will be offered the upgrade, but won't be offered again until Ubuntu 16.04 LTS. This offers the same upgrade experience as found in an default install of either Ubuntu 12.04 LTS or 14.04 LTS. An online world Ubuntu 12.04 LTS had limited online search capability. While useful, it's more of a convenience than a selling point. Ubuntu 13.10 takes the first real steps toward bringing the world of information to the user regardless of whether it's local or available online. This will be one of the key values in Ubuntu during the two years after 14.04 LTS is released. Webapp integration provides all the advantages of running Ubuntu and Unity—Unity task switching, notification support, HUD integration, Messaging Menu integration for messages, Sound Menu integration for media players—and all with no compromises to the web-based experience. Unity also fully integrates online search results into the search experience. For those with privacy or usability concerns, any changes to disable specific scopes or online searching altogether will carry forward to 14.04 LTS, so that users can decide their optimal balance of convenience and security now, and not after an OS upgrade when they're on their own. There's no right or wrong answer for online search integration, but Ubuntu 13.10 allows us to have the right conversation with new users so they can make an informed choice. Conclusion I think there's a good case for installing Ubuntu 13.10 on new users system between now and April. This release has shown exceptionally high quality and offers a superb user experience. It can also claim a smooth transition to 14.04 LTS in terms of user experience and privacy expectations and choices. So the next time you recommend Ubuntu to a friend, consider offering them Ubuntu 13.10, and give them an experience that really showcases why we love Ubuntu and Free Software. Tags: ubuntu

Current Mood: thoughtful

From: (Anonymous) Date: January 4th, 2014 12:50 am (UTC) (Link) I skimmed this post, but I think there is one thing you're ignoring. If you install a non-LTS version, then you'll be notified of non-LTS versions. I certainly agree that a lot of users might want to install 13.10 right now rather than waiting for the 14.04LTS release, but then you should also manually deactivate notifications of non-LTS releases.



Jo-Erlend Schinstad From: nhaines Date: January 4th, 2014 12:52 am (UTC) (Link) Thanks, Jo-Erlend.



I didn't ignore this at all. In fact, I recommend this setting change (with instructions) at the end of the "Software updates are available" section. :) From: (Anonymous) Date: January 4th, 2014 03:05 am (UTC) (Link) 14.04 is running quite fine for me. I haven't had any show stopping glitches. Ubuntu is practically a rolling release these days. The bleeding edge has been very stable since 13.04 or so. This isn't like pre 12.04 days where you could have things simply crash and smash everywhere. This alpha version has been much more stable than Windows Vista could have ever dreamed to be, and that was a 'finished' product. From: nhaines Date: January 4th, 2014 03:10 am (UTC) (Link) I agree, development is very, very stable. I've been upgrading to development releases starting around beta 1 since Ubuntu 6.06 LTS, and I think for precise I upgraded at alpha 3. It's really, really nice to be able to get an advance look at new features in a solid way, and even better if you're testing a new release in order to develop for it.



But at the same time, development releases have hundreds of megabytes of updates every single day. And that's not a very good user experience, nor does it instill a lot of confidence in the product. Plus, there have been plenty of times when an infrastructure change just before or just after a milestone freeze has caused problems.



I think putting a new user who's not familiar with Linux on a development release any sooner than the last two weeks before release is irresponsible. From: (Anonymous) Date: January 11th, 2014 11:53 am (UTC) (Link) really a superb article, devoid of biases From: (Anonymous) Date: January 12th, 2014 10:43 pm (UTC) (Link) This was an extremely helpful post, thanks for the advice!



-Scott