HISTORY of UBUNTU By: Jezaniah Perez 6 comments

Ubuntu Releases are made semiannually by Canonical Ltd, the developers of the Ubuntu operating system, using the year and month of the release as a version number. The first Ubuntu release, for example, was Ubuntu 4.10 and was released on 20 October 2004. Consequently, version numbers for future versions are provisional; if the release is delayed until a different month (or even year) to that planned, the version number will change accordingly.

Ubuntu releases are timed to be approximately one month after GNOME releases, which are in turn about one month after releases of X.Org, resulting in each Ubuntu release including a newer version of GNOME and X.

Every fourth release, in the second quarter of even-numbered years, has been designated as a Long Term Support(LTS) release, indicating that they are supported and receive updates for five years, with paid technical support also available from Canonical Ltd. However the desktop version of LTS releases before 12.04 were supported for only three years. Releases 6.06, 8.04, 10.04, 12.04, 14.04, and 16.04 are the LTS releases. Non-LTS releases prior to 13.04 have typically been supported for 18 months, and have always been supported until at least the date of the next LTS release. This has changed, however, for 13.04 and subsequent non-LTS releases, with the support period being halved to 9 months.

Legend:

Old version

Older version, still supported

Latest version

Future release

Version	Code name	Release date	Supported until		Kernel version
			Desktops	Servers
4.10	Warty Warthog	2004-10-20	2006-04-30		2.6.8
5.04	Hoary Hedgehog	2005-04-08	2006-10-31		2.6.10
5.10	Breezy Badger	2005-10-13	2007-04-13		2.6.12
6.06 LTS	Dapper Drake	2006-06-01	2009-07-14	2011-06-01	2.6.15
6.10	Edgy Eft	2006-10-26	2008-04-25		2.6.17
7.04	Feisty Fawn	2007-04-19	2008-10-19		2.6.20
7.10	Gutsy Gibbon	2007-10-18	2009-04-18		2.6.22
8.04 LTS	Hardy Heron	2008-04-24	2011-05-12	2013-05-09	2.6.24
8.10	Intrepid Ibex	2008-10-30	2010-04-30		2.6.27
9.04	Jaunty Jackalope	2009-04-23	2010-10-23		2.6.28
9.10	Karmic Koala	2009-10-29	2011-04-30		2.6.31
10.04 LTS	Lucid Lynx	2010-04-29	2013-05-09	2015-04-30	2.6.32
10.10	Maverick Meerkat	2010-10-10	2012-04-10		2.6.35
11.04	Natty Narwhal	2011-04-28	2012-10-28		2.6.38
11.10	Oneiric Ocelot	2011-10-13	2013-05-09		3.0.0
12.04 LTS	Precise Pangolin	2012-04-26	2017-04-26		3.2.0
12.10	Quantal Quetzal	2012-10-18	2014-05-16		3.5.0
13.04	Raring Ringtail	2013-04-25	2014-01-27		3.8.0
13.10	Saucy Salamander	2013-10-17	2014-07-17		3.11.0
14.04 LTS	Trusty Tahr	2014-04-17	2019-04		4.2
14.10	Utopic Unicorn	2014-10-23	2015-07-23		3.16.0
15.04	Vivid Vervet	2015-04-23	2016-02-04		3.19
15.10	Wily Werewolf	2015-10-22	2016-07-28		4.2
16.04 LTS	Xenial Xerus	2016-04-21	2021-04		4.4
16.10	Yakkety Yak	2016-10-20	2017-07		4.4+