Advantages of Ubuntu LTS versions over regular Ubuntu?

kernel linux ubuntu

Solution 1:

From the Releases page on the wiki:

Ubuntu releases are supported for 18 months. Ubuntu LTS (Long Term Support) releases are supported for 3 years on the desktop, and 5 years on the server.

This means that normal releases are will have bugfix and security updates for 18 months, while LTS releases are maintained for 3 or 5 years (depending on the version).

In other words: if you don't want to upgrade your system at least every 18 months, you'll want to use a LTS release so you'll be able to get security updates for a longer period.

As of the 12.04 LTS release, there is no distinction between server and desktop releases. LTS support is for 5 years despite release type. There is no longer any 3 year support. For a visualization of the support coverage see the Ubuntu wiki page about LTS: https://wiki.ubuntu.com/LTS.

Solution 2:

For a normal user I don't think the LTS versions provide any advantage, as the software just gets to old and troubles when installing new hardware will certainly arise. LTS however provides an advantage when you have a system that should do exactly one thing and that continuously for years to come. In those cases LTS gives you a stable system where you don't have to check if things are still working after a dist-upgrade, instead it can happily do its job without much intervention.

So in short, use normal Ubuntu for any system that you actively use and LTS for those that you don't want to ever touch again after the initial setup is done.

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