"LTS" versions

I've been running Ubuntu for here for over six years, and it remains one of my favorite Linux distributions. Ubuntu has a six-month release cycle; the "standard" releases are supported for 18 months. Ubuntu also has "LTS" (Long Term Support) releases that come out every two years; in the past, the LTS releases were supported for 3 years, but now that support lasts for 5 years.

I usually stick with the LTS releases. For more info, check out the Ubuntu wiki's "LTS" article.



Here's something about LTS releases that's mentioned in that article, in the "Release Plan Details" section:

We are more conservative in our package merge with Debian, auto-synching with Debian testing, instead of Debian unstable.

That's in contrast to Ubuntu's "standard" releases, which are based on Debian Unstable. (Thanks to Ubuntu forum member "Peripheral Visionary" for pointing that out to me.)

I think that folks like me who use the LTS releases instead of following Ubuntu's six-month release cycle tend to have better overall experiences with the distro, but the "standard" releases might be better for folks who like having the "latest and greatest" stuff.