Ubuntu 8.04.1 LTS released

Today we announced the release of Ubuntu 8.04.1 LTS for both server and desktop. This is the first of a series of maintenance releases on the 8.04 LTS roadmap that we have drawn below, and includes hundreds of important updates which are detailed in the release announcement.

Mark has spoken about the overall  strategy in his blog so I won’t repeat all of that here, but as more and more users deploy Ubuntu we expect that this ‘twin track’ release cycle will be more widely understood.

Figure: Ubuntu Release Cycle

Ubuntu has earned respect for producing releases at 6 month intervals which include the latest open source software for desktops and servers, and Ubuntu 8.10 in October will continue that trend.

Complementing the standard releases, every two years we produce an LTS release, which provides long-term stability for users who require it.  While the standard releases continue every six months and are quickly superseded, LTS continues to receive maintenance updates for years, with continuous professional support available from Canonical.  Where stability and support matter most, LTS is the right choice.

Is this message getting through? We think so. We will be releasing some usage statistics for 8.04 Server which indicate that out of 50000 respondents to a survey, over two thirds are using 8.04 either in a test or production environment (the other one third use it for development). It is this audience that we seek to serve with the point releases and the 8.04 Long Term Support strategy.

So for anyone moving into the deployment scenario from today, we present 8.04.1 as your logical choice (desktop or server). It is available now from here

Matt Zimmerman – Ubuntu CTO