Initial planning for Ubuntu 12.04

The Ubuntu developers have fixed both the location and date of the Ubuntu 12.04 Developer Summit and the release date of the next version of Ubuntu. This, the second summit in 2011, will take place at The Caribe Royal in Orlando, Florida, from 31 October to 4 November 2011. Ubuntu 12.04 will be released on 26 April 2012; the first of two alpha releases is due on 1 December followed by two beta releases in March 2012 and one release candidate in April.

Ubuntu Developer Summits are held shortly after the release of a new version – Ubuntu 11.10 is due on 13 October – in order to give the go-ahead for the next version. At the event, which can also be attended via remote participation across the internet, the developers will define the key objectives and targets for the next version.

Ubuntu 12.04 will be a Long Term Support (LTS) version. Standard releases of Ubuntu are supported by developer Canonical with security updates for 18 months, for both the desktop and server versions, while Long Term Support (LTS) versions of Ubuntu are supported for three years for the desktop releases and five years for server releases. LTS releases of Ubuntu focus more on the development of a stable system with advanced features rather than on technical innovation.

See also:

• Plans for Ubuntu 11.10 crystalise, a report from The H.
• Canonical releases Ubuntu 11.04 "Natty Narwhal", a report from The H.

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