Official support for Ubuntu 12.04 LTS ends in April, but organisations unable to upgrade to a newer version right away can purchase interim support.
Canonical’s 5 years of on going support to Ubuntu 12.04 LTS ‘Precise Pangolin’ ends on April 28, 2017. After this date Canonical will no longer issue security advisories or push critical security patches to users.
Not without a fee, which is where Ubuntu 12.04 ESM (Extended Security Maintenance) comes in.
Ubuntu 12.04 LTS EOL
“Following the end-of-life of Ubuntu 12.04 LTS, Canonical is offering Ubuntu 12.04 ESM (Extended Security Maintenance), which provides important security fixes for the kernel and the most essential user space packages in Ubuntu 12.04,” Canonical’s Adam Conrad explains in a mailing list post.
Ubuntu Advantage costs from $150/year for desktops from from $750/year for servers. Existing Ubuntu Advantage customers can acquire their ESM credentials by filing a support request with Canonical.
Canonical will host a live webinar titled “How to ensure the ongoing security compliance of your Ubuntu 12.04 LTS”, on Wednesday, March 22nd at 4pm GMT.
Companies and individuals not wishing to pay for this additional buffer of protection can, as Canonical themselves recommend, upgrade to a more recent LTS release that still receives support (i.e. Ubuntu 14.04 LTS or Ubuntu 16.04 LTS).
Remember Ubuntu 12.04?
Ubuntu 12.04 LTS was a notable release for desktop users. It introduced (among other features) the HUD, the LightDM login experience, the chameleonic UI and Unity quickly.