Ubuntu 14.04 LTS reaches end of life on April 30, 2019, five years after it was first released.
End of Life (EOL) status marks the end of all support. There will be no further security updates, package updates, or maintenance updates to Ubuntu 14.04 LTS for desktop or server users.
“There will be no more security, package, or maintenance updates to Ubuntu 14.04 LTS after April 30”
Not that anyone should be majorly shocked by this news, of course.
Since 2012 , each long-term support release (LTS) of Ubuntu is backed by 5 years of on-going support, security patches, and critical fixes.
The benefit of getting on-going band-aids, bug solutions, and core packages is why Ubuntu LTS releases are the preferred choice for millions.
But even so, that support is finite.
After April 30, should anyone ask if Ubuntu 14.04 is still supported you can tell them that the answer is no, it isn’t.
Ubuntu 14.04 End of Life Options
Although support for Ubuntu 14.04 ends April 30 the OS itself will continue to work without any major issues. Third-party repositories can even continue to provide packages for the release (though few will).
Canonical advise that users of Ubuntu 14.04 LTS upgrade to an actively supported version of Ubuntu as soon as possible.
Extended Security Maintenance
Businesses and enterprise users who don’t want to upgrade to a newer version of Ubuntu right now can choose to enrol in Ubuntu 14.04 ESM (Extended Security Maintenance) via Ubuntu Advantage.
ESM is a paid, stop-gap solution designed to give those managing essential infrastructure provisioned on 14.04 a little more time to plan an upgrade route to something newer, like the Ubuntu 18.04 LTS release.
The Canonical website provides more details on both Ubuntu Advantage and ESM.
Upgrading from Ubuntu 14.04 LTS
Naturally the recommended route for those on Ubuntu 14.04 is to upgrade to Ubuntu 16.04 LTS, which will continue to receive support until April 2021.
For a little more longevity I suggest a fresh install of Ubuntu 18.04 LTS. Not only is this release supported into 2023 but it will offer a direct upgrade route to Ubuntu 20.04 LTS after it’s is released next year.
Sadly it’s not possible to upgrade Ubuntu 14.04 to 18.04 directly.
Ubuntu 16.04 Flavors EOL Too
“Flavors based on Ubuntu 16.04 LTS also turn EOL this month”
Ubuntu 14.04 is not the Ubuntu release to reach end of life in April. Ubuntu flavours based on Ubuntu 16.04 LTS ‘Xenial Xerus’ also hit EOL this month.
Unlike the regular version of Ubuntu, most flavour releases, such as Kubuntu 16.04, only provide ‘long term support’ for 3 years.
The official upgrade route from this releases will be to the relevant 18.04 builds, save for Ubuntu GNOME which is no longer available.
Did you like 14.04?
If all of this talk about the Trusty Tahr has left you feeling reflective, why not indulge yourself? You can relieve the Trusty Tahr’s highlights by reading our Ubuntu 14.04 LTS review or watch our Ubuntu 14.04 release video below:
