The next long-term support (LTS) release of Ubuntu, Ubuntu 24.04, is scheduled to be released on April 25, 2024.
Launchpad, the home of Ubuntu development, lists this as the final release date (though, given the nature of open-source development, the final release date is subject to change).
This and other important dates in the Ubuntu 24.04 development cycle include:
- February 29, 2024 – Feature Freeze
- March 21, 2024 – User Interface Freeze
- April 4, 2024 – Ubuntu 24.04 Beta note: delayed until April 11
- April 11, 2024 – Kernel Freeze
- April 25, 2024 – Ubuntu 24.04 LTS Released
Most of these dates are only really relevant for those contributing to Ubuntu (in various capacities) or looking to test it. The beta release is the only formal testing milestone that this release will see.
Ubuntu 24.04 Expectations
The Ubuntu 24.04 ‘Noble Numbat’ will be the 10th LTS release of Ubuntu made since 2006.
LTS releases of Ubuntu receive 5 years of security updates, bug fixes, and select application updates, making them the most popular version of Ubuntu by far. Ubuntu Pro adds an additional 5 years of security coverage on top to give modern LTS releases a mind-blowing decade of support.
New features and improvements in Ubuntu 24.04 include the GNOME 46 desktop environment, Linux kernel 6.8, an updated desktop installer that supports provisioning, and more – see our Ubuntu 24.04 beta post for an early sneak-peek.
Sadly, we won’t see the first release of an all-snap immutable Ubuntu desktop. This has been kicked into the grass to enable developers more time to fix a number of (unstated) issues they are said to have encountered during testing.
Stay tuned for more updates on Ubuntu 24.04 LTS.