Ubuntu 24.04.2 LTS is scheduled for release on February 13th – in time for Valentines Day, aww.
Canonical’s Florent Jacquet shares the date on the Ubuntu Developer mailing list today along with a note to developers to be mindful of their package uploads to noble in the coming weeks.
As a result, if you’re using the latest long-term support release you may notice a slightly drop-off in the number of non-essential updates Software Updater bugs you to install between now and February 13. This allow devs to create a snapshot and test it properly.
Ubuntu point releases rarely deliver new features but will provide a new Linux kernel and graphics drivers back-ported from the latest short-term release – in this case Ubuntu 24.10 which came with Linux kernel 6.11 and Mesa 24.2.
Ubuntu 24.04.2 LTS also adds support for the new Raspberry Pi 500 to its Raspberry Pi install IMG.
Periodical point release updates ensure those opting for long-term support releases, which are supported for around 5 years minimum, are able to benefit from the latest hardware support, kernel features, and other changes.
A new installer image (ISO) is also produced. This consolidates the updates, bug fixes, security patches, and kernel bumps issued since the last ISO, thus saving new users the hassle of needing to download and install months worth of updates right away.
Getting Ubuntu 24.04.2 LTS
If you already use Ubuntu 24.04 LTS—be it having upgraded from 22.04 LTS, 23.10, installed last April, or installed using the Ubuntu 24.04.1 LTS ISO—you won’t need to “do” anything special to get the second point release since you effectively already run it.
Existing users of Ubuntu 24.04 get new Hardware Enablement stack (HWE) as a software update, so no re-install is required — look out for a Linux 6.11 software update as it will arrive before February 13th (since it needs to be on the ISO).
Ubuntu 24.04.3 will be the next point release, tentatively scheduled to land in August, and will bring Linux kernel 6.14 and the Mesa stack used in the upcoming Ubuntu 25.04 ‘Plucky Puffin’ release.
Exciting stuff!