Ubuntu 8.04.4 LTS Update Released

Ubuntu 10.04 may be just around the corner and it will be a Long-Term Support (LTS) release, which means it will be supported longer on desktops and servers than normal releases, but Canonical still has contractual obligations to continue supporting the Ubuntu 8.04 LTS release too. Canonical is supporting the Ubuntu 8.04 LTS "Hardy Heron" on desktops until 2011 and server installations will continue to receive love until 2013. As the final maintenance release where they re-spin the various 32-bit and 64-bit ISOs, Ubuntu 8.04.4 LTS has been released.

Ubuntu 8.04.4 LTS incorporates various bug-fixes and minor updates that have been made available since the release of Ubuntu 8.04.3 back in July. Notable updates for Ubuntu 8.04.4 is the contents of the CD ISO working from a USB device (like newer versions of Ubuntu already do), installation support where JFS file-systems are present, and a newer version of the Pidgin instant messaging application has been back-ported to Ubuntu Hardy. Ubuntu has since switched over to using GNOME Empathy as the default instant messaging program, but the older version of Pidgin found in Ubuntu 8.04 no longer worked with the Yahoo Instant Messaging protocol, which warranted pulling in a newer version of Pidgin.

The release announcement for Ubuntu 8.04.4 LTS can be found on ubuntu-announce with the various download links and notices. While this is the last ISO spin for the Ubuntu 8.04 series, server and desktop updates will continue to be offered through their Debian package repository.

Ubuntu 10.04 LTS "Lucid Lynx" will be released in April with an updated X stack, more paper-cuts healed, Plymouth integration, new server features, Nouveau kernel mode-setting, and many other new features and packages.