Ubuntu Linux 20.04's first point release arrives

Many users are a wee bit cautious about upgrading to the first new release of an operating system. In Windows circles, the saying used to be that you never upgraded to any new version of Windows until it had its first service patch (SP). Or, more recently, with all the  Windows 10 2004 release weirdness, you just don't patch period until you must. With Linux, you don't run into that kind of thing very often. But, it happens. Take, for example, the recent Linux Boothole screw up.

If you're the sort of person who waits until you're sure all the bugs are out before upgrading, you'll be glad to know that Canonical has just released the first point update of April 2020's Ubuntu Linux 20.04 Long-Term Support (LTS): Ubuntu 20.04.1.

As always, this point release includes many updates and security patches. Indeed, it's mostly a roll-up of existing bug fixes, app updates, performance tweaks, and security patches. Simultaneously, it maintains stability and compatibility with its parent distribution, Ubuntu 20.04 LTS. It doesn't have any major Linux kernel or hardware upgrades. For that, you must wait for Ubuntu 20.04.2, which  I expect will be released in early 2021.

With this release, users who are still running the last long-term version, Ubuntu 18.04, now have an easy, one-step upgrade from 18.04 to 20.04. Most 18.04 users will probably have already seen an announcement letting them know they can smoothly update from one to the other.

If you haven't, you can move from 18.04 to 20.04 anyway. To do this, first, update your existing Ubuntu with the latest patches. Then, from the graphical desktop:

Change "Notify me of a new Ubuntu version" to "For any new version."

Then, click on "Upgrade." Or, if you prefer, you can upgrade your operating system from the shell with the command: 

$ sudo do-release-upgrade -c

If you're still running Ubuntu 19.10, which is no longer supported, the same command will move you up to 20.04.1. If you're still running 2016's Ubuntu 16.04, you must first upgrade to 18.04 before jumping to 20.04.1.

The 20.04.01 release is available for all versions of Ubuntu, including desktop, server, cloud, and its Internet of Things-specific Linux distribution: Ubuntu Core. All the official Ubuntu flavors -- such as Kubuntu, Ubuntu MATE, Ubuntu Studio, and Xubuntu -- also have been updated.

Ubuntu 20.04.1 will be fully supported until April 2025 with Extended Security Maintenance (ESM) until April 2030.

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