Quick change artist
ONE of things that might disconcert Windows users after they’ve switched to Ubuntu Linux is the frequency with which the operating system is updated.
There was a five-year wait between Windows XP and Windows Vista, and another two years until Windows 7 was released to fix all that was wrong with Vista.
In contrast, Ubuntu, one of the most popular flavors of Linux, has pretty much followed a six-month release cycle since it was first introduced in 2004. This means that every April and October (except in 2006 when Dapper Drake was released in June instead), a new version becomes available.
It’s only been a month since I installed the latest version, Karmic Koala, on my home PC and already, an early test version of the next release, Lucid Lynx, is available. The final version of Lucid isn’t due until April 2010 – but that’s not really too far away.
From the standpoint of an ordinary user, this kind of release schedule can seem rather disruptive. After all, who wants to install a new OS every six months, even if it is free?
Every new release carries the risk that a favorite application that worked perfectly before will no longer do so. Do we really want to take that risk every six months?
The resistance to too much change too soon is even more pronounced in a corporate setting, where IT departments don’t want to deal with new support, training and maintenance requirements every six months.
Fortunately, they don’t have to, and neither do you.
Just because a new version of an operating system is available doesn’t mean you must move to it. The choice is yours.
Until recently, I upgraded my Ubuntu PC only once a year, skipping every other release. I figured this would keep my system stable yet fairly up to date without too many disruptions (backing up my data, upgrading or doing a fresh install, then restoring my applications and data files).
This changed after Jaunty Jackalope (9.04) and Karmic Koala (9.10), two successive releases that I installed, not only because I was attracted to their new features but simply because they gave me something new to write about. For the same reasons, I will almost certainly install Lucid Lynx (10.4) when it comes out next April.
Canonical, the commercial sponsor of Ubuntu, seems to understand that there are two types of users: those who value stability and those who constantly want to try the latest technology. People who belong in the second camp can install every new release as it comes along. On the other hand, folks that need a little more stability can opt to install an Ubuntu edition with long-term support (LTS), which comes out every two years. Unlike standard releases that Canonical supports for 18 months, LTS releases are supported for three years on the desktop and five years on the server, and are updated every six months with “point releases.” The last LTS release was Hardy Heron (8.04); the next will be Lucid.
Frequent releases are challenging to developers as well, but they also have their benefits.
In his keynote at LinuxCon earlier this year, Canonical chief executive Mark Shuttleworth, spoke about how timed, predictable releases contribute to better free and open source software.
“The release itself is enormously energizing...the release is the beginning of the journey for many other parts of the community and for our users,” Shuttleworth said to an audience of Linux developers. “When you make a release it has all sorts of other benefits. It broadens the base of people who can participate.”
Releases also generate a tremendous amount of testing, which improves the software, Shuttleworth continued. But shorter cycles don’t only mean more testing; they also force developers to plan and set priorities.
“If you give yourself a shorter amount of time, you say to yourself, ‘What are the most important things for us to get done?’” Shuttleworth said.
Finally, each release brings publicity.
“We’re doing amazing stuff. A release is an opportunity to get out there and talk about that… generate publicity that brings more contributors, participants and users,” Shuttleworth said.
The man obviously knows what he’s talking about: I can hardly wait to give Lucid a spin – and write about it here.