Ubuntu 18.04 LTS is supported until April 2023, but the flavours finally reached the end of life in May 2021.
This includes popular flavors like Kubuntu 18.04, Ubuntu MATE, and others.
In case you do not know, usually, the Ubuntu flavours get 3 year support in a row while Ubuntu’s official release gets 5 years of support.
End of Life for Ubuntu 18.04 Flavours
Ubuntu 18.04 LTS arrived in April 2018. It received its last point release in August 2020, i.e. Ubuntu 18.04.5.
While you can already find bleeding edge versions available for some flavors like Ubuntu MATE 21.04, the next best option for users with Ubuntu 18.04 flavors is to upgrade to another flavor based on Ubuntu 20.04 LTS.
Of course, considering this is already 2021, you will have two more years of support for them.
If you are aiming for something with a long term support cycle, you may want to stick to the official Ubuntu release, or you can choose Linux Mint over Ubuntu for a similar support cycle.
If you have a 32-bit installation, you will have to opt for a fresh installation of any latest Ubuntu release/Ubuntu-based distro of your choice.
If you have a 62-bit installation on board, you can choose to upgrade your flavor to Ubuntu 20.04 LTS base release.
Download or Upgrade to Ubuntu 20.04 LTS Flavors
You can find all the official flavours listed in Ubuntu’s website. If you want to download the ISO for a fresh installation, that would be a good choice considering you already have your important data backed up.
Even if you are upgrading from an 18.04 LTS flavour, ensure backup of your files to be on the safe side.
Personally, I like what Ubuntu MATE as an official flavour has been doing recently. You can stick to your choice.
Are you planning to upgrade to a newer LTS flavour or want to stay with the existing version without updates for your machine? Do share your thoughts in the comments below.
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