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I'm new to Linux, but I'm considering installing Ubuntu onto my X1 Carbon 6th Gen and I was wondering whether to go for 18.10 with only 9 months' support or the LTS version.

My concerns about 18.04 are

  • whether the kernel will receive downstream updates present in 18.10 (fingerprint recognition etc.); and
  • whether 18.04 plays nicely with the new BIOS sleep function in X1 Carbon.

It might be a pain if there are no kernel updates to the LTS version.

3 Answers 3

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If you prefer system stability - then you can test Ubuntu 18.04 LTS from LiveCD and then install it.

About the kernel - it seems that you are talking about LTS Enablement Stack.
See particular section named 18.04.x Ubuntu Kernel Support:

18.04 kernel HWE
(Click image to enlarge)

So updated kernel will be released with the release of Ubuntu 18.04.2 LTS (February 2019).


If you want to test newer kernel on already installed Ubuntu 18.04 LTS - you can always test newest mainline kernel.

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  • to OP - you can install & use 18.04 LTS now, and enable HWE once 18.04.2 has been released (ie. you don't have to wait with nothing install; on or after 2019-Feb-7 you should be able to enable it (date is ETA from wiki.ubuntu.com/BionicBeaver/ReleaseSchedule)
    – guiverc
    Nov 18, 2018 at 21:41
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    @guiverc thanks for correction. Edited my answer to be more clear.
    – N0rbert
    Nov 18, 2018 at 21:51
  • Thank you so much for your answer. That makes things a lot clearer. I will probably go for the LTS; I understand that it has 10 years of support now.
    – Bob D
    Nov 20, 2018 at 10:23
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First of all: are you sure the present 18.04 lacks the features you want? As indicated in the other answer, use a live 18.04 session to test that.

If 18.04 lacks the features you want, and confirming that what you want is

  • use a version that has those features right now

  • have access to upgrades/support

...you can use the standard (short-term) releases.

You can install (upgrade to) 18.10 (October 2018) and then upgrade to the future standard release (19.04, meaning April 2019). It should be available during the month indicated by its version number, before the end of the nine-month support period of 18.10 (July 2019). Then, continue to upgrade to the future 19.10 (= October 2019), before the next LTS 20.04.

Standard versions are released every 6 months (each April and October) and each new standard version is meant to be available before support for the current standard version is dropped. - Short-term releases are mean to be upgraded to the next version (be it short-term or LTS) as soon as possible.

If we look at the Ubuntu's release cycle, (also on Wikipedia) we can see that all versions, both standard and LTS have support periods that overlap.

enter image description here

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  • Thank you for your answer. Is it a relatively straightforward and error-free matter to update from the .04 to .10?
    – Bob D
    Nov 20, 2018 at 10:25
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    @BobD - That is another matter. If you look around you'll see that is described as normal and safe procedure, with the usual warnings to back up your essential data. I trust that is true, although I am/was such an infidel that re-installing a system from scratch is/was a permanent temptation for me, so that I have not recently upgraded that way. I intend to though.To minimize risks I suggest doing the upgrade with a command in TUI (tty) instead of normal terminal or GUI (Is it safer to do full/heavy system upgrades from a TUI login session).
    – user47206
    Nov 20, 2018 at 11:13
  • Thanks for the tip! I have a choice now, at least.
    – Bob D
    Nov 20, 2018 at 11:24
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    @BobD - We haven't discussed desktops and other details. There may be cases where installing from scratch is preferable, for example when a new version brings a new desktop environment (like Ubuntu proper dropping Unity for Gnome, and Lubuntu dropping LXDE for LXQt). Although not critical, there may be some messiness there, where manual un-instalation of programs of the former desktop environment may be required.
    – user47206
    Nov 20, 2018 at 11:33
  • I'm not surprised that a fresh install is preferable in those cases. A change in DE sounds as much fun as untangling the wires at the back of an entertainment centre.
    – Bob D
    Nov 20, 2018 at 12:05
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18.04 has two streams of life. (1) Server users (ten years of server-related updates) and (2) desktop users (about two years of desktop-related updates)

Server users can stay on the 18.04 release kernel for 10 years; it will be supported for that long.

Desktop users can join a refreshed kernel when point releases happen. It's called the "HWE stack" (Hardware Enablement) and also called "LTS Enablement, but HWE is how these packages are described so I prefer 'HWE'. Its primary focus is more modern kernels for newer hardware.

18.04.1 doesn't count ... it's just a bug fix a few months after 18.04. Not a new kernel.

18.04.2 brings the 18.10 kernel (after a suitably conservative delay to make sure it is very stable) 18.04.3 brings the 19.04 kernel 18.04.4 brings the 19.10 kernel

The trip stops there. If you want to stay cool and trendy, you are expected to jump to 20.04 which is the next long term release. Actually, 20.04.1 is the recommended time to upgrade.

The HWE stack is more than just the kernel. It includes updates to input device drivers, to the graphics stack and other such.

If you are impatient but still want to be safe, there are PPAs which have the HWE versions a lot earlier. E.g. the next proposed kernel is here: https://launchpad.net/~canonical-kernel-team/+archive/ubuntu/proposed

This is different from the advice above to take a mainline kernel. The kernel in the proposed PPA is a real Ubuntu kernel.

There are also PPAs with upcoming graphics packages. https://launchpad.net/~ubuntu-x-swat/+archive/ubuntu/updates (and there is an nvidia proprietary driver PPA).

Getting the lastest desktop environment is not really supported though. Ubuntu and Kubuntu etc don't do major changes in the LTS.

However, if you like KDE (and it is very good) you can use the KDE Neon PPAs to get an always-up-to-date KDE environment on top of a stable 18.04.X with fairly new kernels (18.04.2 will go from the 4.15 kernel of 18.04.1 to 4.18; linux is up to 4.21 (now called 5.0) in the real world.

Summary: HWE updates make Ubuntu LTS releases a pretty nice place to be for desktop users.

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