Ubuntu 24.04 LTS: Safe Choice

Why Ubuntu LTS?

Ubuntu is the most widely used Linux distribution, and for good reason. When something supports "Linux," it usually means Ubuntu first. The 24.04 LTS release gets free security updates until 2029, with extended support available until 2034.

What LTS Means for You

Long Term Support means stability. Packages don't change major versions during the release cycle. Your Node.js 20, Python 3.12, and PostgreSQL 16 stay put — security patches only.

This is exactly what you want for production servers and workstations where "it just worked yesterday" matters more than "it has the newest feature."

Desktop Experience

Ubuntu 24.04 ships with GNOME 46, customized with Ubuntu's own tweaks:

• Dock on the left (moveable)
• Snap integration for sandboxed apps
• Tiling assistant built into the desktop
• App Center for GUI package management

# Update everything
sudo apt update && sudo apt full-upgrade -y

# Install common developer tools
sudo apt install build-essential git curl wget

Server Strengths

Where Ubuntu really shines is server deployments:

• Every cloud provider offers Ubuntu images
• Canonical's Livepatch for kernel updates without rebooting
• Snap packages for self-updating server applications
• Netplan for declarative network configuration
• Pro subscription for compliance and hardening (free for personal use, up to 5 machines)

# Check Ubuntu Pro status
pro status

# Enable kernel livepatch
sudo pro attach <token>
sudo pro enable livepatch

The Snap Debate

Ubuntu's push toward Snap packages is controversial. Snaps are sandboxed and auto-updating, but they can be slower to launch and use more disk space than native packages.

If you prefer traditional packages, you can still use apt for most things. For apps like Firefox, Chromium, and VS Code, Canonical ships them as Snaps by default.

# Install via Snap
sudo snap install code --classic

# Or via apt (if available)
sudo apt install firefox

Ubuntu Flavors

Don't like GNOME? Ubuntu has official flavors:

• Kubuntu — KDE Plasma
• Xubuntu — XFCE (lightweight)
• Lubuntu — LXQt (very lightweight)
• Ubuntu MATE — traditional MATE desktop
• Ubuntu Studio — multimedia production

All share the same base, repos, and support timeline.

Who Should Use Ubuntu

• Server administrators — it's the cloud standard
• Anyone who wants the biggest ecosystem and most tutorials
• Enterprise users who need commercial support
• People running WSL on Windows (Ubuntu is the default)

Who Might Want Something Else

• Desktop users who dislike Snaps → Linux Mint (same base, no Snaps)
• Developers wanting newer packages → Fedora
• Stability purists → Debian

The Bottom Line

Ubuntu isn't the most exciting distro, but it's the safest bet. The ecosystem is unmatched — if you Google a Linux problem, the first answer is almost always for Ubuntu. For servers, it's the industry standard.

Learn to automate Ubuntu servers with Ansible, Docker, and Terraform in our hands-on DevOps courses.

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