Ubuntu 18.04 LTS (Bionic Beaver) released

[Adam Conrad]

The Ubuntu team is very pleased to announce our seventh long-term support
release, Ubuntu 18.04 LTS for Desktop, Server, Cloud, and Core.

Codenamed "Bionic Beaver", 18.04 LTS continues Ubuntu's proud tradition
of integrating the latest and greatest open source technologies into a
high-quality, easy-to-use Linux distribution. The team has been hard at
work through this cycle, introducing new features and fixing bugs.

The Ubuntu kernel has been updated to the 4.15 based Linux kernel,
with additional support for Linux security module stacking, signing
of POWER host and NV kernels, and improved support for IBM and Intel
hardware enablement from Linux 4.16.

Ubuntu Desktop 18.04 LTS brings a fresh look with the GNOME desktop 
environment.  GNOME Shell on Ubuntu is designed to be easy to use for
people upgrading from 16.04 LTS and presents a familiar user interface.
New features for users upgrading from 16.04 LTS include assistance with
logging in to public Wifi hotspots and the Night Light feature to
reduce eye strain in the evenings.

18.04 LTS also brings the new minimal installation option which provides
a full desktop with only the essential packages installed, and a tool to
easily enable Canonical LivePatch to apply critical kernel security fixes
without rebooting.

Ubuntu Server 18.04 LTS includes the Queens release of OpenStack
including the clustering enabled LXD 3.0, new network configuration via
netplan.io, and a next-generation fast server installer.  Ubuntu Server
brings major updates to industry standard packages available on private
clouds, public clouds, containers or bare metal in your datacentre.

The newest Ubuntu Budgie, Kubuntu, Lubuntu, Ubuntu Kylin, Ubuntu MATE, 
Ubuntu Studio, and Xubuntu are also being released today.

More details can be found for these at their individual release notes:

    https://wiki.ubuntu.com/BionicBeaver/ReleaseNotes#Official_flavors

Maintenance updates will be provided for 5 years for Ubuntu Desktop,
Ubuntu Server, Ubuntu Cloud, and Ubuntu Core. Ubuntu Studio will be
supported for 9 months. All the remaining flavours will be supported
for 3 years.


To get Ubuntu 18.04 LTS
-----------------------

In order to download Ubuntu 18.04 LTS, visit:

   http://www.ubuntu.com/download

Users of Ubuntu 17.10 will be offered an automatic upgrade to 18.04 LTS
via Update Manager shortly. Users of 16.04 LTS will be offered the
automatic upgrade when 18.04.1 LTS is released, which is scheduled for
July 26th. For further information about upgrading, see:

   http://www.ubuntu.com/download/desktop/upgrade

As always, upgrades to the latest version of Ubuntu are entirely free 
of charge.

We recommend that all users read the release notes, which document
caveats, workarounds for known issues, as well as more in-depth notes 
on the release itself. They are available at:

   http://wiki.ubuntu.com/BionicBeaver/ReleaseNotes

Find out what's new in this release with a graphical overview:

   http://www.ubuntu.com/desktop
   http://www.ubuntu.com/desktop/features

If you have a question, or if you think you may have found a bug
but aren't sure, you can try asking in any of the following places:

   #ubuntu on irc.freenode.net
   http://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-users
   http://www.ubuntuforums.org
   http://askubuntu.com


Help Shape Ubuntu
-----------------

If you would like to help shape Ubuntu, take a look at the list
of ways you can participate at:

   http://community.ubuntu.com/contribute


About Ubuntu
------------

Ubuntu is a full-featured Linux distribution for desktops, laptops,
netbooks and servers, with a fast and easy installation and regular
releases. A tightly-integrated selection of excellent applications
is included, and an incredible variety of add-on software is just a
few clicks away.

Professional services including support are available from Canonical
and hundreds of other companies around the world. For more information
about support, visit:

   http://www.ubuntu.com/support


More Information
----------------

You can learn more about Ubuntu and about this release on our
website listed below:

   http://www.ubuntu.com

To sign up for future Ubuntu announcements, please subscribe to
Ubuntu's very low volume announcement list at:

   http://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-announce


On behalf of the Ubuntu Release Team,

... Adam Conrad