Ubuntu 24.04 LTS will be released on April 25, 2024

According to the timeline set forth by Canonical, the forthcoming long-term support iteration of Ubuntu, denoted as Ubuntu 24.04 LTS, is slated for a preliminary public test release on April 4th, 2024, with its official unveiling poised for April 25, 2024.

Dubbed “Noble Numbat,” Ubuntu 24.04 LTS pays homage to the Numbat, a marsupial anteater indigenous to Australia. Canonical, in its customary flair, often christens its versions using the monikers of endangered species to amplify public awareness. The Numbat, primarily residing in the vast expanses of Australia, faces existential threats from invasive predators such as foxes and felines, casting a shadow of potential extinction over the creature.

Being an LTS version, Ubuntu 24.04 is set to benefit from a robust five-year mainstream support framework. Enterprises with an extended reliance on the platform can also avail themselves of a decade-long support continuity. Such LTS versions stand as beacons for users disinclined towards frequent upgrades, offering them a reprieve from the regular tumult of iterative updates.

In its precursor, Ubuntu 23.10, Canonical introduced a nascent support system for hardware-based full-disk encryption. It’s anticipated that Ubuntu 24.04 LTS will fully embrace and integrate this hardware encryption feature.

Naturally, as a refreshed LTS iteration, an array of modifications to GNOME is inevitable. This version is also poised to extend compatibility to a broader spectrum of contemporary hardware and kernels. However, the minutiae of these enhancements remain under wraps, with revelations only expected in the forthcoming year.