Canonical ups long-term support with Ubuntu 10.04

The new version of Ubuntu comes with long-term support and stability

Canonical has released the latest version of its Ubuntu open-source operating system.

Ubuntu 10.04, codenamed Lucid Lynx, is a long-term support (LTS) release, meaning that Canonical will provide three years of free support for desktop users and five years for servers. LTS releases are also typically built with stability in mind.

"Long-term support makes Ubuntu 10.04 LTS very attractive to corporate IT," said Canonical chief executive Jane Silber.

The company reported almost 100 applications certified for the new operating system from 80 vendors, including VMware, IBM, SugarCRM and Ingres, as well as improved connectivity to cloud services Amazon EC2 and Ubuntu Enterprise Cloud.

Better support for mobile synchronisation has been added, and the new version of Ubuntu's Software Centre is designed to make it easier to install new applications.

The operating system is reported to show much faster boot times, and is available in a special edition for netbooks.

It has a completely redesigned user interface with built-in links to social networking sites and the Ubuntu music store.

"Ubuntu 10.04 LTS challenges the perceptions of the Linux desktop, bringing a whole new category of users to the world of Ubuntu," the company said.