In April 2020, Canonical released what, to date, is their most recent LTS: Ubuntu 20.04 . This version of Linux is characterized by being one of the most stable available right now, and by offering users support and maintenance for 5 years. In order to keep the distro up-to-date, the company often releases several patches that allow users to ensure they are up-to-date and those who install it from scratch avoid having to download all the patches released to date. And so we come to the new Ubuntu 20.04.2 , the second maintenance update of this LTS that, as of today, is available to everyone.
With its eyes on Ubuntu 21.04, the new version of this Linux that will reach all users in mid-April this year, Canonical has just released this second revision of its Ubuntu 20.04 LTS. These reviews do not usually bring big changes, but rather focus on grouping all the patches published to date and updating the main components of this to their most recent versions.
Let’s not expect a revolutionary version, far from it. But if we use this distro, we should think about updating as soon as possible to continue enjoying it to the fullest.
Changes in Ubuntu 20.04.2
Normally, these Ubuntu patches use the same kernel from the first version until the end of support, unless we update it manually. Of course, the new Ubuntu 20.04.2 was not going to be an exception. This new version brings the Linux kernel 5.8, Mesa 20.2.6 and xserver 1.20.9 as standard. What it has done is update the NVIDIA drivers to the latest version.
What is new is that, from now on, Ubuntu enables the HWE (Hardware Enablement) by default for all users. This means that the next revisions of this distro will come with a new version of the Kernel in order to guarantee the best compatibility with OEM hardware (that is, PCs that are sold with Ubuntu installed). And if Canonical detects any kind of incompatibility on a PC, the general Kernel will be used on that PC to provide greater stability. Old versions of the kernel will still be installed on the system so that you can boot from any of them in case of problems with the latest HWE.
In addition to the kernel, you can also update the stacks and the graphical server to newer versions. It does not become a Rolling Release, but it is the closest we can find so that the LTS are not obsolete in their 5 years of life.
Otherwise, there are no other relevant changes in this review. Canonical has included the latest versions of all the programs (the same ones that we can obtain through apt upgrade) and all the patches and corrections.
Download or update
If we already have Ubuntu 20.04 (or 20.04.1) installed on our PC, it is not necessary to download the complete distro again and install it on our PC. We can update to the latest version of Ubuntu quickly by executing the following command in a terminal:
sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade && sudo apt dist-upgrade
When the download and installation of the packages is finished we will have the updated distro up to date . And from this moment on we can fully enjoy this complete and simple Linux.
In case of not having Ubuntu installed on the computer, what we can do is directly download the Ubuntu 20.04.2 ISO that are available at this link . Thanks to it we will be able to install Ubuntu from scratch on our computer and have it from the first moment of the day. This way we will avoid having to download all the updates released since its launch until today, something that would take us a long time.