Ubuntu 12.04 LTS will provide desktop users with five years of support and maintenance releases, up from the previous duration of 3 years, Canonical have announced. 



From OMG! Ubuntu:

Previous ‘Long Term Support’ releases provided 3 years of support for desktop users, whilst 5 for server users.

The increased support period is a ‘response’ to the popularity of LTS usage in businesses, Canonical have said.

The five year support period, which consists of 2 years of hardware updates and three years of maintenance updates, will make Ubuntu 12.04 a desirable choice for companies seeking to roll out or upgrade large deployment of Ubuntu, with a mind on costs and technology.

  Ubuntu 12.04 LTS Desktop To Be Supported for Five Years