Ubuntu 10.04 LTS has finally arrived and it includes the latest software and updates, while adding a number of new features and updating the distributions overall look. It's been two years since the release of Ubuntu 8.04, the last Long Term Support (LTS) version of Ubuntu, and users running 8.04 – or even 9.04 and 9.10 for that matter – will definitely notice a wide range of changes and improvements. Canonical CEO Jane Silber says that, "Ubuntu 10.04 LTS challenges the perceptions of the Linux desktop, bringing a whole new category of users to the world of Ubuntu."

Traditionally, the LTS versions focus on optimising overall system stability and usually don't include a lot of new features. The LTS versions of Ubuntu, itself derived from the Debian Linux distribution, are supported for three years for the desktop releases and five years for server releases, while the standard releases are supported for 18 months of updates for both the desktop and server versions. Support for the previous desktop version - 9.10, expires in April 2011.