Ubuntu Noble's likely last point release lands, then loses its desktop download
- ID
- 24293
- Status
- summarized
- Published
- 15 Sep 2026, 12:45 AM
- Fetched
- 15 Sep 2026, 1:34 AM
- Provider
- The Register
- Category
- technology
- Original URL
- https://www.theregister.com/os-platforms/2026/09/14/ubuntu-nobles-likely-last-point-release-lands-then-loses-its-desktop-download/5296292
- Source URL
- https://www.theregister.com/headlines.atom
Summary
- Score
- 4.0
- Created
- 15 Sep 2026, 1:37 AM
- Tags
- Audience
- developersvibe_coders
What happened
Ubuntu 24.04.5, likely the final point release for the Noble Numbat LTS, shipped on September 10 but its x86-64 desktop ISO was pulled after an installer crash bug on the extended installation option. The download page now serves 24.04.4 for desktop, while Server, WSL2, and Netboot images are unaffected. Fresh installs of 24.04.5 come with Linux kernel 7.0 via Canonical's HWE stack, matching Ubuntu 26.04's kernel.
Why it matters
If you're provisioning fresh Ubuntu 24.04 desktop VMs or machines, use the 24.04.4 ISO or the Server image until the desktop ISO is fixed — the bug only hits the extended installation option, but there's no timeline for the fix. Existing 24.04 installs upgrade to 24.04.5 normally via apt, so no action needed there. Note that 24.04.5 brings kernel 7.0 to desktop installs via HWE, which could affect driver compatibility if you rely on older kernel modules.
Discussion angle
Whether to pin to the GA kernel track instead of HWE when deploying 24.04 on hardware with proprietary driver dependencies, given the kernel 7.0 jump.