The Ubuntu team has released the second maintenance release for Ubuntu 8.04. “The Ubuntu team is proud to announce the release of Ubuntu 8.04.2 LTS, the second maintenance update to Ubuntu’s 8.04 LTS release. This release includes updated server, desktop, and alternate installation CDs for the i386 and amd64 architectures. In all, over 200 updates have been integrated, and updated installation media has been provided so that fewer updates will need to be downloaded after installation. These include security updates and corrections for other high-impact bugs, with a focus on maintaining stability and compatibility with Ubuntu 8.04 LTS.” Get it from their download page.
WTF they do no call it “Service Pack 2” or is too Microsoft-like and everything Microsoft-like has to – per definition – bad?
The advantage would be that more people would understand that Linux uses similar development cycle concepts like Windows. More people would understand better how the Linux dev cycle works as everybody knows the SP release concept.
..it is just a detail. But if the Linux community would not blench from adopting more of such concepts from major software vendors, Linux’ *general mainstream and mainstream business* success will increase.
You can’t please everyone, if they used “SP2” people would say they are copying microsoft.
Besides “.2” carries on their own numbering scheme, why switch to someone elses?
Agree, the .2 is more obvious (to me) than SERVICE PACK 1, R2, CTP and all the names Microsoft uses to call their minor upgrades over their products.
Can I ask what the big deal is about terminology? The one thing I hate about the Linux community is that you people like to psycho analyze everything. if you are going to sit here and try to examine, Call it a service pack/or dont call it a service pack. I have a few words of advice… Go get laid. Jesus Christ, give it a rest you people are boring.
Whether something is called SP2 or .04.2 is totally irrelevant. Linux numbering scheme is far better and informative than abbreviations, it’s a matter of getting to like it. On the other hand, the general rule is: Stay away from what Microsoft does – they do have a tendency to sue anyone’s ass off if they believe a product of them is being cloned in any way.
lol. Is this your main issue with Linux? Do you know how many other OS’ do not use a ‘sp#’ versioning scheme and uses #.#.# scheme instead? Solaris, HP-UX, FreeBSD, OSX, OS/2 (the list goes on).
edit. just reread your post again about “mainstream concepts”. Right.
Edited 2009-01-23 01:05 UTC
Heh, HP-UX. A version number like 11i v3 update 2 is sheer poetry.
In addition to what everyone else has said, it is not like a Microsoft Service Pact. It is a collection of cumulative updates. If you have a fully patched and updated Hardy on your system, you already have Ubuntu 8.04.2 LTS installed. By installing the download of 8.04.2 you just avoid a very large update after the installation of the original release.
Exactly. And at least Ubuntu updates are only fixes. Microsoft uses Service Packs to introduce whole new features which many times include even more bugs!
Oh, and IBM used Fix Packs for OS/2, long before Microsoft slightly changed the name to Service Packs.
Version numbers where invented for a reason. They work perfectly well, and are language independent. If you use the terms “Service Pack” or “SP” or “Release Candidate” or “RC” etc… what happens to promotional material for other non-English languages?
Version numbers make a LOT more sense!
You do know that Windows is pretty much the only OS vendor that uses the “Service Pack” version scheme, right?
I don’t see many OSX, Solaris or AIX Service Packs around.
Is it just me or… dude I always *HATED* the “Service Pack” terminology. Back on those days, I wouldn’t even figure out what it was. Perhaps “Update Pack” would have been better? But I think “Service” looks more corporative.
Anyways, who here doesn’t know of hundred cases where they screw the whole system just by installing a SP1 or SP2… It’s even funny that in their READMEs, there is a line saying “If your system is running fine and doesn’t list any issues covered by SP, it’s not recommended that you install SP.”
I prefer the number scheming name. But I find also hard to go through Ubuntu’s silly animal codenames and a new release every 6 months.
Will Ubuntu duratives, such as Kubuntu, Xubuntu, and Ubuntu Studio, follow up with 8.04.2 ISO images? So far I can only find the standard Ubuntu (Desktop/Alternate/Server) images for this release; everything else is still at 8.04.1.