Ubuntu is one of the most used Linux distributions, replacing Windows in many cases. Canonical, the company behind Ubuntu, has announced a significant change. They’ll release monthly updates to test new features.
The company is changing how they develop Ubuntu. They’ll have four snapshots during the development cycle of Ubuntu 25.10. These snapshots will be released on specific dates: June 10, July 15, and August 19.
Why the change?
The reason for this change is the underlying release process. Canonical says they’ve developed a largely manual process over the past 20 years, which requires experienced Ubuntu contributors. They’re looking to improve this process.
Canonical recently formed the Ubuntu Release Management Team, which will work with veteran Ubuntu contributors. This team is developing a new release process for Ubuntu. The monthly snapshots are meant to give the new team a better understanding of the existing processes.
What are these snapshots?
These snapshots are not complete releases but rather selected, testable milestones in the development flow. Ubuntu is not moving to monthly releases or a continuous release model. For now, Canonical is committed to semi-annual releases and Long Term Support (LTS) releases every two years.
For users who want to test the latest Ubuntu developments, these snapshots offer more features. For regular Ubuntu users, snapshots allow more people to try out Ubuntu versions during development, which can lead to public releases with fewer bugs.
These changes show Canonical’s effort to improve the Ubuntu development process. With monthly snapshots, they’re taking a step towards a more efficient and community-driven release cycle.