Users are urged to update to Ubuntu 16.04 LTS now

Jul 7, 2016 12:37 GMT  ·  By

Today, July 7, 2016, Canonical has announced that its Ubuntu 15.10 (Wily Werewolf) operating system will reach end of life (EOL) in three weeks from the moment of writing this article, on July 28, 2016.

Announced on October 22, 2015, Ubuntu 15.10 was dubbed Wily Werewolf by Canonical and Ubuntu founder Mark Shuttleworth, and this was the first codename based on a fictional character, not a real animal as in all the other cases. Ubuntu 15.10 is not an LTS (Long Term Support) release, which means that it has a short life support cycle for security fixes and software updates.

"As a non-LTS release, 15.10 has a 9-month month support cycle and, as such, the support period is now nearing its end and Ubuntu 15.10 will reach end of life on Thursday, July 28th. At that time, Ubuntu Security Notices will no longer include information or updated packages for Ubuntu 15.10," says Adam Conrand in today's email announcement received by Softpedia.

Therefore, starting July 28, Canonical will no longer provide security updates for Ubuntu 15.10 (Wily Werewolf), which means that if you don't upgrade to a newer version, such as Ubuntu 16.04 LTS (Xenial Xerus), your system could become compromised. For details on how to upgrade from Ubuntu 15.10 to Ubuntu 16.04 LTS, please visit https://help.ubuntu.com/community/XenialUpgrades

If that doesn't help, we're also providing you with an easy-to-follow, step-by-step tutorial on how to upgrade your Ubuntu 15.10 installation to Ubuntu 16.04 LTS, which should be a light reading for anyone. Also, if you encounter any issues during the upgrade process, don't hesitate to drop a few words in the comments section below.