In a matter of hours a new version of Ubuntu will be released, the famous Ubuntu Bionic Beaver or also known as Ubuntu 18.04. This version will be an LTS version which means that many users will be able to upgrade their operating system to a Long Support version; other users will update their operating system in two years and still others will have a new opportunity to update their operating system to a recent version and with the latest versions of the most popular Free Software programs and tools.
Next we are going to tell you what to do to upgrade to Ubuntu 18.04 from various situations. Various situations in which Ubuntu users will find themselves: from the user who has not updated the version for years to the user who has the controversial Ubuntu 17.10 through to users who only use Ubuntu LTS on their computers.
Upgrade from Ubuntu 16.04 to Ubuntu 18.04
If we have the latest version of Ubuntu LTS, this is Ubuntu 16.04.4, we just have to execute a command to start the process. This is because in the Ubuntu LTS configuration the order to update from Ubuntu LTS to Ubuntu LTS is by default, leaving aside the versions that are not Long Support. Thus, we open the terminal and write the following:
sudo do-release-upgrade -d
After that, the update wizard will start that will be present whenever we change the version and that will help us update our version of Ubuntu.
Upgrade from Ubuntu 17.10 to Ubuntu 18.04
If we have Ubuntu 17.10, the situation is similar to the previous context, but just in case, we will go to Software and Updates and in the second tab we will indicate that it warns with Long Support or LTS updates. We apply the changes and open the terminal. Normally you should skip the update wizard in this step, but for some users this will not happen or it will take time to happen, so we have to open the terminal and execute this command:
sudo do-release-upgrade -d
After which the update wizard to Ubuntu 18.04 will open again, which will guide us through the process.
Going from an old Ubuntu to Ubuntu 18.04
Upgrading from an old version of Ubuntu to Ubuntu Bionic Beaver is more troublesome or rather more difficult to perform. First we have to go to the official Ubuntu page and see if our computer meets the Hardware requirements. From one version to another of Ubuntu, the distribution does not usually change its minimum specifications but from Ubuntu 5.04 to Ubuntu 17.10, the hardware requirements have changed considerably and our computer may not have enough power for Ubuntu 18.04 to work properly. If we meet the requirements we have to open the terminal and write the following:
sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get dist-upgrade sudo update-manager -d
This will start the update wizard, but for the next version, so once we have finished the update we have to update the system again by performing the previous commands. We have to do this as many times as there are versions between our version of Ubuntu and Ubuntu 18.04. If the connection and processor are fast, this process will only take about an hour.
From Ubuntu Trusty Tahr to Ubuntu Bionic Beaver
Upgrading from Ubuntu Trusty Tahr to Ubuntu Bionic Beaver is possible and highly recommended. The process is similar to upgrading from Ubuntu 16.04 as all three versions are Ubuntu LTS versions. But in this case we have to look at the hardware compatibility. If Ubuntu 14.04 was working fairly, it is best to upgrade to a lightweight official flavor like Lubuntu 18.04. If Ubuntu works quite well, then we have to follow the previous steps, for this we open the terminal and write the following:
sudo do-release-upgrade -d
After finishing the Ubuntu update, we have to look at the version to which our operating system has been updated and repeat the previous process until we reach Ubuntu 18.04, the latest version. The good thing about these versions is that we only have to do it twice because between Ubuntu Trusty Tahr and Ubuntu Bionic Beaver there is only one version of Ubuntu LTS more.
Upgrading Debian / Fedora / OpenSUSE to Ubuntu 18.04
Many users will be surprised with this subtitle but the truth is that for several versions Ubuntu allows a semi update of any Gnu / Linux distribution to Ubuntu or rather it has facilitated the change of distributions. To do this, we only have to download the Ubuntu 18.04 iso image. Once we have it we start it and begin the installation process but in the type of installation we select the option "Replace (distribution name) by Ubuntu". This will keep our Home data safe but the important files from the distribution will be replaced by the Ubuntu 18.04 files.
This process is quite messy and dangerous so it is not very popular and the results obtained are worse than if we erase the hard drive and install Ubuntu again. But it is one more option that exists to update our computer to Ubuntu 18.04
How to update any official Ubuntu flavor to the new version
The development of the official flavors is different from the main version of Ubuntu which makes many users slow to receive Ubuntu 18.04. Any of the previous commands and forms are used to update our official flavor but there is also a second option that go through updating to Ubuntu 18.04 and after that change the desktop. Thus, we have to open the terminal and write the following:
sudo apt-get install kubuntu-desktop //Para tener Kubuntu sudo apt-get install lubuntu-desktop // Para tener Lubuntu sudo apt-get install xubuntu-desktop // Para tener Xubuntu sudo apt-get install mate-desktop // Para tener Ubuntu MATE sudo apt-get install budgie-desktop //Para tener Ubuntu Budgie
This will make our Ubuntu change desktop and also some configurations that have the official flavors and that the main version of Ubuntu does not have. Eye! In the official light flavors, the heavy Ubuntu Gnome programs are not removed but remain on the computer as just another program.
So now what?
Ubuntu's update system has improved a lot in recent years. Gone are those years where updates like Ubuntu 6.06 could erase all the data on our computer, that's history. We have given you the instructions to update to Ubuntu 18.04 and now you just have to wait for the new version of Ubuntu to be released to apply the relevant updates. If we still do not trust the new version much, something logical after the controversial Ubuntu 17.10, it is advisable to wait at least two weeks to find out the possible bugs that the version contains, although personally I do not think there is any error or problem.