Is 10.10 still safe to use?

[[::AP::]]

Greetings -

It has been discussed over an over again.
So lets do it again? (Mixed results when searching)

Is Ubuntu 10.10 still safe to use, even though it is now almost 2 years old?
I understand that there won't be any major updates to the OS itself, and the upcoming 12.04 LTS is "suggested", but I find 10.10 to be the most usable.

(Safe is a pretty relative term - most Linux distros tend to be rock solid)

Thanks,

[::AP::]

[darkod]

Your last sentence says it all. :)

There will not be security updates, but this is not as important as with windows. There will not be software updates, but usually no major updates are released until a new version is released anyway.

I think after a while the repositories will be shut down (don't know if there is an exact date), so this might be the biggest problem actually. You will not be able to use like:
sudo apt-get install <package>

Otherwise, you can keep running it for as long as you want.

[Cheesemill]

10.10 reaches end of life at some point this month, I can't find the exact date anywhere.

I would never be happy using a release that doesn't get security updates anymore, as if an unknown exploit is discovered you will never be patched against it leaving your system wide open.

[Cheesemill]

There will not be security updates, but this is not as important as with windows.

Really? A program containing exploitable code is just as dangerous on a Linux system as it is on Windows.

[recluce]

I would not use a release that does not get security patches. So as to the question "is it safe to use?" - Not in the long run and nobody knows if "long" means days, weeks or months.

I would suggest that you either go back to 10.04 (another year of support and very similar to Maverick) or consider installing a new distro. If you don't like Unity, there is always Xubuntu or Mint...

[Perfect Storm]

You can use classic Gnome on Ubuntu 12.04: http://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2012/03/gnome-classic-in-ubuntu-12-04-its-like-nothing-ever-changed/