Paying for

[gordie692]

Hi guys I have a question to ask and not sure where to post I've been using Ubuntu for some time and a buddy of mine told me that we have to pay for updates something with the Ubuntu Pro not sure what he was saying I never heard anything I do my updates regular Ubuntu is free to use including updates right sorry for the post just thought I'd cross it over to you allbe happy to hear you're response

[grahammechanical]

Your buddy does not know what he is talking about.

All versions of Ubuntu are still free to download and install as they always have been. We also get free support for 9 months with standard Ubuntu releases or 5 years with Long Term Support (LTS) releases. This you know and it has not changed.

Ubuntu Pro is a subscription service that will extend support of an LTS version for an extra 5 years. It is free to the home user for up to five machines. Those with more than five machines are charged according to a range of prices that matches the number of machines.

Ubuntu Pro offers more than just extended life support life..

https://ubuntu.com/pro

Pricing

https://ubuntu.com/pricing/pro

It is definitely aimed at commercial users.

There are two options My Organisation - Enterprise subscriptions for commercial use. And Myself.


Free, personal subscription for 5 machines for you or any business you own, or 50 machines for active Ubuntu Community members (https://ubuntu.com/community/membership). If you need phone support or need to cover more than 5 machines, please select "My organisation"

https://ubuntu.com/pro/subscribe

Regards

[grahammechanical]

I have three installs of Ubuntu on my drive - Ubuntu 20.04 LTS and 2 x installs of Ubuntu 24.04 LTS. I have subscribed to Ubuntu Pro for the 20.04 LTS version and one of the 24.04 LTS versions. And it is free. When I run update/upgrade on 24.04 LTS that is not subscribed to Ubuntu Pro I get this message:


Get more security updates through Ubuntu Pro with 'esm-apps' enabled:
libcjson1 libcjson1 libpostproc57 libavcodec60 libavcodec60 libavutil58 libavutil58 libswscale7 libswresample4 libswresample4 libavformat60 libavformat60 libavfilter9

I think that software in the Universe repository does not get the same support as the Main repository even when the LTS is still in its support life period. But with Ubuntu Pro it does get that support.

I most definitely think that Ubuntu Pro is a good deal. How can it not be worth it for individuals with just a few machines. Canonical the sponsor of Ubuntu has to make money from somewhere. It does not charge a license fee for any version of Ubuntu. It offers services as an alternative to an organization funding its own IT support team. Is this a good deal for those organizations? I have no idea. This is a question that can only be answered by the management of any such organization.

Regards