Edubuntu
Official derivative of Ubuntu for educational institutions From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Edubuntu is an official derivative of the Ubuntu operating system designed for use in classrooms inside schools, homes and communities.
 | |
Edubuntu 24.04 Desktop | |
| Developer | Canonical Ltd. and community contributors |
|---|---|
| OS family | Linux (Unix-like) |
| Working state | Current |
| Source model | Open source |
| Initial release | 2005 |
| Latest release | 25.04 (Plucky Puffin) / 17 April 2025 |
| Kernel type | Monolithic Linux kernel |
| Default user interface | GNOME |
| License | Mainly GPL and various others (free with some restricted components) |
| Official website | www |
Features
Edubuntu is based largely on the standard GNOME-based Ubuntu distribution. Curated sets of applications (metapackages) and default desktop settings tailored to specific age groups (including preschool, primary, secondary, and tertiary education) can be selected during the installation. Applications are sorted into folders for specific subject areas, and can be hidden system-wide by an administrator.[1][2][3]
Previous iterations of Edubuntu were bundled with the Linux Terminal Server Project (LTSP)—intended to allow a computer running Edubuntu to serve multiple thin clients in a lab environment,[4][1] classroom management software ITALC, and software for restricting desktop settings and applications.[5]
Project goals
The primary goal of Edubuntu was to enable an educator with limited technical knowledge and skills to set up a computer lab or an online learning environment in an hour or less and then effectively administer that environment.
The principal design goals of Edubuntu were centralized management of configuration, users and processes, together with facilities for working collaboratively in a classroom setting. Equally important was the gathering together of the best available free software and digital materials for education. According to a statement of goals on the official Edubuntu website: "Our aim is to put together a system that contains all the best free software available in education and make it easy to install and maintain."[6]
It also aimed to allow low-income environments to maximize utilisation of their available (older) equipment.
Versions
Summarize
Perspective
The first Edubuntu release coincided with the release of Ubuntu 5.10, which was codenamed Breezy Badger on 2005-10-13. On Ubuntu 8.04, Edubuntu was replaced with Ubuntu Education Edition—an add-on CD intended for installing the Edubuntu packages on top of an existing Ubuntu installation.[7] From version 9.10 onwards, Edubuntu returned to being a standalone distribution.[8]
Beginning with 14.04, Edubuntu was to only be released for Ubuntu long-term support (LTS) versions only, after Jonathan Carter and Stéphane Graber stepped down from Edubuntu to focus on other projects. It was eventually announced that there would be no Ubuntu 16.04 release of Edubuntu due to a lack of contributors.[9][10]
In December 2022, it was announced that Edubuntu would be revived to target the Ubuntu 23.04 cycle, with development headed by Ubuntu Studio head Erich Eickmeyer and his wife Amy, an early childhood educator. The revived project adopted a tightened goal of providing software for different age groups, as well as associated customization options, on top of the current Ubuntu desktop environment.[11][12]
| Release | Codename | Release date | End-of-life date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5.10[13] | Breezy Badger | 13 October 2005 | 13 April 2007 |
| 6.06 LTS[14] | Dapper Drake | 1 June 2006 | 14 July 2009 |
| 6.10[15] | Edgy Eft | 26 October 2006 | 25 April 2008 |
| 7.04[16][17] | Feisty Fawn | 19 April 2007 | 19 October 2008 |
| 7.10[18][19] | Gutsy Gibbon | 18 October 2007 | 18 April 2009 |
| 8.04 LTS[20][21] | Hardy Heron | 24 April 2008 | 12 May 2011 |
| 8.10[22] | Intrepid Ibex | 30 October 2008 | 30 April 2010 |
| 9.04[23] | Jaunty Jackalope | 23 April 2009 | 23 October 2010 |
| 9.10[24][25] | Karmic Koala | 29 October 2009 | 29 April 2011 |
| 10.04 LTS[26][27] | Lucid Lynx | 29 April 2010 | 9 May 2013 |
| 10.10[28][29] | Maverick Meerkat | 10 October 2010 | 10 April 2012 |
| 11.04[30][31] | Natty Narwhal | 28 April 2011 | 28 October 2012 |
| 11.10[32][33] | Oneiric Ocelot | 13 October 2011 | 9 May 2013 |
| 12.04 LTS[34][35] | Precise Pangolin | 26 April 2012 | 28 April 2017 |
| 12.10[36][37][38] | Quantal Quetzal | 18 October 2012 | 16 May 2014 |
| 13.04[39][40] | Raring Ringtail | 25 April 2013 | 27 January 2014 |
| 13.10[41][42] | Saucy Salamander | 17 October 2013 | 17 July 2014 |
| 14.04 LTS[43][44][45] | Trusty Tahr | 17 April 2014 | 30 April 2019 |
| 23.04[46][47][48] | Lunar Lobster | 20 April 2023 | 25 January 2024[49] |
| 23.10[50] | Mantic Minotaur | 12 October 2023 | July 2024 |
| 24.04 LTS[51] | Noble Numbat | 25 April 2024 | May 2029 |
| 24.10 | Oracular Oriole | 10 October 2024 | July 2025 |
| 25.04 | Plucky Puffin | 17 April 2025 | January 2026 |
| Legend: Old version, not maintained Older version, still maintained Current stable version Future version | |||
See also
- List of Ubuntu-based distributions
- Comparison of Linux distributions
- UberStudent – Educational Linux distribution based on LTS versions of Xubuntu
- Sugar-on-a-Stick – Educational Linux distribution based on Fedora
References
External links
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