Users warned against upgrading to Ubuntu 21.04
Wondering why you didn’t get the Ubuntu upgrade notification?
When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
In a strange turn of events, Ubuntu developers are asking users not to upgrade theirUbuntu 20.10installations to the recently-releasedUbuntu 21.04due to a strange bug.
Normally, as soon as a new release is up for grabs, existing Ubuntu users would typically get a notification about its availability and can then switch to the new release with a single click.
However, a severe issue prompted Ubuntu developers to disable the upgrade prompt. While a manual upgrade was still possible, some top Ubuntu developers want the distro to actively discourage users from upgrading.
Unbootable systems
“In case you missed it in the release notes and hear people asking about it, I wanted to let you know that users of Ubuntu 20.10 are not being prompted to upgrade to Ubuntu 21.04…Due to the severity of the issue we shouldn’t be encouraging people to upgrade at this point in time,” Ubuntu Bugmaster Brian Murray wrotein a postto the Ubuntu developer mailing list
The issue regarding the lack of an upgrade notification is mentioned in the release notes of Ubuntu 21.04, and stems from abugin the software (called shim) that allows Ubuntu to boot on Extensible Firmware Interface (EFI) equipped machines.
As mentioned in the release notes of the Hirsute Hippo, the current version of shim in Ubuntu 21.04 is not compatible with EFI version 1.10 and will make these computers unbootable after the upgrade.
Murray writes that the developers will enable upgrade notifications once a new version of shim is available that works with EFI 1.10.
Are you a pro? Subscribe to our newsletter
Sign up to the TechRadar Pro newsletter to get all the top news, opinion, features and guidance your business needs to succeed!
ViaPCMag
With almost two decades of writing and reporting on Linux, Mayank Sharma would like everyone to think he’sTechRadar Pro’sexpert on the topic. Of course, he’s just as interested in other computing topics, particularly cybersecurity, cloud, containers, and coding.
7 myths about email security everyone should stop believing
Best Usenet client of 2024
Arcane season 2 confirms the hit series isn’t just one of the best Netflix shows ever made – it’s an animated legend that’ll stand the test of time
