Ubuntu 12.04 was released by Canonical almost 5 years ago, on April 26, 2012. As with all LTS releases, Canonical has provided ongoing security patches and bug fixes for a period of 5 years. The Ubuntu 12.04 LTS (Long Term Support) period ended on Friday, April 28, 2017. Ubuntu delivers services reliably, predictably and economically. It is the perfect platform on which to build your instances. Ubuntu is free and will always be, and you have the option to get support and Landscape from Canonical. For those who cannot upgrade immediately, Ubuntu 12.04 ESM updates will help ensure the on-going security and integrity of Ubuntu 12.04 systems.