We have customers running software versions of ours that are five years old.

Why?

Because they needed that version, and they either didn't need the cool stuff that we built afterward, or they have other workflows that run the new fancy stuff. And their machines are running. Why don't they want to upgrade? Because their machine has not been down for 5 years.

And to do an upgrade, you have to bring the machine down briefly, and test. Some customers don't want to, and they don’t need to.

Even more extreme, some of our customers are replacing license keys without restarting. Their machine stays up, and the license key is ready in case the machine reboots. (Our license keys expire every year, that's just the way it is.)

Customers are replacing the license key without rebooting the machine. So the machine is still running on a 5-year-old key. It’s rare, but it happens. And if, for whatever hardware reason, or some other reason, the machine fails, it will reboot with the new key. The customers trust us at Unified Streaming enough not to test the new key on this machine. Because they say, “Hey, the machine is running. It's never broken. Let's not break it on purpose.” 

It's kinda like going to the car mechanic and saying, "Hey, I want to get the annual service done, but please just put the bottle of oil in the trunk, to go. Unopened. Why? Cause I don't want you to stop the engine. It's running so nicely, as is."

Ubuntu 20.04, how it figures into this blog, and LTS

On May 31, 2025, Ubuntu 20.04, or Ubuntu 20 as it’s generally known, will no longer be supported by the latest software version of Unified Streaming. The free and open-source Linux operating system is also technically referred to as Ubuntu 20.04.6 LTS (Focal Fossa). Released about five years ago on 23 April 2020, Ubuntu has come to the end of its road.

Why the LTS in Ubuntu 20.04.6 LTS (Focal Fossa)? What’s that about?

Let’s take a look-see. LTS stands for Long Term Support.

An LTS operating system is a version of an OS that gets extended security and maintenance updates for a longer period of time. Production environments that prize stability and security, like streaming platforms, broadcasters, and telcos, often favor LTS operating systems.

Advantages of an LTS include its extended support; its mission-critical, or enterprise-grade, stability; and its much lessened upgrade frequency.

The LTS’s disadvantages pertain, of course, to the flipside of those advantages. Since the LTS version, built for the long haul, seldom updates, it often faces compatibility issues with newer systems that cycle upgrades in more often. Outdatedness, and potential for falling behind the edge of innovation, could also be listed as LTS drawbacks.

For our customers running Ubuntu 20, and planning to upgrade their Unified Streaming platform versions soon, this very blog can serve as a courtesy heads-up that our support of this particular Ubuntu flavor is tapering off, and quickly.

[For OS nomenclature fans out there, Ubuntu follows this pattern: the first word is an adjective (Focal), and the second is the name of an animal (Fossa). It always has an alliterative aspect. The fossa is the name of a cat-like, carnivorous mammal that hangs out in Madagascar. We’ve never seen one up close, because none of us has ever been to Madagascar. Sad, but true.]

When you say farewell to Focal Fossa, maybe you could jump to Jammy Jellyfish or Noble Numbat. Or Religious Raccoon. (That’s our pitch for the next one. Like it? Let Ubuntu know!)

So, yes, we’re deprecating, or phasing out, support of Ubuntu 20. (The curiously organic and morbid term ​“end of life” is another way of saying deprecation.)

(We tried using the phrase ​“end of support,” but the word ​“end” is less operative than ​“support.” If we were to refer to deprecation as ​“end of support,” then the question would likely remain, ​“why not support?” Thus: ​“end of life.” Sometimes we use the acronym for end of life, EOL — as in ​“Ubuntu 20’s gonna be EOL’d.”)

We also sometimes swap in the verb ​“to sunset,” as in: ​“We’re sunsetting Ubuntu 20.” 

Operating systems, Ubuntu, and Unified software

Video streaming software gets updated, too. Ours does, of course. Frequently the new release of Unified Streaming software does not support older operating systems. Often it’s a case of owners and/​or suppliers already ceasing support for an OS, making little business sense for video streaming software developers to keep supporting the OS.

In our defense, we’re not the only ones ending support of Ubuntu 20. Even manufacturers of particular OS’s (Red Hat, Alpine, etc) stop supporting their own software versions at some point. Like Ubuntu. So we need to, as well.

So how do we communicate the imminent demise of certain software? The release notes are our leading source of information. And we try to give folks lead time, a heads-up, via email. Maybe you’re one of them who got the link to this blog in an email.

And anyone who stays current with their ​“end-of-life fact sheet” knows already what software support changes are coming down the pike.

But even if we recommended that everyone check our end-of-life fact sheet every morning, every day of the year, including holidays, we can’t count on everyone staying current.

And that can prove a challenge, because software deprecation can impact people.

If you rely on an operating system that Unified no longer supports, then you can no longer benefit from bug fixes or new features in subsequent GA releases that apply only to operating systems that are supported. In a sense, if you’re on the wrong side of your OS version, you’re stuck where you are. Also sad, but true.

Now what?

When a beloved OS leaves you, what can you do?

Well, there are many ways our customers can ease the bereavement process. You can:

1. Keep an eye out on release notes and the support roadmap. These will give clear signs on the direction we’re all heading.
2. Upgrade your OS regularly.
3. Consider whether the platform you chose a couple years ago is still the best option for you.
4. Let us know if your road map doesn’t match ours.
5. Subscribe to our newsletter, which sometimes contains EOL notices.

But isn’t software symbiotic, after all? Don’t we depend on you like you depend on us? Naturally. Yes.

So what can we do on our end?

So what can Unified do to keep the communication a two-way street? Well, here’s the shortlist. We can:

1. Skate to where the puck is going. (Not literally. We’re tech nerds, not ice hockey players. Actually we’re not athletes at all. But just try to beat us in a long-distance bike race. We’re based in the Netherlands, after all.) We can try to understand what our customers want now, and what they’ll want in the future. So feel free to reach out if you see the puck in a place where we don’t expect it.
2. Be reliable. As best we can, we should leave the rug lying there nicely, and not pull it out from under people, especially if we promised not to.
3. Keep the costs down so we can offer support to as many targets as possible. At the least, we can strike a decent balance versus development velocity.

But it’s a challenge for each side of the dev process. Customers do the best they can, and so do we.

Want an external resource about end-of-life stuff, perchance? Check it out here: https://endoflife.date/. Handy to have. (It also helps explain why I should stop trying to upgrade to iOS 18 on my iPhone 3G.)