I ran software updater and was queried to join Ubuntu Pro. Do I really want to do this. I am thinking not.
Need? I would say no. Useful? To some, not everyone. It really depends on the person. How often do you want to do a clean install or upgrade forward. Right now we have the basic 3 year cycle, that can be extended to 5 years of just security upgrades. That can now be extended to 10 years with Ubuntu Pro. I would think people running servers would benefit the most from Ubuntu Pro. Of course if you are someone who prefers more bleeding edge software, Ubuntu Pro would not be for you. The other option, to me at least, is a rolling/semi-rolling release. I have been playing with Sparky Linux on a test box and finding it fairly impressive. Again it is up to you and only you can decide what fits your needs. Linux is choice!
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So am I being offered Pro because I am still on 20.04 and have not upgraded to 22.04? This is the first time I have seen the Pro offer.
Hi @jaybo, I was wondering the same thing. This Ubuntu Pro seems to have replaced ESM (Expanded Security Maintenance) which I took advantage of for Ubuntu Server 16.04 at 5 extending to 10 years.
But this is 20.04 and this isn't 2025 yet.
Take a look at the Available Versions of these only adding something with ESM. It suspiciously looks like the same version with that flag added to only the package name. Why would they do that?
BTW, these don't show up in Synaptic. It seems to be inside Software Updater.
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Ubuntu Pro is a superset of what was offered via ESM.
Ubuntu has traditionally offered security checks only for packages in main and restricted, with this remaining unchanged for all releases, EXCEPT Ubuntu Pro now offers security patching for packages in universe (or community packages) when Ubuntu Pro is enabled.
Thus, if you're in a position where security really matters to you, Ubuntu Pro offers a higher level of security for even standard support LTS releases of Ubuntu (20.04 & 22.04 LTS currently).
Whether or not you will benefit from this, is up to you. The list of packages that offer higher security I think of as useful, as it allows me to consider how often I use them, and decide if I'll benefit (the OP's original post shows a list of upgrades available for example).
For me, being a Ubuntu member, I have 50 machines I can connect to Ubuntu Pro, yet I currently don't have any connected. The machine I'm using right now runs noble or the development release, thus I actually have a lower security profile than the default supported releases even without Pro enabled, but my dual boot environment includes the LTS (22.04) and I don't see the need for it there as its not used that often, likewise my other boxes (used on occasion).
I would for sure consider it if I had servers using LTS that ran web facing services, but I don't.
The decision is ours, with Ubuntu Pro offering an optional higher level of security for those that want or need it. It has taken nothing away from what we had.
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My understanding is Ubuntu Pro is free for personal use. I understand you need an Ubuntu One account to enable Pro. Just curious, can multiple PCs be registered under one account. I may have up to three PCs (not 50) to register.
Up to six for personal use.
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Thanks. I did one. It sure took a lot of time to enable before the upgrade even begun to download. Do you know what all is involved after the key is entered and the PC is confirmed attach to the Ubuntu One account.
You've already received an answer from @jymm, so thanks @jymm
I'll provide a link to Ubuntu Pro - FAQ - Ubuntu Pro - Ubuntu Community Hub as its where I'd look for details/answers if I had questions, is even a reasonable place to query if answers aren't already there.
In the FAQ it states
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Personally, I think better question is why won't you want to enable Ubuntu Pro rather than why to do it. I think everybody needs more security. It is always better somebody cares more about some packages in my opinion.
The only con I see can be data a data privacy "leak" not seen in community-only distros like Debian. You give up your email and IP adress to some company and that can be a problem for some linux and open-source fans. It is sort of a contract and some linux people don't like this. Something similar with centralized Snap Store, but I it is totally free with no account.
For me, this is perfectly fine, I care more about my system being secure than totally private. IP adress does not bother me and you can use any e-mail mask like Firefox relay or Duckduckgo relay adress for account registering. So I like Ubuntu Pro, but I understand the reasons some people don't.
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First off, thanks for this discussion. As mentioned before, some may be concerned about privacy, and unconvinced from reading here and elsewhere that there's significant increased security for someone running only Thunderbird & Firefox in the latest LTS (me).
So my question is: How can I turn off the esm nag notice every time I run an update?
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My question is: How can I do a software update when I can't seem to proceed without subscribing to ubuntu pro? I don't see any way of getting around this and proceeding with the updates.
I am pretty close to going back to a previous MATE version because of all the problems I have been having with 22.04
Hi @lar3ry 
You've asked:
I believe the following post written by @Muckel1 , on 4th February (2024), in the related discussion topic "How to turn off ESM nag in every update?", as a reply to the initial question in that topic, started by @JohnW on 1st February (2024), will solve your issue
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Thanks! That did the trick.
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