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43 votes
Accepted

Do we consider "Ubuntu on Windows 10" the same as an official Ubuntu flavour? Do we support it? To what extent?

Canonical does, so I'd suppose it's fair game. This isn't full Ubuntu, though. It's just the command line, and that I think should retain the same behaviour except where it uses Linux-specific APIs (...
muru's user avatar
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36 votes

Policy Change Proposal: "End of Standard Support" for ESM releases is effectively the "Not Supported" date for a release on Ask Ubuntu

This is an official voting tally answer. DO NOT modify it, except to vote on it, and please do not downvote it if you disagree with the statement - upvote the other vote option instead. Yes, I ...
Thomas Ward's user avatar
  • 74.4k
20 votes
Accepted

Do we stop *supporting* external software?

We have a rule that we don't support Ubuntu versions that are no longer supported by Canonical. However, there is no rule about software from other sources. And I really think there shouldn't be such ...
terdon's user avatar
  • 100k
19 votes
Accepted

Are answers specific to Debian on-topic?

If the answer works on Debian but does not work on Ubuntu, then it is not an answer for Ubuntu and the scope of this site. If the solution works on Debian and Ubuntu then it's a valid answer. ...
Thomas Ward's user avatar
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19 votes
Accepted

How long do we support Ubuntu flavors?

Interpreting Flavor Support Policy against Overall Ubuntu Release Lifespan (This part is with my Ubuntu Developer and Lubuntu Council hats on.) As a member of the Lubuntu Council I am fluent in this ...
Thomas Ward's user avatar
  • 74.4k
18 votes

EOL Notice: Vivid Vervet (15.04) is now EOL as of February 4, 2016

Note that Ubuntu Phone devices are still running on a Vivid derivative, and will likely continue to do so until the details of the GCC 5 migration are settled. So questions related to those devices ...
James Henstridge's user avatar
18 votes
Accepted

When do I ask Linux questions in Ask Ubuntu and when in Stack Overflow?

My understanding of the scope of Stack Overflow is limited, so I hope people will comment or edit to correct me. There is significant overlap in scope (on-topicness) between various Stack Exchange ...
Zanna's user avatar
  • 70.4k
17 votes

A note on flagging end of life questions

Good reminder, Mark. The question in question here however ended up in the review queue because somebody directly close-voted it as: off-topic → This describes a problem that can't be reproduced ...
Oli's user avatar
  • 293k
16 votes

Do we consider "Ubuntu on Windows 10" the same as an official Ubuntu flavour? Do we support it? To what extent?

I see it like this, it's an Ubuntu usermode, running on Windows or not, doesn't matter. I explicitly asked is it just bash? The answer was it's not bash, it's an Ubuntu usermode, meaning it's a Ubuntu ...
Lynob's user avatar
  • 6,665
16 votes
Accepted

Should a question asking for a workaround for a problem in an in-development version be closed as off-topic?

Sadly and—in my humble opinion—wrongly, the AU community has decided that workarounds for bugs are off topic. Personally, I've never understood why that is the case since working around bugs is often ...
terdon's user avatar
  • 100k
16 votes
Accepted

Clarification on GRUB's on-topic-ness

Erm... In one of Oli's answers, he mentions : [Questions] how it's installed (and how it boots) are not Ubuntu proper and are off-topic. That's firmly within the context of Crouton, ...
Oli's user avatar
  • 293k
16 votes
Accepted

Can I ask about a problem with a non-Ubuntu kernel here?

I see no reason why not. Ubuntu is an operating system, it is not a kernel. That's precisely the distinction that people like RMS make when they insist on calling the OS GNU/Linux and not Linux. Linux ...
terdon's user avatar
  • 100k
16 votes

Policy Change Proposal: "End of Standard Support" for ESM releases is effectively the "Not Supported" date for a release on Ask Ubuntu

This is an official voting tally answer. DO NOT modify it, except to vote on it, and please do not downvote it if you disagree with the statement - upvote the other vote option instead. No, I do not ...
Thomas Ward's user avatar
  • 74.4k
15 votes
Accepted

What's this sites stand on UbuntuBSD?

This page clearly states what is and what is not considered on-topic for Ask Ubuntu: Questions that you may ask: Using and administering official Ubuntu flavors* including: Edubuntu, Ubuntu ...
Nathan Osman's user avatar
  • 32.1k
15 votes
Accepted

Shouldn't we stop closing questions instantly as Off-Topic if we see the words "mint", "debian", etc.?

Yes. "Mint," "Debian," "Kali," etc., don't mean "stop paying attention." You're right that it's bad to robo-close questions based on the presence of specific ...
Eliah Kagan's user avatar
14 votes
Accepted

Do we, or do we not support wubi.exe?

I think I made a mistake. I've always seen questions about Wubi being closed as off-topic because of it being discontinued, and since that itself made sense I endorsed the same practice. However ...
kos's user avatar
  • 35.9k
14 votes

Unix vs Ubuntu?

Speaking as a Unix & Linux moderator, any question about Ubuntu Linux would also be on topic on U&L. The scope of Ask Ubuntu is almost a subset of the scope of U&L. The exceptions are ...
terdon's user avatar
  • 100k
14 votes

When do we say a problem can't be reproduced?

I think it's somewhat subjective... but I would like to share my perspective for discussion, even though I am pretty new to the site. Along with some other folks, I do some cleanup, meaning I spend ...
Zanna's user avatar
  • 70.4k
14 votes
Accepted

Is Ubuntu WSL with Linux Mint repos/packages OK for Ask Ubuntu?

First of all, as Zanna already pointed out in her answer, WSL is on topic here as decided by this meta discussion: Do we consider "Ubuntu on Windows 10" the same as an official Ubuntu ...
terdon's user avatar
  • 100k
13 votes

How strict should off-topic questions be flagged as such?

This is 100% about using a command line tool that ships with Ubuntu as part of the coreutils package. There aren't many tools that are more Ubuntu. In the same way that we answer Ubuntu users' ...
Oli's user avatar
  • 293k
13 votes

"Can I run Ubuntu on my hardware?" questions: a discussion

IMO these should be closed for multiple reasons: consumer hardware changes too quickly and has too many minor variations for the answers to have any lasting value. Same problem with shopping ...
muru's user avatar
  • 197k
13 votes
Accepted

Are "respins" on-topic?

I don't see how this would be on topic. We only support official Ubuntu flavors, and this isn't one. The problem described seems to be an issue with the modified installer so I closed the question and ...
terdon's user avatar
  • 100k
12 votes
Accepted

Unix vs Ubuntu?

Most questions that are on-topic here, are on-topic there too. But it doesn't go the other way around. For example, questions about Linux Mint are on-topic there, but not here. And if you post ...
Fiksdal's user avatar
  • 2,111
12 votes

EOL Notice: Wily Werewolf (15.10) is now End of Life (as of July 28, 2016) (Enforcement starts July 29)

For those who would rather not upgrade to Ubuntu 16.04 for whatever reason such as a lack of support for AMD's old fglrx driver, note that Ubuntu 14.04 LTS will still be officially supported until ...
JohnDoe's user avatar
  • 321
12 votes
Accepted

Should we or should we not support questions on Unity 8?

It is a program included in a supported version, and the default environment on tablets/phones. Unless the question is about a bug, or dependant on some unmade feature we should be able to handle ...
Mateo's user avatar
  • 8,084
12 votes

Ubuntu Eee / EasyPeasy - Offtopic?

Ubuntu Eee sounds a lot like the long since dead netbook remix project. Whether this is the case or not, the Ubuntu Eee operating system is no longer an official Ubuntu distro. Per the help center, ...
Thomas Ward's user avatar
  • 74.4k
12 votes

Is Ubuntu WSL with Linux Mint repos/packages OK for Ask Ubuntu?

If running Ubuntu with additional Mint repositories is on topic here, then running WSL (which is on-topic) with additional Mint repositories is on topic here. I am not aware of a policy here that ...
Zanna's user avatar
  • 70.4k
12 votes

Is Ubuntu 14.04 off-topic on Ask Ubuntu?

You're right that the Ubuntu wiki uses the term "End of Life" in a way that supports your argument, i.e. it says that Ubuntu 14.04 will be EOL in April 2022. Disconcertingly, the mobile ...
Zanna's user avatar
  • 70.4k
11 votes
Accepted

When do we say a problem can't be reproduced?

I think if you just changed the title of the question to "Why does launching an application via gksu not work?" or similar and then keep the body as an example would make the question immediately more ...
Jorge Castro's user avatar
  • 71.7k
11 votes
Accepted

Do we support snapd on other distros?

Summary of the below, and moderation team discussions (aka, the "TL;DR"): Both the moderation team here on Ask Ubuntu, and the Snapcraft.io site team members, are in agreement that it does not make ...
Thomas Ward's user avatar
  • 74.4k

Only top scored, non community-wiki answers of a minimum length are eligible