Deacon wrote:The truth is that 13.04 is, as far as I can see it, much more stable than 12.10, but I base all my experience on Xubuntu type stuff. 12.10 for X was awful, and my biggest concern about 12.04.02 being based on 12.10 (and likely 12.04.03, which will be based on 13.10, I presume) is that the fall edition seems to be more unstable than the spring one. That being the case, I wonder why they didn't wait a couple of months and based 12.04.02 on 13.04 instead.
You must have misunderstood 1 or 2 things.
12.04.2 is not based on either 12.10 or 13.04 or any other release.
12.04.2 is a "point" release of 12.04 (as so was 12.04.1 and will be 12.04.3).
The developers may sometimes just borrow certain packages that have proven to be stable on the next releases and use them to keep their Long-term-support release (i.e. 12.04) up to date. For example the kernel (from 3.2 to 3.5), or xorg (from 11.1 to 13.1) etc.
However, 12.04 is still based on gnome 3.4 whilst 12.10 is based on gnome 3.6.
Do not confuse the actual releases (12.04, 12.10, 13.04) with the "point" releases (12.04.1, 12.04.2, 12.04.3).
12.04 continues to be by far the most stable release with the longest period of support.
Ubuntu will not become a rolling release. Developers have also shortened the period of support for the intermidiary releases (the ones between the LTS releases), so as to focus and develop the LTS releases and provide a very stable working environment for users.
If you ask me, I see the non LTS releases as a "test area", and whatever package or kernel proves to be worthy and stable, developers backport it onto the stable releases.
