Canonical today launched Ubuntu 12.04 LTS for the desktop, marking the fourth long-term support (LTS) release of the free operating system.

Ubuntu 12.04 LTS includes support for desktop virtualisation from Citrix and VMware, alongside Microsoft RDP 7.1. This means enterprise users now have a three-way choice for office productivity: remote delivery of desktop applications, browser-based cloud solutions like Google Docs or the native, Microsoft-compatible LibreOffice suite that comes pre-installed.

"For large enterprise deployments with long-term planning processes, Ubuntu 12.04 LTS is our best desktop yet," said Jane Silber, CEO of Canonical. "Thanks to our expanded hardware partnerships, we'll make regular updates to support new PCs from certified partners like Dell, HP and Lenovo. And we'll support even more companies that make the switch to Ubuntu on their desktops."

New to those upgrading from the last LTS release will be Unity, Ubuntu?s user interface.

Canonical provides optional commercial support for Ubuntu 12.04 LTS in the form of Ubuntu Advantage. The programme gives a choice of two levels of support, alongside access to the time-saving administration tool, Landscape, which includes audit, compliance and ongoing management features for large desktop deployments.

Canonical says that Ubuntu 12.04 LTS is already certified to run on over 20 laptops and desktops, with many more to follow in the weeks to come.

Key parts of the code have been also optimized, resulting to faster boots and extended laptop battery life.

Ubuntu 12.04 LTS can be downloaded at: www.ubuntu.com/download