Help dev to find correct version to use for - low maintenance - user-friendly - with NVIDIA and CUDA

Hi,

Please help me find the ubuntu version i can use to develop open source AI applications with Nvidia / CUDA support.

I dont want to beta test new features on the ubuntu version - I need a stable - low maintenance OS to run docker and nvidia proprietary drivers.

intro - Im dev with 30 years exp and at least 20 years exp with linux.
I write assembly if i have to.

I tried ubuntu v 24 - and sorry this is not what I need - snap is not mature enough to be called production ready and i do not want to deal with beta testing.

And yes - i could “work around” snap - but I dont want to because its tedious and not user-friendly to do so.

So please… tell me which version I can use to fullfill my pretty low expectations of an OS…

thanks in advance

Heya,

If I were you I would just go with Ubuntu and copy tooling from DGX OS since it’s in fact an Ubuntu that is trimmed and tuned to those DGXes.

See here:
https://docs.nvidia.com/dgx/dgx-os-7-user-guide/

I am waiting in line for Spark, but I am not really too optimistic about actually having the chance to buy it.

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i didnt know about spark and will read up on it - thanks @ixq - the best option i found thus far is WSL

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From the info I found on their web: “Before you begin, ensure that you have an active NVIDIA Enterprise Support account.”

So yea, need to have that to get the iso.
Though it probably won’t run on regular hw, but would be great to extract the tooling at least.

Well, I’ll be waiting for that DGX Spark to arrive since it comes with all that. Though expensive :expressionless:

This explains the release cycle of Ubuntu.

Explanation of the Ubuntu release cycle

Released versions of Ubuntu are not beta versions. As one version of Ubuntu is released development begins on the next version. The development period is 26 weeks long. During that 26 week period the Ubuntu code goes through Alpha and Beta releases.

Ubuntu 25.10 is the current development version. This is the development roadmap.

An example of a development version’s roadmap

Notice the heading Release Timeline

Key milestones for Ubuntu 25.10 “Questing Quokka” include:

Feature Freeze: August 14, 2025
User Interface Freeze: September 4, 2025
Beta Release: September 18, 2025
Final Release: October 9, 2025

You are a programmer. I am not. So, I ask: Does development ever stop?

It seems to me that you are looking for something that does not exist. You are not going to get a version of Ubuntu that does not have snap packages. Please explain to me how the existence of snap packages in an operating system will affect your work.

Just as Ubuntu is built on Debian so there are distributions built on Ubuntu. I have heard it rumored that some of those distributions do not come with anything snap packaged related.

Regards

There are differences in the cycles when it comes to LTS releases, the release to release upgrades only get enabled with the first point release of an LTS for added stability and bugfixing, so if you want more stability and less bugs you’d got with an LTS that has seen its first point release already (i.e. 24.04.1 and any following ones)…

Regarding third party software like CUDA, such software is also often developed against LTS versions since these are the ones that get commercially used due to their 10y support cycle…

how does this relate to my question? nvm answering.

If the latest LTS version of ubuntu feels like a beta version because one or more of the core functionalities is not mature - it doesnt matter if the authors or the documentations claims its not a beta version.

no, and that question + the answer is irrelevant and not helping.

a stable release (i.e. ubuntu 24) should at least in its core functionalities contain stable modules. Snap - as example - is not stable.

I’m looking for a way to have the newest nvidia drivers installed and working cuda libs in order to do my work with low maintenance OS. In my opinion and experience and the last month - ubuntu 24 does not provide these requirements.

Last month hasn’t been typical for the CUDA/Nvidia software. The CUDA 13.0 release requires the Nvidia 580(-open) driver to run, and the 580 driver wasn’t available via the standard Ubuntu repos or even through the graphics-drivers PPA (it is now though). The CUDA 13.0 samples were delayed a bit after the CUDA 13.0 toolkit was released, and the 12.9 samples needed several architectures removed from the cmake files to even compile (which did work on the 575-open driver). Even though the Nvidia 575 allows compilation of CUDA 13.0 code, it wont run the resulting executables. This sort of problem is not typical of a CUDA release.

There is great temptation to allow the CUDA .run script to install an Nvidia 580 driver, but my experience going back to CUDA 8 makes me wait for the graphics-drivers PPA to make the 580-open available. I don’t even let the .run script install files to system areas: use the --installpath to specify a writable area. Run the script without sudo to prevent anything from being written into system areas. Check the log file produced in /tmp to see what didn’t get written – nothing I care about: manifest for uninstall (unnecessary when I know where every CUDA file is), /var/log file (/tmp has a log), the man page…

My system updates do not have to contend with third party scripts (that may or may not work) to rebuild modules for kernel updates, and any confusion resulting from strange library versions. All the CUDA binaries and libraries get put into the CUDA directory, and putting the CUDA directories first in the PATH and LD_LIBRARY_PATH ensure they get used. Multiple CUDA installations can easily be kept around with a project specific script to set the env variables. I find putting the changes in my .profile doesn’t cause me any problems.

I find Ubuntu 24.04 pretty solid, maybe because I don’t let third parties mess with the system areas. I cannot speak to snap or docker, since I ignore snap and don’t use docker, and you weren’t very specific about snap “instabilities”.

because i did not write instabilities. Its not mature - the concept of snap might be mature - but the current integration of snap as “co-package-manager” is not a mature.

Its not optional - it replaced the app-center… but the feature is imo. not mature enough to be called “production ready” …

For example - and please dont hang yourself up on this single example… the permission management of snaps seems … unfinished - and not user-friendly


(from Snap home interface - security - #14 by cyr494mng)

I dont mind being able to use future features in a stable release… but i dont expect them to be pre-installed - non-removable - (not without disadvantages and not in a user-friendly way)_ and forced upon the user. . somehow the issue i have here never comes across no matter how often i write it :smiley:

one more edit - a OS facilitates me to use my PC - the least i notice the OS - the better it does the job its designed to do…-
I do not want to deal with OS stuff constantly… and … some things not working as expected in a core functionality of an so-called “user-friendly stable version of an OS” is imo. a no-go. - yes this happens in all OS’s every now and then… but in ubuntu 24… it happened way to often (on a clean install ) to me… and it seems a large group of users in general…

After 25+ years using Win as dev machine I switched (because of unsolved WSL issues) about half a year ago to Ubuntu 25.04.

I did not have any issues with snap as I did a lot of testing with snap and Ubuntu security settings due my personal “misstrust” from third party software.

IMHO: The support you get from people with deep knowledge in this forum is unique - impossible to get these answers for Windows.

Anyway, would you mind to explain your issues with snap that it feel not mature as for me its not clear. Because the feature you reference in the screenshot is experimental and disabled by default.

The feature you claim to not be well integrated/immature, is fully available in your system settings since years …

I find it funny that you try to prove the fact that we are pushing immature features at users with a link to a post describing a feature enhancement that got explicitly disabled behind an experimental system setting to specifically not have general users hit instabilities with it (yet they can get involved in testing by enabling it if they want…)

I’m not trying to prove it - I’m claiming that ubuntu 24 does not feel stable since me and other users have many issues. Even on systems short after clean install.

As an example I named the snap eco system since I dont think the feature / mature enough to be stable.

Even if Im completely wrong - on all accounts - I would still consider the feedback itself valueable - There must be a reason… which no one cares about … here at least

I’m sure you know of issues - during early release I’ve read many reports - many issues with the steam snap - issues with permission… to namea few… and again - this is not my main issue - its an example…but… I bet we will discuss snap again… cause… ye… im completely wrong aparently… its a well rounded super mature pro software and me as experienced dev… I am just trying to waste everyones time here.

It is a feature which i would consider necesary - without it - permissions are fumbly / not user-friendly.

But this has never been my main issue - ubuntu 24 in general does not behave like a stable os - not for my definition of stable. I could ignore the tedious snap-eco system - if it would be the only annoyance (and afaik many users do)

Instead of taking that serious you rather defend the precisios snap… fine… does it even matter that I mentioned that I tried the vision disabled magnifying glass during install - and it made my screen bug out heavily. (/i have a 4k monitor ).
and there are many more issues… which I also mentioned in my 1st post - but… no one cares.

Listen - I 'm making an effort here and try to help … and all i find here… is ignorance and people picking single examples and discuss those to death. I take the time to describe my personal eperience - and instead apreciating the effort and and trying to consider the reason - you defend your opinion… . Posting here feels a lot like a waste of my time.

Closing.
Thank you for taking time to discuss your personal experience with Ubuntu and your views about the volunteer community here.