You can only get in the passenger side door, numerous maintenance lights are lit on the dashboard and the engine will overheat if you go over 5000 revs. These are some of the pains you may experience when using a car that is past its time. While the car may still ‘do the job’ with its quirks and nostalgic value, practicality and security-wise it doesn’t really hold up.
Using software that is end of life is no different from driving a car that is on its way out.
As Ubuntu 12.04 reaches it’s end of life, it will no longer be supported with critical updates such as security upgrades. Not only would you struggle to find support with the OS, you may find yourself open to attacks through any known exploits in the software.
Whilst we’re not saying your server will cease to function or will it break all of a sudden, it is generally good practice to keep up to date with the latest Ubuntu has to offer to maintain a stable and secure environment.
CentOS 5 has also moved into the archives as support for the OS was cut off from March 31st. Ubuntu 12.04 is set to follow suit and become end of life on April 28th 2017.
If you not have made plans to upgrade, you should seriously consider this. Keeping your software and hardware updated at all times should be on the checklist of everyone who manages a server. Being stuck with a legacy system is never a good idea.