mythbuntu aimed to keep close ties with ubuntu thus allowing changes to be moved upstream for the greater benefit of the ubuntu community. due to the close link with ubuntu, easy conversions between desktop and standalone mythbuntu installations are possible. the development cycle of mythbuntu originally followed that of ubuntu, with releases occurring every six months. starting with 12.04, mythbuntu releases tracked ubuntu's lts (long-term support) releases, which release approximately every two years.