i saw ppl talking about Ubuntu here and i dont know what this is…i googled it and i think its an OS?is it free of charge?any comments from ppl who have used it?
Hi…
Yes, Ubuntu is a distribution of Linux that is free of charge and can be downloaded from their website (Canonical, the company who wrote the OS) here…
http://www.ubuntu.com/getubuntu/download
You can also order Ubuntu CD’s from the same site and is probably easier than trying to burn a copy of it on a blank CD. To do that you will need to create an account and the CD’s will be shipped to you in a few weeks. Once you get the CD’s, you can install it as the only OS on your system or create a dual boot setup. Or you can do what I’ve done and install it in a virtual machine (VM) like VirtualBox. However, drivers will be very basic and you will see limited functionality going this route.
I have used Ubuntu 5.10, 6.06 and 8.04 and have a fair bit of experience with it. I used 5.10 (Breezy Badger) for 5 months between October, 2006 and March, 2007 as my only OS (no Windows) in part to immerse myself in Linux and to experiment with it.
Ubuntu was created with beginners (with Linux) in mind and tries to give “out of the box” functionality and simplicity upon installation. No frills, just a very basic setup to begin with. You can add programs through the Synaptic Package Manager or through regular (linux) downloads from the internet.
I don’t know what your experience is with Linux but if you never tried using it before, be prepared for a learning curve! Linux is definately NOT Windows and although the two essentially operate in the same way, beneath the hood, the nuts and bolts are very different.
The main things I can share with you at this point is that you will need to learn some Linux command line language to effectively use the OS. Linux and Ubuntu are still not entirely “point and click” OS’s like Windows. If you google “Linux for beginners,” there should be some links to help you out.
Also, the installation and availabilty of hardware drivers is entirely different if the copy of Ubuntu does not support them out of the box. This can include graphics cards, modems, scanners, printers, web cams and especially wireless network cards (and chipsets!) If you are thinking about installing Ubuntu straight to the hard drive and not in a virtual environment, I would highly encourage you to research to see if your system’s hardware specs are compatible with Ubuntu out of the box. Otherwise, if you can find the correct linux driver, it may be a real headache getting it installed and working correctly. :
There is a Ubuntu forum where you can go for help and usually you can get answers and solutions for any problem you may have.
I can go into more detail if you have specific questions at this point.
Best Regards…
If your going to try it, take a look at Wubi
“Wubi is an officially supported Ubuntu installer for Windows users that can bring you to the Linux world with a single click.
Wubi allows you to install and uninstall Ubuntu as any other Windows application, in a simple and safe way.
No need to burn a CD, just run the installer, enter a password for the new account, and click “Install”.
Wubi will download and prepare the required files, and ask you to reboot in order to complete the installation.
You keep Windows as it is, Wubi only adds an extra option to boot into Ubuntu.Wubi does not require you to modify the partitions of your PC,
or to use a different bootloader, and does not install special drivers. Wubi keeps most of the files in one folder, and if you do not like it,
you can simply uninstall it as any other application.”
Hi Bob…
Ah yes, I forgot about that wascally Wubi. ;D
This is certainly another option.
Best Regards…
I have used Linux Hardy heron and bit of Feisty Fawn (for a short period of time) and found both of them to be a pleasurable experience when using them but as ardvark said Ubuntu does require a learning curve as it is different from windows the best way I would say to give it a try is to use Wubi as Bob said but please be sure to backup your important data before hand I myself have never had any problem with wubi but its always good to take precautions
-Justin
no i’m not thinking of installing ubntu…just wondering what it is…
thanks all of you for your time and help
Hi…
You’re welcome!
Best Regards…
so all you do is install wubi first,then ubuntu?or does it istall ubuntu as well?and after you install ubuntu an say i don’t like it i can comepletely take it off my computer?
Wouldn’t a better option be to run Ubuntu from a Live CD? I don’t use (or have ever used) Linux, btw.
Charger, You install wubi first then choose which kind of Linux distribution (Ubunut, Kubunut ect.) you choose how much Hard drive space for the Linux distribution to take and set a user name and password and follow the prompts and then wubi will download the Linux ISO file and install it then you re-boot your PC and there it should ask you if you wish to boot into Windows or Ubuntu for example.
-Justin
thanks man on the hard drive space i just left everything how it was i think it said 15 gb
No thanks needed im here to help where I can
-Justin
Care needed - Linux can compromise your Master Boot Record and get it back to a Windows configuration can take some effort.
Very true! If you just want to try Ubuntu and still keep Windows intact before you make a decision, download a VM (I use VirtualBox) and install it inside a virtual environment.
Best Regards…
i just uninstalled it cause it just was to “different”.just wasn’t for me. i used revo uninstaller to remove it,can anyone tell me where to check to see if there’s anything left behind
so do you think i messed up my master boot record?you think i messed everything up by using wubi?
Hi…
If you’re still able to boot into Windows, it looks like you’re ok.
Best Regards…
Yes im able to boot into windows,thanks once again ardvark
You’re welcome, glad I could help!
Best Regards…
i got another after i download the cd installer then burn the iso to a cd ican go ahead and remove the installer from my computer right? like everything i downloaded