Wubi: Install Ubuntu on Windows like installing an app
Wubi looks promising: it's an installer package that lets Windows users install Ubuntu Linux like any other Windows app, without worrying about disk partitions and whatnot. I've used Ubuntu exclusively for more than a year now (and yes, I know, I owe you all a "What Ubuntu is like" post and I'll get to it RSN), and Wubi sounds like a low-threshold way to get people to try out life on the free and open side.
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Wubi is Safe
It does not require you to modify the partitions of your PC, or to use a different bootloader.Wubi is Simple
Just run the installer, no need to burn a CD.Wubi is Discrete
Wubi keeps most of the files in one folder, and If you do not like, you can simply uninstall it.Wubi is Free
Wubi (like Ubuntu) is free as in beer and as in freedom. You will get this part later on, the important thing now is that it cost absolutely nothing, it is our gift to you...
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What are some of the advantages to this OS-ware? How have you taken advantage of its alterability?
Is this virtual, or can you actually access your hardware through Ubuntu?
But if they make Free / Open Source Software simpler, more accessible, and user-friendly, lots of ordinary people might start using it! Gasp!
Hey! just like BeOS PE!
I ran Wubi for awhile, and it was good for giving me an idea about what Ubuntu is like without having to partition my hard drive. I would argue that it's only really good for trying out Ubuntu, though, because it's pretty damn slow compared to a full install. It's fully functional, so you can access all your hardware though it. But still, it's a lot slower. Plus, as of a year ago at least, there wasn't any software in place to help you with the move from virtual machine to full HD install, so if you wanted to upgrade to a full install you'd basically have to start from scratch.
The only thing keeping me and many of the people I know from making the switch to something like Ubuntu is the Adobe Creative Suite. If Adobe started releasing software for Linux I think there could be a mass migration. Or at least a single migration.
The quadcore vista system I use at work ironically has no optical drive. I installed wubi a couple months ago and have been pretty pleased, though upgrading to 7.10 introduced a few bugs that made it see like a step backward from 7.4.
Nice idea for all the reasons Cory gives. The big problem for me in using any linux distribution, and Ubuntu specifically, is that I don't have a cable connection to my home router and my wireless card (extremely common Broadcom chipset, if I recall rightly) basically isn't supported. You would think it would be easy to figure out what cards are supported and just buy one, but that isn't really the case due to the number of chipsets and versions thereof and the fact that the required info isn't easily available. That's the main reason I went back to my Windows installation, and I bet I'm not the only person to have had this experience.
I don't know about other boingboing readers, but I don't need Cory to know "what Ubuntu is like." I've been happily using it for years now!
> upgrading to 7.10 introduced a few bugs
> that made it see like a step backward from 7.4
Am I the only one who finds it odd that 7.10 is newer than 7.4?
I gave Wubi a try a couple of weeks ago and was very impressed by the installer, though most of my PC parts were too new for Feisty Fawn (like my NIC, so no joy). Most impressive was that it installed the Ubuntu flavour of my choice (I chose Kubuntu) and launched it as the secondary option from the Windows XP bootloader instead of GRUB!
The installation couldn't have been easier, though for power users that's not necessarily a good thing. No access to 64 bit kernels yet and no tweaking the install. The end result was more featureful than a liveCD so it's perfect for those who are sitting on the OS fence.
> I've used Ubuntu exclusively for more than a year now
> (and yes, I know, I owe you all a "What Ubuntu is like"
> post and I'll get to it RSN)
Oh FFS. You've been promising this for years. Just *admit that you've never been able to boot up into it* and we'll all forgive you :)
if at boot it asks what you want to boot into , how is is not installed like regular linux ? sounds like it just does the install for you , that's why it asks how big a partition you want to allocate , no ?
The way it works is it creates a file on your normal NTFS/FAT32 partition, like an ISO for Daemon Tools, or Nero Virtual Drive. This file is used as a Linux EXT3 partition, and is bootstraped by a custom kernel. The Wubi program adds an entry into XP or Vista's boot manager to boot into it. No modification to either boot sector or partitions are required, GRUB/LILO isn't used. It's very cool, although as mentioned before, very very slow, but that's mainly because the NTFS-3G driver isn't optimized yet.
@5. There is software to move the file across to a full partition, the Wubi FAQ explains it all nicely.
No, and the version is not 7.4, but 7.04, and suddenly everything make sense again ;o)
I just wish the hardware makers would work with the OSS community a teeny bit more. The peripheral libraries are constantly playing catch-up.
My new MP3 player doesn't work with Ubuntu, but slightly older models from the same company do. It's frustrating because the difference is small enough that it's probably an easy fix, but large enough that it's beyond casual users. I'm stuck dual-booting for now.
The Ubuntu version number is not a real number. hte number before the dot is the year (5 == 2005, 6 == 2006, 7 == 2007) and the number after the dot is the month (10 == october, 4 == april). Must version numbers arent real numbers, like the Linux kernel version and GNOME desktop version numbers.
@PAT RACE: The only thing keeping me and many of the people I know from making the switch to something like Ubuntu is the Adobe Creative Suite. If Adobe started releasing software for Linux I think there could be a mass migration. Or at least a single migration.
Actually, if you are happy using MX Fireworks and Flash (I am not a fan of Photoshop, at least for web design...) then these run perfectly well through Wine on Linux.
I believe that Potatochips CS2 works well under the latest Wine, but as I don't have a copy I can't say for sure.
As for Wubi - looks great, but, unless you are using very modern games, high end graphics or video there is absolutely no need to use Windows.
Sorry for the drooling fan-boy response. I always think Windows and Mac are to Linux as Sun Holidays are to Ski Holidays. Some people like to laze about beside the pool and others prefer the hard work, but big payoff of a snow holiday. There is room for both, but until you try the snow, you never know!
thanks Spikeles for explaining that .
I've been using Ubuntu a few years now and I really like it. Obviously it depends on what your needs are but I only use WinXP for playing games, using photoshop or recording music, otherwise it's usually Ubuntu.
Sometimes drivers can be a pain if the manufacturer only works with microsoft (it's especially a problem with wireless drivers), but I much prefer the interface and the flexibility that comes with Linux distros like Ubuntu.
I've found that mp3 players that are recognized as a simple external storage device work extremely well in Ubuntu, btw. I have an older Philips GoGear that works better in Ubuntu than WinXP, which tries to open it through Windows Media Player (blech).
It's great... for telling me without having to cut a CD that my hardware isn't supported in Linux. Of course, it takes a little while to get to that point.
What I'd really like to see is a Linux hardware compatibility tool for Windows...
I installed Wubi w no problems. Then I noticed that Ubuntu would take 8 hours to install w my DSL connection. No thank you.