Windows users, with WUBI you can install Ubuntu, a fast, stable, and free Linux operating system.
I’ve been experimenting with various distributions of Linux for years, and I find a WUBI installation the easiest of all, mostly because you don’t need to worry about partitioning your hard drive. With a WUBI installation the Ubuntu files reside inside the Windows partition; and you can easily remove all the Ubuntu files by opening your Windows Control Panel, going to “Programs and Features,” and selecting “Ubuntu” and then “Uninstall”.
After installing Ubuntu with WUBI, when your computer screen shows the boot choices, you will notice “Ubuntu” immediately below your Windows choice. If you want to boot into Ubuntu, press the down arrow on your keyboard to select the Ubuntu choice, and then press “Enter”. If you do nothing when the boot screen shows, your computer will automatically boot into Windows, which is the first choice.
Here are some things I’ve come to like about using Linux:
- If you use a stable version of Linux (instead of cutting edge one which is still in the development stage), you will find it more stable than most Windows operating systems. Linux uses a rather small core, and then lots of rather small package applications. If one of the applications fails, the whole system doesn’t. Thus, your computer doesn’t crash.
- You will probably notice that Linux is fast. Programs open faster. The computer comes to life quicker after booting.
- Linux is more secure.
- After learning some basic commands you will enjoy using the terminal, which enables you to do many tasks faster. I particularly like Debian based distributions of Linux because they permit you to update, upgrade, and install applications by using the apt-get commands.
- There are thousands of free programs written for Linux. By using the Ubuntu Software Center button, or the Synaptic Package manager, you can usually find not just one but several applications that meet your needs.
- If you have an old computer, one whose chip is too slow to run newer versions of Windows software, you can still put it to good use by installing Linux on it.
Below are two videos about Ubuntu Linux. The first features a tour of the Ubuntu desktop, and the second tells how to use WUBI to install Ubuntu.
Visitors might want to know how I produced the screencast for my tour video:
1. I installed the RecordMyDesktop application in Ubuntu. After experimenting with several other screencast options, I found this one best.
2. RecordMyDesktop gives you a .ogv file, which you can’t easily use unless you render it to another format. So, I used the Linux video editing program, PiTivi, opening the .ogv screencast file in that app, and then rendering it to an .avi file, using the following settings: 720p HD, CD for sound, .avi for the wrapper.
3. I opened the .avi file in Camtasia Studio and with that program did the zoom and pan adjustments which are necessary to make the writing large enough in a small video for viewers to read it.