About the Ubuntu Installer for Windows January 17, 2007
Posted by Carthik in microsoft, Other sites, ubuntu.trackback
Lifehacker featured a post about the Ubuntu Installer for Windows, with the headline:
Install and run Ubuntu without disturbing Windows
This is disturbing, since the installer is not yet finished and tested. Lifehacker’s readers belong to a variety of “categories” but I worry about the users who expect everything to work ship-shape and start bad mouthing if it does not at first try. It is not clear where one would file bugs with this installer, for one. I hope this does not end up creating a “Ubuntu does not work properly” image in the minds of these readers. The installer prototype features ntfs-3g, which itself is experimental, and since Ubuntu will “reside” within windows, auto-detection and automatic configuration of hardware might not work the same as it does with native Ubuntu installs.
Background:
There is a prototype of the Install.exe installer for Windows. In layman’s terms, this installer is just like any other software application installer for Windows. It works by copying an image of Ubuntu to your Windows partition and using that to “drive” Ubuntu. So it does not repartition your hard drive, or install Ubuntu independent of Windows. In C:\Ubuntu an image will reside and be complemented by the auto-detected settings for Ubuntu, the home directory for the users etc. So Ubuntu will end up borrowing space from Windows, without repartitioning. For more details, read the specification. Don’t be scared by the word specification – Ubuntu specs are a pleasure to read, with the rationale,use cases, to-do items etc written in simple English.
I love the idea of the Ubuntu installer, and it sure makes it easy for folks to try Ubuntu out. I expect problems when these users finally want to switch completely to Ubuntu while preserving their Ubuntu installation, settings, files and permissions. Now that would be difficult since uninstalling windows will wipe out Ubuntu(which lives “within” Windows).
So, the approach will solve a problem but might end up inventing some more problems for its users.
All you need to try out Ubuntu without risking data loss is the Live CD – that really can’t be beat for simplicity and ease-of-use!
Ubuntu Blog 
unfortunately, on low-RAM PCs (a prime target for users’ first test of Ubuntu waters), the Live CD can be really slow. At least that was my experience.
‘Course, could be related to problems that the system seems to be having anyways. And Windows won’t boot usually on that system anymore. So maybe my experience isn’t very typical.
Either way, I followed that story via the same link, and had the same concerns as you. Glad you voiced this by putting this out there.
One thing that can be done is to add a warning, in bright read letters that this installer is early beta software and it has the issues you’ve outlined and that the user should consider the live CD.
Yes I would second that. Go for the live CD until this software has been developed further.
“Release early, release often.” Wise words by a skilled hacker. If you’re worried about beta quality injuring the Ubuntu image, all you need to do is make it clear that it is a beta. Please don’t consider a closed beta — you’ll find yourself in a doubly selected user base. They select themselves, and you’ve selected them, which goes against the principle of a diverse testing base.
As far as bug reports go, is there a good place to report bugs? Surely you could at least start a seperate launchpad project at the worst.
What’s so hard about installing it from the CD? I didn’t know it needed to be even easier than it already is.
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Actually, I wrote the blog entry that vamapaull’s is presenting as its own. I had a factual mistake (referring to this blog as official), which I’ve updated. Nice entry, thank you.
The Installer is a a nice idea since i have seen many of my friends who are windows users not migrating to linux because they were afraid of losing data as it involved partitioning of harddrive . waiting for the installer to become public comming out of experimental stage.
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linuxondesktop.blogspot.com
The installation of ubuntu is a major barrier to its spread and use. This project aims to solve this problem by allowing installation from within Windows using an install.exe file, and eliminating the need to partition the hard drive or burn a CD to install. It will allow a faster and more user-friendly installation for Windows users, the ability to install without the risk of data loss through repartitioning, and the ability to install on ultra-portable laptops without CD drives.
@Jon Peck – Look at the bottom of my post… you will see that I linked back to you so that mens I don’t want people think that I right it.
glander the you olde rpost
glander the yolde rpost yok then
if that’s all there was, you wouldn’t be reading about it here.
if that’s all there was, you wouldn’t be reading about
so hard to pass from windows to linux
One thing that can be done is to add a warning, in bright read letters that this installer is early beta software and it has the issues you’ve outlined and that the user should consider the live CD.
Yes I would second that. Go for the live CD until this software has been developed further.
“Release early, release often.” Wise words by a skilled hacker. If you’re worried about beta quality injuring the Ubuntu image, all you need to do is make it clear that it is a beta. Please don’t consider a closed beta — you’ll find yourself in a doubly selected user base. They select themselves, and you’ve selected them, which goes against the principle of a diverse testing base.
Well, it works fine for me.
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