Most people by now know about linux but they might have been put off in the past by all the command-line stuff it demanded, that and the fact that there are so many types of linux(distros) that one soon seemed lost or felt helpless, Well the good news is times have changed and if you feel that it is time to give linux a first time try or another try, then I recommend kubuntu linux to you for its live CD and its gui style install. No this is not at all saying anything against the other distros only that I wish for you to have everything about this distro at hand if you ever try it, and of course any member is welcome to start another thread in this forum about their preferred distro since I would like the reader to have choice, linux is about choice.
What does one need before even starting,
First off and of course, one needs the distro so one needs to download the ISO image of kubuntu distro to ones computer and then to burn it onto a CD with a program like Nero( because window generic burner won't work since the CD won't be bootable), that will give you a bootable CD called in this case "the live CD" but one also needs to be a member of the forum of the distro because there inevitably will be questions that need to be addressed but humans, also it might help to see some howto videos of the installation of kubuntu, and lastly in the case that you are going for a dual boot between windows and linux kubuntu a program that shows linux files from windows since windows files are already seen from linux, so once again here are those things I have just mentioned and the links to them.
A free ISO burning program for windows users(if you don't have a ISO burning program that is)
http://isorecorder.a...isorecorder.htm
the kubuntu ISO download site
http://www.kubuntu.o...load.php#latest
the kubuntu forum
http://kubuntuforums...orums/index.php
howto videos site(see how it looks, the ease, etc.,)
http://www.linux.com/feature/117051
how to see linux files from windows if you choose dual boot
http://www.fs-driver.org/index.html
The live CD test and how helpful it is
Unlike windows where one has to install to the harddrive first only to find out that some driver is missing, linux offers you the chance to run your system from booting up into the ram meaning that the harddrive is untouched and that one can see before actually installing to the harddrive if your system is right for this distro, if it isn't I simply suggest that someone new to linux should choose another distro as there are many many out there, at any rate if you then turn off the computer no trace of this linux distro remains. Please try out the live CD before installing, using linux from the live CD is malware free by its nature but slow compared to running the system from the harddrive(freeing up the ram) which comes next if you like install it to the harddrive.
The actual install
Forget all that you have been told or think about linux, this install is gui style, a few simple questions and then it does the rest. It will ask you to choose a username and a password much like when you register with this site, Of course language(in my case french but I have another computer in english too), date and timezone, and lastly it asks how you would like to sit with windows as in "oust", "share" or manually choose partition size, I would choose "share" first. It will show them and ask you reconfirm the options you have chosen, you just say agree and press enter.
The after install
Ok, once installed there will just a few things needed to make your system as you wish, that is I imagine you would like windows shortcuts which is easy, you might want to download wallpapers because you can have as many as 20 desktops if you like(though I only have 4) anyway the fun is in the fiddling, One other thing, while connected to the Internet you need to go to add/remove programs to click the two boxes marked "unsupported" and "proprietary software"(other people's stuff) so that it offers you java plug-ins and vlc codexes and other non linux goodies.
Rounding up
Ok, I am the first to admit that kubuntu isn't perfect, the WIFI is still a problem, games are few and perhaps too simple, but the fact that it is free costwise free and from malware, has open office with both word, excel and save in pdf, has cost free upgrades meaning that one can use ones computer until it breaks with old age(not fearing that support will be withdrawn). that there are many programs to choose from, etc., etc., all add up to something good I know but what really make this great is the slow realization of what open source really means, simply that this system is yours, and yours for the learning.
thanks
Edited by fleamailman, 25 August 2007 - 01:08 PM.
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