Review: Wubi Installer 7.10
Are you reading this magazine because you're interested in Ubuntu and Linux in general? Are you running some form of Windows and want to try something new? Does thinking about installing something as huge as a new operating system make your knees quiver and your brow bead with sweat? What I say to you is: Never fear -- Wubi is here!
Written by Jason Pratt
From the official website www.wubi-installer.org
“Wubi is an unofficial Ubuntu installer for Windows users that will bring you into the Linux world with a single click. Wubi allows you to install and uninstall Ubuntu as any other application. If you heard about Linux and Ubuntu, if you wanted to try them but you were afraid, this is for you.”
I can confirm that Wubi does this with little to no fuss. Wubi itself is comprised of a single executable file so you can run it from anywhere, hard drive, flash drive, external HDD, floppy (Well, let's not exaggerate)... you get the picture? It has a clean, minimalistic interface containing only three options. Once those options are filled and finalized, click install and you're good to go. That's how easy it is!
Let me explain: what Wubi does in essence is install Ubuntu on your computer as a single "file," no need to partition, format, resize or anything. There will be only one single file and one single file only. This will will hold all of your Ubuntu installation as well as any programs you install later. It is not installed into an emulated environment. It is a normal setup in every sense of the word. It uses your native hardware and performance is identical to a dedicated installation. The Wubi FAQ states that hard-disk access is slightly slower than a dedicated installation. Throughout my time with a Wubi install I have not had any problems with hard-disk access speed. Ubuntu seems to me to be as quick and smooth as a dedicated install.
After installation you are prompted to reboot your computer, and upon rebooting you will be shown your new boot menu which will list your Windows OS as well as your Ubuntu installation. Choosing the Ubuntu-Linux installation will show you the pleasant Ubuntu splash screen. All of this is easy as cutting a stick of butter - yes, that easy! I remember an application some years ago that did the same basic thing, install Linux inside the Windows environment. It was nowhere near as plain and simple as this installation was.
There are a few caveats to installing Wubi that I think are worth noting. I hope they get fixed at some point. First, only the 32-bit version of Ubuntu is supported, so if your computer has a 64-bit processor you'll have to stick to the 32-bit version of the OS. The developers do plan on adding this in the future but for now it is 32-bit only. Second, Hibernate/Suspend is not available when running under a Wubi install. If you don't like your present Ubuntu setup and want a dedicated install, then you'll have the ability to utilize hibernate/suspend. Third, you should try to avoid hard reboots. The Wubi install of Ubuntu is susceptible to damage during hard reboots. Similar to hibernation/suspend, on a dedicated install but it really should not be a problem.
Other than these few “issues” I have had a stable Ubuntu install for quite a while now. I have been very pleased by this little piece of software. I recommend Wubi to anyone I know that is interested in playing with or running Ubuntu/Kubuntu/Xubuntu on their machines. It makes an easy job of installation and, if the user chooses, uninstallation.
I hope this review/article has helped you and presented an idea of what Wubi is. Remember that if you are interested, Wubi is out there for you to download. Go check it out!
NOTE:
I did a little more looking and found a link for the latest 7.10 development Alpha's of Wubi.
http://wubi-installer.org/devel/minefield/
I did my review from the Rev377 version but (as I write this) the developers are now up to Rev383. So if you want to install 7.10 on your system you'll need to use one of those Alpha releases.
