Wubi is as the sign says is a ubuntu Linux installer for Windows and not a character in the latest Starwars movie.

Not being a big Linux fan, having lived through the days when Linux was being promoted as the next Windows for PC users.  As we know this never came to pass.  Linux has seen great success in the server market, in fact it is the primary web server for most hosting company’s and Linux is deployed in many smaller form factor devices. So why should you care?

In my opinion, one of the biggest downfalls of Linux has been the numerous distributions that are available, ubuntu has gain in popularity for various reasons, one of the biggest being its ease of installation and a faster ramp up for Windows users.  So what is ‘wubi’ and why would I want to install it.

The first part of this is that Wubi allows you to install ubuntu from windows and then dual boot into a Linux OS (operating system). It provides a very easy way to take a look at ubuntu, and start learning Linux without wiping your existing system. Wubi will allow you to install ubuntu in windows without any hard drive preparation. This in itself is a big plus.  I have just finished installing and setting this up on a Toshiba S300 Satellite Pro, and I was quite impressed on the ease of the install and how quick and easy.

You can download wubi at: http://wubi-installer.org/

Here is what the site has to say about the product:

Wubi is Simple – No need to burn a CD. Just run the installer, enter a password for the new account, and click “Install”, go grab a coffee, and when you are back, Ubuntu will be ready for you.

Wubi is Safe – You keep Windows as it is, Wubi only adds an extra option to boot into Ubuntu. Wubi does not require you to modify the partitions of your PC, or to use a different bootloader, and does not install special drivers. It works just like any other application. Wubi is free of spyware and malware, and being open source, anyone can verify that.

Wubi is Discrete- Wubi keeps most of the files in one folder, and if you do not like it, you can simply uninstall it as any other application.

Wubi is Free – Wubi and Ubuntu cost absolutely nothing (free as in beer), but yet provide a state of the art, fully functional, operating system that does not require any activation and does not impose any restriction on its use (free as in freedom).

So what does it take to install?

Requirements

384 MB memory

5 GB harddisk space

Windows 98, 2000, XP, Vista, 7

So if you’re interested in taking a look a Linux, this is a fairly easy way to do it, below are some screenshots of the ubuntu.