No, I’m not confessing that I still have a security blanket (or that I ever had one). I’m talking about a different kind of wubi.
For years, like many computer users, I’ve been interested in Linux. My passion for Linux started when I first learned about live CDs. A live CD is a CD where a compressed version of the operating system is stored and then loads itself into ram (and maybe saves a few temporary files on the hard drive) so you can try the operating system without actually installing it. I tried ‘em all Puppy Linux, Beatrix, All three versions of Slax, and of course Ubuntu.
Then the day comes, in a young man’s life, where live CDs aren’t enough and he wants to make that operating system part of his computer permanently. However, not coming from a Linux or Unix background I found it difficult to properly install and configure a Linux OS. That’s where my WUBI comes in. WUBI in this case is Windows UBuntu Installer. The idea is that most of the computers in this world have Windows on them already and a lot of people who want Linux also have a need for some Windows files and features. Thus, the easiest way to set up a computer to be a dual boot machine is to install from within Windows itself.
I love it. I run a variant of Ubuntu called Lubuntu, because that’s what runs best on my machine. In fact, I’m in firefox on Lubuntu right now typing out this blog.
It runs faster and cleaner for most of the tasks I do day in and day out. Once I get my 3D software installed on my Linux partition I’ll get to see how much faster the render times are. I’m guessing that it’s probably going to cut them in half. As soon as I have some numbers I’ll be happy to share them.
My wubi may not be a literal security blanket but it makes me feel warm and fuzzy, and does give me a feeling of stability and security.
I used WUBI for a while back in the Ubuntu 10.04 days and it was a lot of fun to use.