It all started at the beginning of last week. I wanted my American International School 11th and 12th Grade ICT students to start using Ubuntu Linux on their laptops/netbooks at the beginning of the second quarter. I knew it would take me nearly two weeks to get them working Ubuntu Linux systems on their laptops or netbooks. Tommy (11A), Michael (11A), Cindy (11B), Tyler (11B) and Wade (12) were instrumental in helping me get all the Linux systems running.
My students had four options to run Ubuntu Linux on their laptops or netbooks. They could:
- Use VirtualBox running an Ubuntu Linux virtual machine,
- Install Ubuntu Linux in Windows with the Wubi Installer,
- Install Ubuntu Linux through a dual boot with Windows, or
- They could purchase a netbook and install Ubuntu eee.
Only a couple students used the VirtualBox option. Most of my students were using Windows Vista wished had some issues running VirtualBox. Others were running different versions of Windows XP which, due to hardware issues, was not fast enough to run VirtualBox on. It took forever for them to install and eventually boot Ubuntu Linux. Kids these days are quite impatient so I decided to give them other options.
For most, install Ubuntu Linux with Wubi proved the easiest and most successful way to install Linux. I had no idea it was that easy to use. They just installed it and never asked me any questions. After the initial installation, my students rebooted and Ubuntu loaded up and finished the installation itself including the partition. The Ubuntu Developers should be patted on their back for this one. Finally, they gave something back to the Linux community worthy of praise.
So Remember, USE Wubi to install Ubuntu Linux for Window users. It will save you time and headache. Dual partitions can be a pain, even with the Ubuntu Installer. I think I would have saved a couple of days if I had chosen Wubi initially. The Install CD is great but even the partition graphic user interface can confuse the advanced Linus users.
At least one of my students accidentally loss her entire Windows partition when she installed Ubuntu right over it (she was the only one that did not ask for help. Yes, my instructions were clear, BACK UP everything!!!). Several laptops had errors during the installation yet they were able to get a successful install when using Wubi. Interesting….
Finally, the last group of students had netbooks already, mainly Eee PC 1000s, Asus Aspire Ones, and MSI Winds. My new bright student, Katherine, installed Ubuntu 8.10 herself without even asking me. Yeah, that makes an IT teacher proud. The rest used Ubuntu eee with my LiveUSB.
Several students have not finsihed installing yet. They know by next week, they had to have Ubuntu Linux installed or I would deduct points from their grade. My first lesson will focus on using the command line to update their systems.
This should be an interesting year. Below are many pictures from this week. This is my first time seeing many Ubuntu Linux systems in one room at a time outside of a Linux User Group meeting. I get a chuckle out of this one since I am not a fan of Ubuntu Linux myself 🙂
Picture Gallery and Previous American International School Linux posts below:
(Ubuntu eee on Eee PC 1000)
(Ubuntu 8.10 on Sony laptop)
(More Ubuntu laptops – This was lost it’s Window’s partition)
(Ubuntu 8.10 on an AMD64 Asus laptop – Had some problems)
(Nice Ubuntu Install Picture)
(Another Eee PC 1000 Ubuntu eee install)
(Taking turns using the Ubuntu Install LiveCD)
(Finally got the Ubuntu LiveCD to run on an unknown brand laptop)
(My Korean student, Jinn, got Ubuntu running in Korean)
(Joanna installed Ubuntu herself using Wubi)
(Another Wubi Ubuntu installation in progress)
(Three new Ubuntu users in the back, they are first time users of Linux)
(Eagerly waiting for the Ubuntu Linux installations to finish)
(Fresh Ubuntu install with Wubi)
(Gwen installing Ubuntu herself, thanks Wubi)
(One Ubuntu installation finishing, another one close behind)
(My last Ubuntu eee install of the day)
Previous Using Ubuntu Linux at AIS entries:
AIS Linux Related Articles:
That looks decent. What I don’t like about Wubi is that it’s actually slower than a real Ubuntu. But you’re doing a great job. Hope your students enjoy Ubuntu. Come teach me Linux sometimes 🙂
Hey Hung, thanks for the comments. You should visit the lab when you are free.
By the way, Wubi is just an installer. It is just making Ubuntu easier to install for Windows users. It is not actually installed inside Windows as a virtual machine. Once it finishes, the real installation will start after the computer reboots. From there, it is like a normal installation.
If Ubuntu is slow, it has to be for another reason.
Have a good weekend.
My understanding of Wubi is that it acts as a complete file inside the Windows file system. So when it is first installed, it is not any slower than a partitioned installation but as a user writes and deletes files from Windows, fragmentation can slow the Ubuntu installation down.
Kevin, I wrote your school a couple days ago to try to make contact with you. I too am an IT teacher at an international school in east asia. I’m teaching all IT classes using GNU/Linux and so is our elementary IT teacher. I’d certainly like to hear more of your experiences. Feel free to contact me at the email address I gave along with this comment.
@Peter: I agree with Wubi but again, it creates a separate partition so it should not be affected by Windows. That is my understanding.
I will email you when I get home later. Nice to see other FOSS teachers.
Wubi installs into a filesystem inside one big file in the Windows filesystem.
It is slightly slower than the normal setup, but in most cases should not be noticeable.
That’s how they achieve the easy, risk-free installation and uninstallation. Wubi doesn’t change anything of the partitions on the hard disk. Uninstalling is just a matter of deleting the big file and the entry in the Windows menu.
@Urko: Cool, just read up on it:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wubi_(Ubuntu)
Nice to see that you can move an image over to a partition later as well.
I am new to using linux. I have not installed on my laptop yet and am a little nervous about doing so. I have windows vista (before you say it i actually like vista) I have many questions and would like the opportunity to bounce some ideas off someone. Feel free to contact me at the email i provided. Thanks