Chapter 3. Installing Linux
Now that you have some background on Linux and distributions, you’re ready to move on to the fun (and most intimidating) part—installing it! One thing that makes this less scary is that the installers have gotten much better each year. People who tried to install Linux years ago are often amazed at how much easier the process has gotten.
As I mentioned in chapter 1, we’re going to be working with Ubuntu 14.04. Ubuntu is the distribution and 14.04 is the version. That means 14.04 has its own repository of software. As I mentioned before, 14.04 is a long-term support release, meaning the software in the repositories will be updated for five years.
I’m using a loose definition of the term “installation” here, too. I’m actually going to discuss three different ways to get Ubuntu running:
1. Write Linux to your local computer.
2. Run a live image that runs off of a DVD or USB drive without touching your local hard drive.
3. Run Linux in a virtual machine, which is like installing it in a computer within your computer. I’ll discuss it more in the Lab section at the end.
The goal of this chapter is to get Ubuntu on your machine in some way. Don’t worry if you install it and there are issues. Problems are chances to learn! As you work through the book, you’ll learn how to address any imperfections you come across in this initial installation. So really, at the end of this chapter, you should be able to boot into Ubuntu. Nothing more and nothing less.