Chapter 2. Running and Installing the Ubuntu Live DVD

Included with this book is a full-featured Ubuntu Linux distribution that runs entirely from the DVD-ROM drive. That's right. You can run Linux on your system without having to change your system or uninstall Windows. Then, when you are ready to make the jump official, the live DVD comes with a friendly installer that makes the process virtually painless.

Note

Because it is running from the DVD drive, Ubuntu Linux live DVD runs slower than if you actually install Linux and run it from the hard disk. Keep in mind that the performance you experience from the DVD is not indicative of the performance you can experience from a Linux hard-disk install. At their fastest, DVD-ROM drives are no match for even the slowest hard disk drive.

Running Ubuntu Linux is as easy as putting the DVD in the drive and booting. A couple of minutes later, you are working with a great looking, modern desktop (see Figure 2-1). This DVD is full of great software. There are tons of applications and literally thousands of programs on the disk. You'll be able to send and receive email, surf the Web, write documents in your word processor, put together a budget using the spreadsheet package, play a few games, and a whole lot more. In fact, you should be able to follow along and play with the software you'll explore in this book and do most of the things that are covered without having to install Ubuntu Linux at all.

Figure 2-1. Meet your new Ubuntu Linux live desktop!

The bootable DVD is a fantastic introduction to Ubuntu Linux, providing you with a no-commitment way to take Linux out for a spin; but there are limitations.

I've already covered one issue related to DVDs, that of performance. The other limitation is also DVD related. Because this bootable Linux does not install itself on your hard drive, you are limited to the packages on the DVD. In other words, you can't add or install any new software. After you install Ubuntu Linux to your hard drive, this limitation will vanish and you can choose to install from thousands of great packages. In fact, the DVD includes all of the Ubuntu supported packages so you'll have thousands more programs to choose fromall this without having to download from the Internet.