We’ve built a computer.  We’ve turned it on, went through the bios setup to boot from CD/DVD and then the hard drive.  The next step is to load the operating system.  Before we do that it might be informative to answer the question: Why Ubuntu?

First off, an operating system is responsible for running the underlying programs that make all the applications on your computer operational.  It connects you to the Internet, makes your mouse and keyboard functional, stores your programs and data on your hard drive and reads the hard drive into memory.  In short, it runs all the hardware and software in your computer.

It might seem like it, but Windows does not make the only operating system that runs computer hardware.  Apple makes a pretty good operating system, which is Linux based.   Linux is a darn good operating system that comes in several different varieties, called distros.  Ubuntu is one of those distros, there is also Fedora, SuSE, Slackware, and Red Hat, to name a few.

Ubuntu has the reputation of having the most people friendly interface.  The closest replacement for Windows.  Ubuntu has a release every six months and are continually improving the distro to make it easy to use and install.  Linux has traditionally been an operating system for geeks.  Ubuntu’s approach is similiar to Microsofts,  that is to build an operating system that is easy to use for non-technical users.

Ubuntu is free.  Ubuntu also has good documentation and support.  It contains all the applications you need: a web browser, email, an office suite, multimedia apps, instant messaging and more.

In short, everything you need from an operating system, along with a bunch of free application software, internet connectivity and email.   It installs in less time than windows.  You don’t have to put a license number in and get in touch with Microsoft to get up and running, and it’s stable, and secure.

The drawback, it’s not Windows.  What do I mean, well there is a slight learning curve since it’s not Windows.  If your open to learning a slightly different way of doing the same thing you do in Windows, Ubuntu may be for you.

There are two ways to obtain the Ubuntu operating system.  You can go to the Ubuntu web site at https://shipit.ubuntu.com/ and ask them to send you the lastest distribution on CD.   You are cautioned that although Ubuntu is free, it could take up to ten weeks before the CD will arrive in the mail.  The “ship me the CD option” exists for those who do not have access to another computer to download Ubuntu.  Almost everyone I know burns their own CD image.  We want it now, why wait ten weeks.

To download Ubuntu go to:  http://www.ubuntu.com/getubuntu/download , select a site, begin your download, save it to you hard drive, and go get a cup of coffee.  At the moment the current distribution runs 690 Mb.  Expect it will take a little bit of time to download depending on your connection.

Ubuntu downloads in an .ISO format also known as a disc image which includes all the files and file metadata in one file.  To load Ubuntu, we will need to burn this downloaded .ISO file  to a CD, that it can be read in a DVD/CD drive.  This creates a small problem.  Your popular DVD/CD burners do not support creating a CD from an .ISO file.

To burn the .ISO to a CD, Ubuntu recommends downloading an ISO burner program called, InfraRecorder, for free from: http://infrarecorder.org/?page_id=5 Download InfraRecorder and install it on your system.

The first gotcha to look out for is one that got me.  We are going to burn the 690 MB image to a CD, NOT a DVD.  What happens if you burn to a DVD is the burn may go too fast, and skip some things in the .ISO file.  The result is a corrupted disk.  When you go to Install Ubuntu, an error message something like: “Loading isolinux: Disk error 32, AX = 4222, drive 9F  Boot Failed” may appear, which will leave you scratching your head.

The solution is to use a CD, not a DVD.  Make sure the CD you put in the drive to burn can store 690 Mb of data.  Put the CD in your drive and start infraRecorder.  InfraRecorder will start and a bunch of disks will come up in a visual menu on the main screen, ignore them, and go to the top menu; select  Actions>Burn Image.  Find and select your .ISO image and click OK.  Screen shots for each operating system to show you the step by step process of using IsoRecorder are located here:  https://help.ubuntu.com/community/BurningIsoHowto

Burning the image will take some time, so go get another cup of coffee.  Get out a marker pen for the CD and label the disk, “Ubuntu 9.10.”  Your done.  You now have a bootable CD disk that will load the Ubuntu Operating system on your computer.  We will cover that in our next article.

Ok, let’s get back to getting our computer system built.  Now that we have installed our hardware components in the case, hooked all the cables up, and got the system to “post,” so we know that the hardware is working correctly, it’s time to load the operating system.

The operating system we’re going to load is Ubuntu 9.10.  It was just released last Friday.  Ubuntu is a version of Linux.  Linux is an open source operating system,  many people have taken Linux and changed it to suit their needs.  There are a lot of different versions of Linux, one of which is the Apple operating system.  The different versions of Linux are called “distros.”  We talked about this in another post.

I choose Ubuntu, because it is one of the most popular distros out there, they are committed to making an operating system that competes with Microsoft, and finally they have a strict update schedule of a new release every six months, which means they are committed to continuously improving their software.

Before we load Ubuntu we want our own CD of the operating system.  The operating system installs from the CD.  It currently takes 690 Mb of space.  There are two ways to obtain the Ubuntu CD.  You can ask Ubuntu for it, and they will send you a disk, or if you’re like me, and can’t wait, you can make your own disk.  Let’s walk through creating your own disk.

Go to the Ubuntu web site at http://www.ubuntu.com/.  Click on the Download block, which will take you to the download page.  We are going to follow the directions on this page.

Click on the Begin Download Desktop 9.10 (32-bit), select your location, and start your 690 Mb download.  It will take a while depending on your connection.  This downloads a compressed file with an .iso extension.  Do not load the Windows Installer version, which is made to install over top of a Windows installation.

After you download the .iso file, you’ll need a CD disk burning software that will burn an .iso file. An iso file is an archive of a disk image, which is what we want to end up with.  Windows Media will not do that.  I recommend downloading the open source .iso burner recommended on the Ubuntu site, called  InfraRecorder.  To get this in Step 2. of the Ubuntu site, click on “How to Burn a CD Image.“  Scan down the page until you come to the operating system your using to obtain the .iso image.  Click on  InfraRecorder to download and install it.  After InfraRecorder is installed go bak to this page and follow the directions for your operating system.

After the CD is complete, were just about ready to load the operating system.  To check the CD, put it in the DVD drive you used to obtain the iso image, and reboot your computer.  The CD is set up so you can boot the Ubuntu operating system from the CD.  If Ubuntu comes up on the computer, the CD is ok.  Do not click “Install Ubuntu” on the Ubuntu desktop.  We’ll do that on the computer you built.

If you’d like to look around the Ubuntu desktop before hand, feel free to look around.  We’ll get into the operating system itself later.  When your done, take the disk out of the DVD drive, and reboot your computer to get back to your other operating system.   You may also want to tour the Ubuntu Features here.

If you’ve installed the Windows operating system before, you’ll find that loading Ubuntu is easier than loading Windows, and it’s quicker.  Plus you’ll never be asked to type in your disk number, and then contact Microsoft to authenticate your software.

Let’s get started.  Put your Ubuntu CD in the cd drive, with your bios set up to boot from CD.   The first screen that will come up will ask you what language you would like to use; then the initial menu screen will appear .  First, I would recommend that you “Check the disk for defects.”  This will check your cd to make sure the disk is clean and has everything needed to load the operating system.  If you remember my last post, if the disk is corrupted, you could get an error message that you will not relate to the disk.

Ubuntu Start Up Menu

Before going further, if you would like Ubuntu to install your Internet connection during install, plug an Ethernet cable connected to the Internet into the back of your computer.

After checking the disk, you can select “Try Ubuntu without any change to your computer.”  This will load the operating system into your memory from the CD without loading it on your hard drive.  If you go this route, once the operating system loads, the Ubuntu desktop will have an icon on it to install Ubuntu.  Click on the “Install Ubuntu” icon on the desktop to start the install to your hard drive.  Or, you can select “Install Ubuntu” from the CD menu, and go directly to loading Ubuntu to your hard drive.

Installing Ubuntu: the first screen will ask you to select your language, and click Forward.  Next you’ll set your computer time zone, and then your keyboard.  You can just click the “Suggested option: “USA,”  and test your keyboard in the bottom part of the window.

If your building your computer from scratch, you’ll get a screen to allow you to use the entire disk, or partition the disk.   Without a previous operating system,  the installation is easy, select “Use the Entire Disk.”   The disk will be formatted with the “ext4″ file system, which is new with this release, the old file system was called “ext3.”  In contrast, windows file system is called, “NTFS.”   I recommend giving an entire disk to Ubuntu, rather than partitioning part of a disk, even if you decide to dual boot.

If you already have an operating system on your computer, you’ll get the disk partitioning screen with some choices.  You can: dual boot the operating system, erase the operating system and use the entire disk, use the largest continuous free disk space as a partition, or partition the disk manually.

The only reason to partition a part of the disk is if you want to dual boot with Windows.  I personally don’t care for dual booting.  If you want to learn to use Ubuntu, dedicate yourself to doing that, use one computer for Windows and another computer for Ubuntu.  You can use the same monitor, mouse, and keyboard with a KVM switch.  You won’t have to mess with partitioning your disk, and every time you start your computer, you won’t have to select which operating system you want to use.  Ubuntu will load smoother and quicker, and you’ll be much happier.  In the end, you’ll have Ubuntu set up just like your Windows computer, you’ll have two computers both fully operational, and you’ll have learned to use Ubuntu.  Bye, bye, Microsoft.  Let’s continue.

We come to the username and password screen.   Fill in your name, the name that will appear in the log in window, and your password twice.  Give your computer a unique name for use with a network or future network.  If several people are using your computer, you probably want to require a password to log in to the computer, if it’s just you, select “Log in automatically,” and the computer will start without a password.

The next screen reviews the installation.  There is an advanced button for installing the boot loader to another disk like a USB jump drive.  I do not recommend doing this until you become a little more familiar with Ubuntu.

Click Install and we’re off.  After about 10-15 minutes you will get a reboot screen.  Reboot the computer, remove the CD, and watch Ubuntu load, put in your password, if applicable, and welcome to the Ubuntu desktop.  We’ll talk about that in our next post.

Before delving into the Ubuntu Desktop, let’s go over some general concepts that will lay a foundation for things to come.  Let’s start with Open System Software.  Open System Software is high quality software, and free.  It is written by a dedicated, caring, group of developers.  The software is continually improved, leading, sometimes, to frequent updates, which adds  new features, and bug fixes.  You’ll sometimes find several different programs for the same application, as each group of developers endorse a different design philosopy, trying to create the best possible product.

This is one of the reasons that the Linux operating system has not had the mass appeal that Windows has experienced.  You’ll notice Microsoft only comes out with one version of Windows at a time.  In contrast, there are many different versions of Linux available, called distros, as each development team tries to create an operating system that addresses their particular specialized needs, whether for scientific users, internet server needs, or desktop users.  Ubuntu, is the most popular desktop distro of Linux, mostly because the makers of Ubuntu are dedicated to making a distro for the desktop user that is easy to use, and continually improving their product by releasing a new version of Ubuntu every six months.

Because using an operating system from the command line is not user friendly to the non technical user, graphical user interfaces, GUI’s, were developed as applications the are run on top of the operating system that makes using your computer easier.  Windows is a good example of a graphical user interface that for a long time ran on top of the DOS operating system, and the Ubuntu Desktop is another.  In each of these applications, you can get to the command line of the operating system, and operate the computer that way, but of course, the GUI is easier.

Just like with the distros, there are several GUI’s available for Linux.  The two leaders are, KDE and Gnome, each has a slightly different feel and desktop arrangement, and are about equal in functionality.  Ubuntu 9.10 uses the Gnome version 2.28 graphical user interface, here after known as the Ubuntu Desktop.

The Ubuntu Desktop

You’ll find the Ubuntu desktop has the same functionality as the Windows desktop, however, the Ubuntu Desktop is not Windows. What I mean is you’ll find that the Ubuntu Desktop has the same functionality as Windows, but the two desktops are implemented differently with different menu names, menu layout, and commands, as they should be, their different GUI’s.  I personnally think the Ubuntu desktop is laid out better than Windows.  In other words, there is a learning curve as you learn how to drive a new interface, the Ubuntu Desktop.  Once you learn how to drive, you might not want to go back.

There are some similarities and outright borrowing from Windows.  All the applications use the same three symbols, the _ to minimize the window, the box to maximize the window, and the X to exit the application in the upper right corner of the application taskbar, just like Windows uses.  The Ubuntu desktop, just like Windows, makes use of the right mouse button.

Every thing on the Ubuntu Desktop is movable, if you don’t like where an icon is you can move it.  This is done with the right mouse button.  You can lock an icon to its position on the desktop, or remove it completely, and you can add icons to the desktop by clicking, “Add to Panel.”  A little caution here, I want  to make sure you know what the right mouse menu is when you encounter it.  I do not recommend reconfiguring or removing anything from your desktop at this time.

Icons and menus are initially located in each of the four corners with most being in the top task bar, as opposed to windows putting icons in the bottom task bar.  We’ll go over each of these icons and menus in later posts, unitl then, the first thing every one wants to know is how do I shut off the computer.  The upper right corner has an icon that looks like a power button with your name next to it, give it a left mouse click.  There you’ll find the Switch User, Log Out, Restart, and Shutdown with a couple of other choices.  Hmmm…looks suspiciously like what you find in Windows, except Windows takes three mouse clicks to turn off your system, Ubuntu only two.  I think you’ll find that Ubuntu is a lot quicker turning off the computer than Windows ever was.