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         Installing Xubuntu from a disk

Please watch the InstallingXubuntiLinuxDemo1 video on YouTube- and find included step-by-step instructions how to install Xubuntu Linux 12.04 LTS from an installation disk. The instructions also include a brief test of the Internet connection.



There are a lot of Linux distributions in the Linux family. Please have a look at the Linux Distribution Watch website http://distrowatch.com/. You will find Linux distros specialised for Audio-Video production, for Server, for Visually Impaired users, for desktops, and many more.

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 Xubuntu- from download to burning an installation disk

Prerequisite- you have to use a computer with Windows XP, Vista, 7 or 8

1. Open the Xubuntu home page http://xubuntu.org and click on Get Xubuntu


2. Select the latest LTS (Long Term Support) release, which at present is 12.04 Precise Pangoling, click on the first United Kingdom link

3. On the Xubuntu 12.04.2 LTS (Precise Pangolin) image selection page, click on PC (Intel x86) desktop CD , as this is a 32 bit image suitable for the majority of older computers.

4. On the download box, select to download the disk image on the Desktop, save as type All Files, and click Save. The download time depends on your internet connection speed.

5. Now you need to burn the downloaded Xubuntu ISO image onto a CD or DVD. If you have software for burning ISO images on your computer, use it to burn an Xubuntu installation disk.


6. Otherwise, you have to install ISO burner software. Free Active ISO Burner is highly recommended (for the manufacturer download link and user “how to” instructions click http://tinyurl.com/35tpru). Alternative download- http://alturl.com/3f84d


7. Before downloading and burning the Xubuntu installation disk, please click here to do a quiz to check if you understood the instructions.

Post 2/4

What is Linux, what is Xubuntu?

1. What is Linux?

Linux is a computer operating system (OS), like the Mac and Windows, and it provides the basic computer services needed to do things with a computer. Linux is the middle layer between the computer hardware and the software applications you run.

2.  A Very Brief History of Linux

The history of Linux began in 1991 with the commencement of a personal project by a Finnish student, Linus Torvalds, to create a new free operating system kernel. A band of programmers voluntarily joined to develop the core program of the system (aka, the kernel). That program was made usable with GNU software.

3. What is GNU?

GNU is pronounced like the African animal and stands for 'GNU's Not Unix.' It was a project conceived by Richard Stallman in 1983 in response to the tendency of software companies to copyright their software under terms that prohibited sharing. GNU's purpose: to develop a wholly free system. It had achieved significant progress toward this goal by the time when Linux operating system was developed.

Both the Linux kernel and the GNU software are freely available under licencing that is sometimes called "copyleft" (as opposed to copyright). Traditional copyright was meant to restrict usage and ownership of a copyrighted item, inhibiting development and growth, but GNU/Linux is different. It is released under terms designed to ensure that as many people as possible are allowed to receive, use, share, and modify the software. That licence is called the GPL (GNU Public Licence).

4. What is a Linux distribution?

A Linux distribution (often called distro for short) is a member of the Linux family of operating systems built on top of the Linux kernel, and including a large collection of software applications such as word processors, spreadsheets, media players, and database applications.

There are currently over six hundred Linux distributions, and over three hundred of those are in active development, constantly being revised and improved.

Because most of the kernel and supporting packages are free and open source software, Linux distributions have taken a wide variety of forms—from fully featured desktop, server, laptop, netbook, mobile phone, and tablet operating systems.

5. Linux + GNU + Other Software = Xubuntu

Xbuntu is a Linux distribution based on a very popular Linux Ubuntu distro and includes many GNU applications. Xubuntu is specially designed to be used on older computers and require less processor power and memory than Ubuntu.

Sources: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linux_distribution

                http://www.easy-ubuntu-linux.com/linux-history.html

 Post 1/4
Jane - the Cowgirl - has a problem

My friend Jane has a seven years old laptop running Windows XP Operating System and her  laptop functions perfectly and she loves it.

Microsoft announced that support for Windows XP is ending on April 8, 2014, and this means that no more security updates or hotfixes will be issued for Windows XP beyond this date, which increases the threat of malware infections and hacking.

Jane uses her laptop for online banking and shopping, so she cannot afford taking the risks using an unsupported version of Windows. She was considering migrating to the latest Microsoft Operating System Windows 8, so she trialled a free demonstration version. Unfortunately, the old laptop was excruciatingly slow on Windows 8.

When Jane was on a space tourism trip, Peter the Alien, one of the tour guides, advised her to try Xubuntu Linux. 

What is Linux, what is Xubuntu???