Wubi (installer)

Infobox Software
name = Wubi



caption = Wubi, installing Ubuntu 8.04
collapsible =
author =
developer = Agostino Russo, Geza Kovacs, Oliver Mattos, Ecology2007
released = release date and age|2008|04|24
latest release version = 8.04.1 (build 506)
latest release date = release date and age|2008|07|08
latest preview version =
latest preview date =
frequently updated =
programming language = NSIS script, C++
operating system = Windows
platform =
size = 1.1 MiB
language = Over 50 Languages
status = active development
genre = Ubuntu installer
license = GPL
website = [http://wubi.sourceforge.net/ wubi.sourceforge.net]

Wubi (Windows-based Ubuntu Installer) is an official Windows-based free software installer for Ubuntu, licensed under the GPL.cite web | url=http://wubi-installer.org/faq.php | title=Wubi - FAQ | publisher=Wubi | accessdate=2007-06-23]

Wubi was born as an independent project and as such versions 7.04 and 7.10 were unofficial releases. cite web|url=http://lifehacker.com/software/featured-windows-download/take-ubuntu-for-a-non+invasive-test-drive-with-wubi-258936.php |title=Take Ubuntu for a non-invasive test drive with Wubi |accessdate=2008-05-30 |last=Broida |first=Rick |date=2007-05-09 |publisher=Lifehacker ] Since 8.04 the code has been merged within Ubuntu and since 8.04 alpha 5, Wubi can also be found in the Ubuntu Live CD.

The goal of the project is to assist a Windows user unacquainted with Linux in trying Ubuntu without risking any loss of information due to disk formatting or partitioning. Wubi can also uninstall Ubuntu from within Windows.

It is not a virtual machine, but rather, it creates a stand-alone installation within a loopmounted device, also known as a disk image, like Topologilinux does. It is not a Linux distribution of its own, but rather an installer for Ubuntu.

Users interested in directly installing to a dedicated partition, like a standard Ubuntu install does, without needing a CD should use UNetbootin instead.cite web | url=http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=427540 | title=Install Ubuntu without a CD | publisher=Ubuntu | author=Geza Kovacs (tuxcantfly) | date=2007-04-29 | accessdate=2007-07-31]

While Wubi does not install Ubuntu directly to its own partition (which the developers consider a feature) this can also be accomplished by using LVPM, the Loopmounted Virtual Partition Manager, to transfer the Wubi-generated Ubuntu installation to a dedicated real partition, including a bootable USB keydrive. The advantage of this setup is that users can test the operating system and install the drivers before they install it to a dedicated partition (and avoid booting and functioning risks).

Wubi adds an entry to the Windows boot menu which allows you to run Linux. Ubuntu is installed within a file in the Windows file system (c:ubuntudisks oot.disk), as opposed to being installed within its own partition. This file is seen by Linux as a real hard disk. Wubi also creates a swap file in the Windows file system (c:ubuntudisksswap.disk), in addition to the memory of the host machine. This file is seen by Ubuntu as additional RAM.

A related project, Lubi, uses Linux as the host system instead of Windows. A version for the Mac OS as host, Mubi, "will eventually be supported."

Desktops

Users can select the desktop environment within Wubi. But, because each desktop environment is also available as an application package, it is recommended that users install Ubuntu (default option) and from there install the other desktop environments. When users log in, they can choose the desktop environment to use.

Limitations

*Hibernation is not supported.
*Wubi filesystem is more vulnerable to hard reboots (unplugging the power) than a normal filesystem.
*Since Wubi installs Ubuntu on the same file partition as Windows, Ubuntu may see a slight degradation in performance over time due to FAT32/NTFS file fragmentation, which could be alleviated via defragging the disk.

Influences

It relies on other open source projects: Debian installer, Migration-Assistant, Grub4Dos, NTFS-3G, NSIS and Metalink.Fact|date=August 2008

Development

The lead developers are Agostino Russo, Geza Kovacs, Oliver Mattos and Ecology2007. The main development occurs at Launchpad and is led by the Lupin Team (Lupin is the loop-installer, handles everything that happens after reboot) [cite web | url=https://launchpad.net/~lupin-team| title=The Lupin Team in Launchpad | publisher=Launchpad | accessdate=2007-06-23] through the original Ubuntu blueprint page [cite web | url=https://blueprints.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+spec/windows-installer | title=Windows installer for ubuntu using loopmounted EXT3 filesystem on NTFS | publisher=Launchpad | accessdate=2007-06-23] and the new Wubi [cite web | url=https://launchpad.net/wubi | title=Wubi, Windows Ubuntu Installer in Launchpad | publisher=Launchpad | accessdate=2007-06-23] , Lubicite web | url=https://launchpad.net/lubi | title=Linux-based Ubuntu Installer in Launchpad | publisher=Launchpad | accessdate=2007-06-23] , Lupin [cite web | url=https://launchpad.net/lupin | title=Lupin, the loop installer in Launchpad | publisher=Launchpad | accessdate=2007-06-23] , and LVPM [cite web | url=https://launchpad.net/lvpm | title=Loopmounted Virtual Partition Manager in Launchpad | publisher=Launchpad | accessdate=2007-06-23] project pages.

The functionality of Wubi was expected to be incorporated into the 7.10 (aka "Gutsy Gibbon") release of Ubuntu, [cite mailing list |url=https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/ubuntu-devel-discuss/2007-September/001580.html |title=CD boot installer for Windows contribution |date=2008-09-07|accessdate=2008-06-17 |mailinglist=ubuntu-devel-discuss |last=Dandrea |first=Evan |authorlink= ] [cite mailing list |url=https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/ubuntu-devel-discuss/2007-September/001601.html |title=CD boot installer for Windows contribution |date=2008-09-07|accessdate=2008-06-17 |mailinglist=ubuntu-devel-discuss |last=Dandrea |first=Evan |authorlink= ] but was not finished on time. [ [https://wiki.ubuntu.com/WubiGuide WubiGuide - Ubuntu Wiki ] ] The Gutsy Live CD contains a file "wubi-cdboot.exe" but this is only to facilitate booting from the CD to then do a normal Ubuntu install [ [http://ubuntuforums.org/showpost.php?p=3572960&postcount=56 Ubuntu Forums - View Single Post - Announcement: Ubuntu Gutsy on Wubi (Alpha)!!! ] ] (which usually requires partitioning). An alpha version of the 7.10 Wubi installer is available for separate download however [ [http://wubi-installer.org/devel/minefield/ Index of /devel/minefield ] ] . It is said that the reason a version for 7.10 was never officially released is due to a bug during installation in one of the alpha build revisions but users have said that the newest revision (rev386) doesn't have the bug. Because the bug set back the development of 7.10, they are not releasing a beta of 7.10 and the work on 8.04 has already started. [ [http://ubuntuforums.org/showpost.php?p=3907948&postcount=5 Ubuntu Forums - View Single Post - Where to get wubi 7.10? ] ] [ [http://ubuntuforums.org/showpost.php?p=3908541&postcount=7 Ubuntu Forums - View Single Post - Where to get wubi 7.10? ] ] Wubi 8.04 is available for testing and has been incorporated into Ubuntu 8.04 Alpha 5. [ [http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=683787 Get ready for Wubi 8.04!] ]

Hardware support

Both the i386 (32-bit x86) and x86-64 releases of Ubuntu are supported by Wubi and Lubi, although this was a recent change. In versions before 8.04, only the x86 release of Ubuntu was supported.

History

SuSE provided a very similar boot and install method using syslinux and loop-mounted disk images on FAT filesystems, back in the mid-1990s, so the idea is quite old.

The idea for Wubi was drafted by Agostino Russo taking inspiration from Topologilinux, which provided a loopmounted installation, and Instlux, that provided a simple Windows frontend. The idea [cite web | url=https://launchpad.net/ubuntu/+spec/ubuntu-setup.exe | title=Ubuntu setup executable for windows users | author=Agostino Russo (ago) | publisher=Launchpad | accessdate=2007-09-02] was to merge the two concepts having a windows installer that would loopmount an image of Ubuntu. Geza Kovacs later refined the spec [cite web | url=https://blueprints.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+spec/windows-installer | title=Windows installer for ubuntu using loopmounted EXT3 filesystem on NTFS | author=Geza Kovacs (tuxcantfly) | publisher=Launchpad | accessdate=2007-09-02] and provided the first prototypes [cite web | url=http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=305109 | publisher=Ubuntuforums | author=Geza Kovacs (tuxcantfly) | title=Idea: Install via windows on loopmounted ntfs? | accessdate=2007-08-02] to show that the concept was sound. Oliver Mattos wrote the original user interface in NSIS.

Agostino Russo then refined the loop-installation concept, moving from a simple loopmounted pre-made image file, to an image created on the fly using a dynamically patched version of the Debian installer, thus providing an experience which was closer to a real installation while addressing several other issues of the early prototypes. Lupin project was thus born and Agostino Russo wrote and implemented most of its code with some contributions from Geza Kovacs.

Later on Agostino Russo and Ecology2007 redesigned and rewrote the Windows front-end, which is what people see today. Hampus Wessman contributed the new downloader and the translation scripts. Bean123 and Tinybit also helped to debug and fix bootloader issues. Lubi and LVPM were subsequently created by Geza Kovacs.

The project has inspired the creation of other Windows-based Linux installers, such as Win32-loader.

imilar projects

* andLinux: uses coLinux to run on Windows.
* Topologilinux: uses coLinux to run on Windows.
* Instlux, included on openSUSE since the 10.3 release. [ [http://en.opensuse.org/Instlux Instlux - openSUSE ] ]
* Win32-Loader.
* UNetbootin.

See also

* NSIS, the Nullsoft Scriptable Install System

References

External links

* [http://wubi.sourceforge.net/ Wubi official website]
* [https://wiki.ubuntu.com/WubiGuide WubiGuide in the official Ubuntu Wiki]
* [http://ubuntuforums.org/forumdisplay.php?f=234 Official Wubi forum]
* [http://lubi.sourceforge.net/ Lubi/LVPM/UNetbootin project website] .