Try out Linux distros from USB flash drive

Soooo, after pushing Linux to the side after Ubuntu went with Unity a couple of years ago. All of my PCs are currently running Windows 7. I had some time to spare during the school holidays so I thought I'd see what was happening in the Linux scene. I got hold of the latest Ubuntu release 12.10 (Quantal Quetzel) as well as Linux Mint 14 (Nadia) with cinammon.

Quantal Quetzel? With Rapid(?Rabid?)Ringtail about to released, Canonical is running out of letters in the alphabet to alliterate with.

Since I wasn't sure which way I was gonna go, I needed a way to test out different distros. I knew that it was gonna involve Live USB discs and wanted a way to make ONE flash drive with all the distros on it. Luckily a quick google search let me to YUMI : Your Universal Multiboot Installer. This tool allows you try out as many distros of Linux as you want (drive space permitting). It supports most distros out of the box. It can also automatically download the correct ISOs for you.

Ubuntu 12.10 Quantal Quetzal

The install went very smoothly. Ubuntu booted without any issues. The hardware on my various PCs were all detected and had functioning drivers available. Unfortunately, while Unity has been refined A LOT, I still could not get used to it. After several hours I still felt stilted and uncomfortable. Basically the same way Windows 8 makes me feel. I may give myself a longer time to adjust later but not right now.

Linux Mint 14 Nadia (cinammon edition)

Since Mint is based on Ubuntu I expected no issues and there were none. Mint has a classic windows desktop feel. Apart from a minor issue (google is not the default search engine in Firefox) I felt really comfortable and will have no hassle running Mint day to day. Another potential issue is the fact that it uses openDNS' servers by default which could require some configuring if you're running custom DNS servers. Then again, if you are, it's likely reconfiguring won't be a difficult thing.

EDIT: 13.04 is known as Raring Ringtail.

Obligatory attempt at getting this started again.

18 Months! So... What's new? Well I'm still a teacher, still looking for a change in career and still 27 years old. :P Once again, I'm gonna try and give this spot some loving. I'm very easily distracted though.

Transformers: Dark of the moon

Ok, so I went to see it last night and I must say it impressed me. Michael Bay certainly knows how to choreograph a beautiful orgy of destruction.

So what if the plot is a bit thin? Action packed escapism.

Hmmm?

Watch this space. Not for anything that's coming but to enjoy the spaciness of it.

Installing Ubuntu Intrepid Ibex from a USB stick

I had struggled several times to install Ubuntu from a USB thumb drive using both versions of their installation CD iso. Mostly unsuccessfully I should add. Also when I did get it to work was with the "alternate CD" which does not provide a live CD environment.

All these problems were solved with UNetbootin. Its a very handy utility. From their homepage:

"UNetbootin allows for the installation of various Linux/BSD distributions to a partition or USB drive, so it's no different from a standard install, only it doesn't need a CD. It can create a dual-boot install, or replace the existing OS entirely."

You can select which Linux distro you want from a list and it can download the required installation files automatically, or you can select an ISO of the distro you want to install. Get the lastest Ubuntu ISO here.




It takes only a few minutes and you have a bootable USB drive which can be used just like an installation CD. Check your BIOS options if you have problems booting from your USB drive.

Installation should be faster than using a CD since USB drives are faster to read.

NOTE: At one point in the installation apt complains about not finding a CD. Just click OK and it continues.

UPDATE: I'm going to try out UNetBootin to create a usb installer for FreeBSD 7.