Wubi

Ubuntu is an open-source Linux distribution operating system, and if that sounds like geek to you, it shouldn’t. If you’ve only ever used Windows, the idea of trying a new operating system might sound a little scary. But with Wubi you can download and try Ubuntu easily, and with the knowledge that you can go back to Windows whenever you like.

Wubi is simply an installer for Ubuntu, and as such, it’s not at all complicated. The program allows users to install–and uninstall–Ubuntu as they would any other Windows application. In essence, you get an operating system within an operating system, and you can switch back and forth with relative ease. Wubi asks users to choose the disk on which they want to install Ubuntu, and from there it’s really just a matter of waiting. It took about half an hour for Ubuntu to download, after which we rebooted our computer as instructed. Instead of launching Windows automatically, a screen appeared that asked us to choose Windows or Ubuntu. We chose Ubuntu, and did some more waiting as Ubuntu was installed. It is an entire operating system, after all, so it’s bound to take longer than your average Windows application. Once that was done, we set off to explore Ubuntu. And when we were ready, we simply rebooted to switch back to Windows. Overall, Wubi isn’t a particularly impressive program, but when it comes to installers, you really want something that draws as little attention to itself as possible. Wubi succeeds on that front, making it relatively quick and easy to download Ubuntu.

Wubi installs and uninstalls without issues. We recommend this program to everyone.

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