Wubi is an unofficial Windows-based free software installer for Ubuntu licensed under the GNU GPL. 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. The project is currently in beta. It is not a virtual machine, but rather, it creates a stand-alone installation within a loopmounted partition, like Topologilinux does. It is not a GNU/Linux distribution of its own, but rather, simply an installer for Ubuntu. [1]
At this time, Wubi cannot install Ubuntu to its own partition, and it cannot use free hard disk space to install it. [2] Users interested in installing Ubuntu to its own partition should simply use the official Ubuntu installer.
The main developers of Wubi are Geza Kovacs [3], known as tuxcantfly on the forums, who started the project, [4] created the initial versions, and wrote the specifications [5], Agostino Russo [6], known as ago on the forums, who contributes to lupin (the loop-installer), Oliver Mattos [7], known as Hello1024 on the forums, and one known as Ecology2007 [8] who contribute to the windows-based frontend (wubi). The main development occurs at launchpad, and is lead by the Lupin Team [9].
The project has inspired the creation of other Windows-based Linux installers, such as the Windows-based Debian Installer [10].
The name "Wubi" is an acronym for "Windows-based UBuntu Installer". The name was coined by Agostino Russo. It is one of 4 components of the main project, which consists of the core backend, Lupin (Loop Installer), the Windows-based frontend, Wubi, the Mac OSX-based frontend, Mubi, and the Linux-based frontend, Lubi. [11] Although the GUI frontend for Mubi and Lubi are not yet complete, they can be manually installed on Linux and Mac OSX by using the Lupin core directly. [12]
References
External Links
Wubi Official Webpage Wubi Forum on Ubuntuforums.org
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