A friend wants to install Ubuntu...

[Goldfissh]

What would be the best advice to give him to help him along the way? I don't want him to be put off using the OS, etc.

He downloaded the ISO last night, and I'll walk him through the installation. But after that, I don't know how I could help him.

[GregBrannon]

Suggest he run it 'Live' to verify 1) it works with his hardware and 2) he likes it. Mention that the performance running live suffers, but it's an important step.

If an install is decided, start with a dual boot with the friend's previous OS so that any necessary applications and data are still accessible.

Help him do it smartly so that there is no data loss. Do backups, partitions, etc. so that your friend's existing data is safe.

[Goldfissh]

He seems to think that he can mount the ISO file with Daemon Tools in Windows and install that way - is this correct? I have never done so myself - when I installed I simply partitioned then installed from the CD.

[mips]

He seems to think that he can mount the ISO file with Daemon Tools in Windows and install that way - is this correct? I have never done so myself - when I installed I simply partitioned then installed from the CD.

Yes, by using WUBI.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wubi_(Ubuntu_installer)

[Sylos]

Hello there.
Not that this is to be taken as definitive, but when I installed I leapt right in there with a full install and dumped windows. I didnt have an internet connection either so it made life hard for me (had to download packages remotely and then install them from usb stick). Here are the things I wish I had known:

1. How to install the restricted media packages: when you try and open mp3 or wma it will prompt to look for the packages needed and install them for "research purposes". This may freak some people out cos its not strictly legal in some countries so try and reassure your friend if they are the kind of person who will get uptight about it.

2. Related to point one: explain about adding Medibuntu repo and installing the full media packages. This could be a big help in ensuring they dont get the impression that ubuntu is limited in what it can do.

3.Find out the kind of stuff they do on windows and find them some alternative packages that will allow the same kind of stuff natively (may not be necessary if they only use standard stuff but with enquiring about).

4. Give a quick guide to the apt-get package functionality and how permissions are managed in linux and ubuntu specifically. This can be pretty confusing to windows converts. Be sure to explain that the permissions are a big help in avoiding virus and malware infection.

5. Make your friend sign up to these forums. They are, in my humble opinion, one of the greatest advantages of ubuntu.

Thats all I can think of now. Hope this might help.

[WeAreLinux]

First thing you should do? Use your personal experience with Ubuntu to explain the differences between it & whatever OS he's been using before so he can get a good understanding what he is getting into.

[Sean Moran]

What really made my Saturday morning when I first installed Hardy was that it connected with my ADSL transparently, without any mucking around with the /etc/ directory.

Further to that then, go the online direction, and help your friend to get all his browsers and FTP clients and chatboxes lighting up, and that might help build some enthusiasm in a very small space of time.

Not sure but I believe that now there's even some way he can twitter if he has to. :KS

[Gremlinzzz]

I would suggest Mint Linux using wubi install .that way if he doesn't like it he can remove it easily.

[c00lwaterz]

he can use wubi then test it if he likes the distro or version. and also if there are issues. he can try many distro as he wants it. there is linux mint, ubuntu, fedora and other flavors to choose from.

in my suggestion, it is better use wubi to try it first so when anything happens not good, or he didn't like it, he can remove easily. :P

[nothingspecial]

From personal experience -

Go round to his house and set up a linux only computer.

Leave.

Any time he phones you for help, brush him off and tell him to use google, irc and the forums.

In the end, you will be phoning him for help.

[A_T]

From personal experience -

Go round to his house and set up a linux only computer.

Leave.

Any time he phones you for help, brush him off and tell him to use google, irc and the forums.

In the end, you will be phoning him for help.

Not much good if his adapters aren't supported and he can't connect to the internet. He'll be phoning every 5 minutes.

[nothingspecial]

My sound didn`t work.

He wouldn`t help.

So I consulted the internet.

And I learned loads of groovy linux stuff, like recompiling alsa, editing /etc/modprobe.d/alsa-base.conf, compiling madwifi etc ----- loads of fun.

And after this initiation into geekdom, it turned out, that the speakers have to be plugged into the green hole.

[Megaptera]

And after this initiation into geekdom, it turned out, that the speakers have to be plugged into the green hole.

:lolflag: Like it ... !!

[weasel fierce]

Make sure he understands that things will be different.

Show him synaptic / software center.


And if you want to really learn linux, no dual boot for at least 2 months :D

[jmszr]

Goldfissh,

Make sure he's aware of resources such as : http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=801404 , http://ubuntu-manual.org/ and http://ubuntuguide.org/wiki/Ubuntu:Lucid .

I would also suggest that he install 10.04.1 (for stability reasons), he can upgrade to 10.10 easily enough (famous last words) after he becomes comfortable with Ubuntu.

Edit: Also: https://wiki.ubuntu.com/WubiGuide, if applicable.

[Gremlinzzz]

Linux s not that hard any monkey can use it.
http://ubuntuforums.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=175514&stc=1&d=1289668376
Maybe not couldn't find a picture of a monkey using it.

[drawkcab]

Send him this:

http://ubuntuguide.org/wiki/Ubuntu:Maverick

[weasel fierce]

Linux s not that hard any monkey can use it.
http://ubuntuforums.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=175514&stc=1&d=1289668376
Maybe not couldn't find a picture of a monkey using it.

Monkeys use slackware

[Gremlinzzz]

I would suggest Mint Linux using wubi install .that way if he doesn't like it he can remove it easily.

http://www.linuxcritic.com/linux-mint-10-reviewed/

[Goldfissh]

Thanks for all of your replies, you've given me a lot of good ideas. He's also decided that he doesn't want to go down the road of using Wubi.

He's going to come over next weekend and I'll walk him through the installation, tell him about the software manager and also about using a few terminal commands.

Thanks again.