Portable Ubuntu for Windows
Portable Ubuntu for
Windows is a complete Ubuntu distribution which runs as a Windows
application.
The system is built using the coLinux kernel, Xming X
server and Pulseadio server, all conveniently packaged into a single
executable. This application provides the functionality of
Ubuntu out of the box right on your Windows desktop. Although
it does not provide every scrap of functionality that a regular Ubuntu
distribution provides, it offers a user a great way to try out Linux
software and yet at the same time retain the familiar
trappings of Windows.
Of particulary note is the fact that Portable Ubuntu is
incredible easy to install. There is no messing about with having to
tweak the system to get it running under Windows; you literally run the
.exe download and the software is installed in exactly the same way as
a regular Windows application. Anyone can try out Linux with no fuss,
no bother.
Starting up Portable Ubuntu presents the user with the
following dock. This is displayed in the top
centre of the Windows desktop, but doesn't replace the Windows Start
button or the taskbar.
The dock allows the user to run the Linux applications,
navigate using a file manager, install additional software, and much
more. Whilst the user misses out on the full Linux desktop experience
and all that the Linux desktop environments (such as GNOME or KDE)
provide, a user running
Portable Ubuntu can pretty much do what a user running a 'regular'
Linux version of Ubuntu can. It does not give a true
experience of Linux in some fields though. For example,
graphically intensive applications such as video are not optimised.
To give you a flavour of Portable Ubuntu in operation
check out the following screenshots, which show a variety of Linux
and Windows applications running on a single desktop simulatenously.
In the first one, we have three Linux applications running:
Rythmbox (an integrated music management application), Brasero (CD/DVD
burner) and Stellarium (planetarium software),
together with Media Player Classic and Google Chrome, the latter two
being native
Windows software.
Portable Ubuntu is strongly recommended to Windows users
who want to try Ubuntu without making any
permanent changes to their system.
Features include:
- Incredibly easy to install
- Changes made to the system are permanent
- Can run from a hard disk, or removable drive
- Works well on multiple screens
- Seamlessly run Linux applications right on a Windows
desktop
- Low memory footprint; less than 50MB is taken by the
application itself (of course, the Linux applications take memory)
- Works on Windows 2000 / XP / Vista / Seven
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Page: Cooperative Linux
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