Portable Ubuntu
Posted: 2009-04-04 00:00:00
Link: http://portableubuntu.sourceforge.net/

On digg, there was a link to an app that allows Ubuntu to run on Windows without having to be installed (as for a usb key). The difference between a live CD type version of Ubuntu and this is that the portable version actually runs ON Windows

By that, I mean that it is a desktop-less version of of the Linux distro that uses the Windows shell and window chrome to open all of the Ubuntu windows. For example, if I open up the terminal window, a new window appears in Windows, just as if I opened up any other Microsoft product. Another example is that I can have Firefox open in Windows, then open up Firefox in Ubuntu, and place them directly over one another and interact with them as though they were on the same operating system. The top bar on GNOME Ubuntu becomes a floating (and dockable) window in your Windows environment to access all of the Linux apps.

The first reason this got my attention is that I really do like to mess around in Linux and I don't feel like setting up a dual boot on my laptop and virtual machines can be kind of slow. Second, this will be great to be able to test out websites both personally and for work on another OS (not to mention that I've already got a LAMP stack installed for hosting sites for testing).

It's not perfect - there are some bugs that I've run in to - in one case, the Ubuntu desktop showed up for a minute then disappeared once I gave my SU password. Still, fun to mess around with from time to time.

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