Finally someone did it! I mean this could have, and should have been done a long time ago, but no one really bothered. OK, what the hell am I talking about here? Oh well, seems like with the upcoming release of Ubuntu 8.04 code named Hardy Heron, you will finally have an option of installing Linux on a Windows installed PC without tinkering with the file-system and disk-partitions. A new installation mechanism called Wubi will allow Windows users to install Ubuntu on to their Windows OS using nothing but a simple Windows installer. Click and Install! No partitions no data-loss no headaches. It would seem Wubi installs the entire OS on a disk image which neatly sits in a folder on your existing Windows drive. Uninstalling is equally trivial. Simply use Add/Remove from Windows, just as you would use a normal uninstaller. Cool!

Linux installations are typically non trivial. I mean at least for the average home user, who doesn’t understand things like partition tables and dual booting options. Yes, there will be those of us who will continue to have separate partitions for Linux, but most non tech savvy users would try to skip such headaches if they can. If Wubi does achieve what it says it can (, still remains to be seen if it indeed can), anyone will be able to install and use Linux just like they would use any other software. It’s still an open question if this will mean more people signing on to Linux. Though debatable, Linux as an OS is still not as “user-friendly” or as some would say “Windows-friendly” as Windows is. Yet this is an interesting development indeed!