Install Ubuntu

Install the Linux operating system Ubuntu using your virtualization software of choice!

We are going to use Ubuntu because it is largely agreed upon to be the most beginner-friendly and stable of all the Linux operating systems. There are plenty of other Unix-like OSs that are fine and do generally the same thing, but I strongly recommend you using Ubuntu to learn.

If you already have a VM with a Linux image on it, you don't need to download a new one just for this course. It will not change any aspect of your experience and there is no need to waste time or space. Just skip this section.

An image is what we refer to an Operating System when packaged into a format that can be run off of a disc, usually having a .iso extension. We can download .iso's and boot off of the disc or using a USB, but it's generally easier to use a VM.

https://www.ubuntu.com/download/desktop

I could give you more information on what to do for this, but there are a ton of tutorials and Youtube videos out there. Should be an easy Google, and the information doesn't change too much. Let us know if you have any problems, but I recommend going step by step through a tutorial. This is your first challenge that we are really telling you to figure it out yourself.

Source: TheSquareComics

We always try to link to the source of things, even dank memes. It's a weird thing to care about, but the internet makes it so easy to repost images without any way of crediting the author, and they're producing content so might as well throw them a follow.

Memes aside, if you get confused, hit us up in #techsupport in Slack. We are happy to help, and this is very complicated.

When you're done, mark this section complete and move forward!

Tips

If the VM is running slowly, check out how much RAM and the number of CPUs you have allocated to it. Whatever the recommended settings are is probably good. Another major cause of poor performance is if the resolution is set too high. Lower the resolution and the host OS won't get slammed trying to render the VM window. If you are using Hyper-V, turn on "Enhanced Sessions" for better performance. If you're having trouble with anything or it is slow/freezes, hit us up in #techsupport in Slack.