Linux. For some it invokes a face full of smiles and a chest filled with relief. For others, it brings up a certain level of fear. Isn’t it all commands? Don’t you have to be an uber-level IT admin or developer to use it? Although I will admit, in the early days, having a bit of admin or developer skills certainly did help, but that’s not the case any more. 

This is perfectly illustrated by the installation process for Linux. What was once a challenge, is now a five- to 10-minute point-and-click affair that ends with operating system nirvana. 

But what is the installation of modern Linux like? 

Let me show you. 

I’ll demonstrate with Ubuntu Desktop 20.04. 

How to install Linux

1. Click Install Ubuntu and then select your keyboard layout. 
2. Click Continue and then click the checkbox for Install Third-Party Software. 
3. Click Continue and (unless you need a non-default installation type) click Install Now. 
4. When prompted, click Continue to OK the installation. 
5. Next, select a locale and click Continue. You will then be prompted to create a new user, so type your name, a name for the computer (aka the hostname), a username, and a password. After filling out that information, click Continue. 
6. At this point the downloading and installing of the required packages will begin, so either sit back and watch it happen, or go take care of another task. This should take around five to 10 minutes, depending on the speed of your network connection and the power of the machine. 
7. When it completes, you’ll be prompted to restart to finish up the process. Reboot, log in, and start using Linux. 

And that’s all there is to installing Linux. Seriously, it’s that easy. In fact, you won’t find an easier operating system to install. So, if you have some spare hardware sitting around, and you’re looking for something to do this summer, install Linux and learn the ins and outs of the open source OS. Expand your knowledge and open new paths to success.

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