How to Try Ubuntu Linux
In order try out Ubuntu Linux you first need to obtain Ubuntu Linux. There are two ways to do this. One option is to have a Ubuntu Linux shipped to you via the Ubuntu ShipIt program. Whilts this sounds like a great way to get Ubuntu there are a few downsides. Firstly, it can take up to 10 weeks for the CDs to arrive. Secondly the shipment usually consists of multiple copies of the CDs so unless you have a group of people who would also like to try out Ubuntu you are going to end up with a number of CDs that are only good as non-absorbant beer mats.
By far the best way to obtain Ubuntu is to download it and burn your own CDs or DVDs.
Once you have the Ubuntu CD you are ready to start. There are a number of options that are available to you.
Try Ubuntu Without Installing it
There is a good chance you already own a PC which is probably running Microsoft Windows. If this is the case and you are new to Linux then there is a good chance you don't want to go to install Ubuntu Linux until you've had a chance to try it out for a few hours. If you'd like to try Ubuntu without having to install you can easily do so. The Ubuntu CD you now have in your posession is able to run as a Live CD. This essentially means that the operating system can be run from the CD without having to be installed on your hard disk drive.
To run Ubuntu from the CD simply place the CD into your CDROM drive and reboot your system. If your system reboots once again as Windows then it is likely you will need to change the boot order in your system BIOS. To achieve this restart your system and watch closely as the system boots. Early in the boot process the BIOS will display instructions to enter BIOS Setup (which often, but not always, involves pressing the DEL key). Press whichever key you are instructed to press and you should find yourself in the BIOS setup menu. Find the setting for the boot sequence, and if it shows your hard disk as being the first device to boot from, change this so that your CD or DVD drive appears as the first device in the boot order. Select the "Save and Exit" option from the BIOS main menu and allow the system to boot. As long as the Ubuntu disk is still in the drive you should find that Ubuntu boots instead of Windows.
Once Ubuntu as booteed from the Live CD you can begin to experiment with Linux.
There are a few minor downsides to using the Live CD. The first is that performamce will be slow. This is because Ubuntu needs to load software from the CD drive which is orders of magnitude slower than a hard disk drive. Secondly because the CD is a read-only medium you will not be able to create any new files or save any changes you may make to the system. One advantage of this is that you also can't break anything, so feel free to experiment as much as you like.
