Thanks for that post. I keep thinking I should give Ubuntu a try...
However, pages like this have me seriously puzzled.
https://releases.ubuntu.com/20.04/
What if I have an Intel processor?
I do not see 4 types of images. 2 of the 3 shown are identical?
I do not know the 1st thing about “desktop images”.
For starters...
Granted I’m 1/2 asleep. :-)
You want the green “20.04” button on this page:
https://ubuntu.com/#download
Once you have the image downloaded, you want to follow these instructions to create a bootable USB stick:
https://ubuntu.com/tutorials/create-a-usb-stick-on-windows#1-overview
-— OR -—
Burn the image to DVD to create an install disk:
https://ubuntu.com/tutorials/burn-a-dvd-on-windows#1-overview
[I took the USB stick route, BECAUSE it enables “try before you buy”; I booted from the USB and played around awhile to see how my computer would behave before I committed to the install. KEY POINT: Once you have the image on a bootable USB, when you decide to install Ubuntu, you will use that same USB.]
Bookmark these pages:
https://help.ubuntu.com/community/CommunityHelpWiki
https://help.ubuntu.com/lts/ubuntu-help/index.html
AND, if you want to install Ubuntu alongside Windows in a “dual boot” configuration, read this before you begin:
https://help.ubuntu.com/community/WindowsDualBoot
Before you actually install Ubuntu, read through this a couple of times so you know what to expect. I HIGHLY recommend getting that page up on a separate device so you can refer to it during installation.
https://ubuntu.com/tutorials/install-ubuntu-desktop#1-overview
WHEN YOU GET TO STEP 6, this is where, if you want to run Ubuntu on your windows machine as an alternate boot, you MUST NOT choose “Erase disk and install Ubuntu”; that’s a point of no return.
Also, regarding partitioning, the claim is that Ubuntu doesn’t NEED separate partitions, but there remains a discussion about having a separate /home partition (the O/S or System partition, in Windows parlance), and a /swap partition equal to double your amount of installed RAM.
This makes a lot of the lingo make sense:
https://help.ubuntu.com/community/HowtoPartition
Get the rundown on /swap over here:
https://help.ubuntu.com/community/SwapFaq
— and (very detailed) —
https://help.ubuntu.com/lts/installation-guide/arm64/ch06s03.html
You can manipulate partitions AFTER installation, so proceeding with defaults is fine for most use cases.