Ubuntu gets squeezed onto the OLPC XO, with details

Those looking for something a little less nostalgic than the Amiga OS to put on their OLPC XO may want to head over to the always handy OLPC News website, which now has not one but two step-by-step tutorials for installing Ubuntu on the little green laptop. As you might guess, however, neither option is exactly the most straightforward of OS installs, but they should be easy enough for anyone with a little Linux experience under their belt. Of course, given the OLPC's somewhat limited capabilities, you'll also need more than just the laptop and an Ubuntu CD to get things rolling -- namely, a USB drive or SD card with at least 600MB of space and another computer running Linux -- but we're guessing those requirements won't be much of a problem for anyone considering the move to a decidedly less kid-friendly OS.

[Image courtesy of moocapiean]

[abadtooth @ Jan 14th 2008 12:58PM]

BAH!!!

Xubuntu is very easy for a beginner!

[Rik @ Jan 14th 2008 1:44PM]

Indeed, blegh!

[Rik @ Jan 14th 2008 1:44PM]

I mean, what's the point of Ubuntu when it's not running Compiz!

(Takes cover :-P)

[sinerasis @ Jan 14th 2008 1:00PM]

Now if they could just make it look less like a toy...

I'll keep the Eee.

[directive0 @ Jan 14th 2008 4:18PM]

^Doesn't get it.

[WaHaa @ Jan 14th 2008 1:03PM]

Typo in title: "Unbuntu"

[abadtooth @ Jan 14th 2008 1:46PM]

No NOT typo, Engadget got payed some $$$$$ to do that.

[JustinM @ Jan 14th 2008 1:45PM]

And it's Xubuntu anyway. :)

[sracer @ Jan 14th 2008 1:11PM]

I performed those steps last night to install Ubuntu... awesome. It runs surprisingly quickly on the XO.

[w @ Jan 14th 2008 5:20PM]

it's not that surprising actually.

[abadtooth @ Jan 14th 2008 1:23PM]

Fix the title already engadget!!!

[MindstormMaster1 @ Jan 14th 2008 1:47PM]

eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeewwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww

this is cool but come on when do we get a really os on this thing like a gnome desktop or xp cut it out with KDE i hate KDE stop

give me a xo and i will install a real os on it

[michael @ Jan 14th 2008 2:02PM]

They aren't using a KDE desktop, they have XFCE on it. Its a lightweight hybrid type thing. IMO its actually worse than KDE so I doubt you'd like it.

So true, you can;t have Ubuntu without Compiz fusion.

[SireB @ Jan 14th 2008 2:31PM]

An easier alternative: Xfce on top of Fedora

http://wiki.laptop.org/go/Xfce

[ark_v2 @ Jan 14th 2008 3:12PM]

Wait, Unbuntu? Ubuntu?
Thant's Xubuntu, Donald.

[MindstormMaster1 @ Jan 14th 2008 3:31PM]

what up engadget fix the title there is no unbuntu and thats not even ubuntu

[samphilomath @ Jan 14th 2008 10:54PM]

Two videos showing other OS running on XO OLPC pretty fast

http://tinypic.com/player.php?v=80m5z49&s=1

http://tinypic.com/player.php?v=73c7d06&s=1


Original link:
http://tinypic.com/search.php?tag=olpc&type=videos