How to install Linux

Linux can be installed in a variety of ways, but it almost always starts with downloading the distribution's install ISO. Here are the links to a few common distros:

• Ubuntu: https://ubuntu.com/download/desktop
• Debian: https://www.debian.org/distrib/
• Kali Linux: https://www.kali.org/get-kali
• Linux Mint: https://www.linuxmint.com/download.php
• Fedora: https://fedoraproject.org/workstation/

Installing on a Physical Machine

Once you have downloaded the ISO, use a USB flashing program (any of the below) to write the ISO to a USB drive.

• Window: Rufus
• MacOS / Linux:
  • Balena Etcher
  • The dd command command for experienced users
• Linux:
  • Popsicle
  • KDE ISO Image Writer

Once the USB drive is written, boot the machine from the USB drive (using a BIOS or UEFI boot menu) and follow the instructions provided by the distro's installer.

Installing on a Virtual Machine

Setting up a virtual machine is a great way to play with and learn Linux without having to install it on a physical machine. We recommend using Oracle VirtualBox for this purpose since it's free and open source. You can download it here: https://www.virtualbox.org/wiki/Downloads.

To setup a linux Virtual Machine (VM), follow this guide: https://ubuntu.com/tutorials/how-to-run-ubuntu-desktop-on-a-virtual-machine-using-virtualbox#1-overview. It's written for Ubuntu, but the steps for booting from the ISO image should be almost identical for other distros.