Ubuntu Wubi is a Windows based installer that dual boots your Windows system with the least amount of effort. It really is (was?) my favorite way to keep a backup Ubuntu image handy. The idea was that the Wubi installer would run under windows, download and install a fairly generic configuration to your system with only about three configuration decisions. It took about 30 minutes in the background and after that a reboot, and automagically it was a boot option.
However recently issues have been creeping into the mix. These currently include:
- Ubuntu does not support Wubi past 12.04 LTS
- Wubi does not support Windows 8
- Trying to upgrade past 12.04 inside the image may not work (it did not for me), requiring a scrub and re-build of my install
Remember – Wubi enabled me to install a dual boot Ubuntu image in the background in about 30 minutes – so I could be doing something useful the entire time. What alternative gives me that?
Much like Google Reader, it is really disappointing to see something really useful fade away.