Try Linux Assignment
For this assignment, you will try out a Linux distribution either by booting your computer from a USB stick or by running a Linux virtual machine. You will access the Internet via a Web browser inside the Linux desktop, and you’ll explore other available software and determine whether or not a Linux environment might be an option for your day-to-day use.
Assignment Information
The application area for this assignment is computing sciences. However, you are welcome to choose this assignment if you have an interest in its content, regardless of your major.
Prerequisites
- You need a computer that can either run virtualization software or boot from a USB stick. A Chromebook will probably not work for this assignment option.
- You should be able to perform Internet searches to locate sources relevant to the topics covered by this assignment.
- You should be able to download a large ISO file and follow instructions for creating a USB stick or using the file with virtualization software.
- You should be able to adjust the configuration settings of your computer as needed.
- You should be able to record a video demonstration using your phone or screencasting software.
- You should be able to edit the recorded video and upload the result to Moodle.
Background
To have any chance of preserving your digital privacy, it is imperative that you stop using Windows (especially Windows 11). While Apple spends a lot of marketing effort discussing privacy, their own corporate privacy policies allow them to employ tracking and advertising software, so macOS probably isn’t a great option, either. There are some other operating systems, like FreeBSD and other BSD variants, that offer good privacy; however, hardware support in the BSDs is problematic. The only class of operating system remaining is Linux.
Linux operating systems are shipped in the form of distributions, which are installable operating environments that contain both the Linux kernel and a set of useful utilities and programs. To be precise, the “operating system” is the Linux kernel itself, while the “operating environment” is the whole distribution, which consists of the kernel plus these other tools.
There are a wide variety of distributions available, each of which has pros and cons. Some popular distributions are tracked by the DistroWatch.com website, although the popularity score it uses isn’t scientific by any means. Each distribution has its own installation method, ranging from simple and easy (for example, Linux Mint or Ubuntu), to difficult but well-documented (for example, Arch Linux), to difficult and not well-documented (Void Linux, Crux, and others), to a book explaining how to build your own distribution from source code by hand (Linux From Scratch).
For this assignment, your first step is to select a Linux distribution to use. Since you are NOT required to install Linux onto your computer for this assignment, you should choose a distribution that offers a “live CD” or “live USB” environment that lets you run the system from a USB stick. Alternatively, you may install a virtualization program such as Oracle Virtualbox on your computer and run the Linux environment inside it.
Requirements
Find a Linux distribution and either get it set up to run in a virtual machine or make a bootable USB stick containing its live environment. Some of the more popular distributions have detailed instructions on their websites for ways to create a USB stick.
If you are booting your computer from the USB stick, you might need to go into your firmware settings and temporarily disable Secure Boot, depending on the Linux distribution that you choose.
Please be careful NOT to run any “install” step as part of this assignment. You do not want to overwrite your computer’s operating system with the Linux distribution you’re testing. (However, if you have a spare computer and want to try installing Linux on it, please feel free to do so.)
Use your phone to record yourself using your Linux environment. In your video:
- State which Linux distribution you picked, and explain why you picked it.
- Show that you have the Linux distribution running either by booting your computer from a USB stick or by using a virtual machine.
- Demonstrate that you can use a Web browser inside the Linux environment. Ideally, access the Internet if you’re able (but note that, if you’re on campus, eduroam can be difficult sometimes, just like it is on Windows).
- Show some of the other applications available in the live environment.
- Explain whether or not you think you could use this Linux distribution as your day-to-day computer operating system. There isn’t a right or wrong answer to this question (despite the fact that your professor runs Linux), but consider reasons for or against using it. For example, you might decide that your privacy is worth taking the plunge and using it. On the other hand, you might have to use a specific computer program that doesn’t work on Linux.
Grading
Please review the Try Linux Rubric prior to uploading your video presentation. This rubric explains how this assignment option will be graded and can be used as a checklist to ensure that you have completed all the required parts of the assignment.
