I always hear that a normal computer user would never install an OS and that is the main reason Linux has not a higher market share. But I guess what we mean by that is that a user would never create a live usb, access the boot options and boot from there to install the new OS.

Is there a hard technical limitation when it comes to create a tool that installs a linux distro from a “normal” windows exe file, provided that the user first disables secure boot and fast boot (which are things a tool with admin privileges should also be able do on first run)?

Does such a tool already exist?

I feel like there’s something I’m missing, forgive my ignorance

  • anon5621@lemmy.ml
    71·
    7 个月前

    Yes https://codeberg.org/viperultra/linixify-gui

    Yes, I created such a tool,it works starting from windows vista, but it is not easy because of some features. From Windows, we must predict the name as the device will be called in Linux because the Mint installer does not know how to work with UUID for an automated installation, and then how the Ubuntu is changing the installer for parameters. This is a real hell

  • Peter G@discuss.online
    5·
    7 个月前

    What about this as on alternative:

    Instead of trying to make people install an OS or have to buy a new machine with Linux pre installed, just sell NVME drives with a Linux distro. Something like Mint, or Ubuntu. In my experience Linux is really good nowadays in recognizing hardware plus the people who would be the target audience are unlikely to have some exotic PC setup, probably just a standard off-the-shelf laptop with very common components.

  • Luffy@lemmy.ml
    4·
    7 个月前

    If you have more than 1 Drive, you can just use a bash script and 7zip to unzip Linux to the drive, that does it

    Otherwise you would have to resize a mounted partition, which is just more of a risk than smacking that user with a frying pan until he decides to learn how to install an OS

    • CarrotsHaveEars@lemmy.ml
      4·
      7 个月前

      Another way explicitly banned by OP is running a script, which prepares a live USB drive and reboot to it. One would argue it’s the same process as your resizing a mounted partition method.