The Linux BricsCAD pages, part 2: Linux base install

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So Xubuntu 22.04 it is. Ready to install?

THIS ARTICLE IS ALWAYS UNDER CONSTRUCTION. YOUR POSITIVE INPUT IS APPRECIATED.

All related parts: 1: Introduction 2: Linux base install 3: More user software 4: Tuning Linux 5: Tuning your software 6: Getting BricsCAD working 7: Publishing your drawings

Preparation

You need partitions, free disk space. Assumed is an empty, new system. In case of existing operating systems, consider a back-up before creating a place for Linux and installing it.

Download

LTS or not

I tend to install the “latest and greatest”. However, I often run into serious trouble with hot versions. So, resisting the temptation, it may be smart to choose a LTS (Long Term Support) version. See the site of Xubuntu.

Where to get all files?

Download an iso file from https://xubuntu.org/download.

Installation

  • Start up and usually call F12 / F11 / F2 / del for a BIOS startup menu when starting a computer. Some old computers have difficulty installing from USB, then bake a DVD first.
  • Current Linux distro’s expect UEFI, so there is no reason to disable it. For older distro’s, UEFI can be annoying, dive into the BIOS and make sure you can start without UEFI. General: installation is straightforward, follow all instructions and everything is (usually) good. It is to consider arranging some things differently …
  • So far “secure boot” in the BIOS is often a showstopper, consider disabling it.
  • Bitlocker is a PITA, always decrypt existing Windows installations.
  • About asking installing proprietary drivers… Try not to, in most cases it is okay.
  • About partitioning a drive, use GPT as partition table. This eliminates all kind of discussions about primary, extended and logical partitions. And keeping things simple, for a workstation that is reinstalled after a limited number of years, is obvious. What partitions do we need?
    • First a new GPT partition table – only if it does not exist!
    • Then we need an ESP, an EFI System Partition if no other OS’s exist already. Reserve for example 1 or 2 GB’s for this it will always be enough.
    • One ext4 partition with mount-point “/”
    • A swap partition (the kernel likes it) that is, for example, the half or whole amount of RAM.
  • Just follow the installation steps and you can’t go wrong.
  • Also do all updates when finished.

Next…

Continue with part 3: More user software

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