🐧Installing Linux
Why Linux, and how to install it stress-free: from the bootable USB stick to the first boot. We pick Ubuntu LTS, the safe bet.
The hardware is here, sitting on the desk. Now we give it a brain. And that brain will be Linux, not out of geek snobbery, but because it’s quite simply the natural home of what we want to do.
Why Linux (and not Windows)
The entire AI and dev ecosystem we’re going to set up in this path was born under Linux and runs best there. Ollama, Docker, coding agents, local servers: it’s their playground. Under Windows, you go through compatibility layers; under Linux, it runs bare, direct, frictionless.
The concrete reasons, no fluff:
- It’s free and it’s yours. No license, no mandatory account, no ads in the Start menu. No telemetry sending your habits back to a headquarters.
- It flies on modest hardware. A €200 mini-machine runs Ubuntu without flinching, where Windows 11 would already demand more RAM just to display itself.
- It’s made to run all the time. Linux has been the OS of servers for thirty years. A machine that stays on 24/7, manages itself remotely, and never demands a reboot in the middle of the night: that’s exactly its job.
- The SSH server is built in. Right from install, you can drive the machine from your laptop, screen and keyboard unplugged. It’s the basis of everything that follows.
- You learn skills that come in handy again. The terminal, packages, services: what you touch here, you’ll find everywhere, from the cloud to the Raspberry Pi.
Why Ubuntu 24.04 LTS specifically
There are dozens of Linux distributions. We pick one, and we pick it for good reasons.
Ubuntu 24.04 LTS is the safe choice for starting out:
- Designed for beginners. Guided graphical installation, fully localized, common drivers detected automatically.
- A huge community. It’s the most-used distribution in the world. The practical consequence: any error you hit, someone has already had it and posted the solution. Every error message is googleable.
- LTS = Long Term Support. This version is maintained (security updates) until 2029. You install once, and you’re set for years.
- It just works, period. Recent hardware is recognized, packages are up to date, online guides land just right.
The installation, step by step
Download the Ubuntu 24.04 LTS ISO
Go to ubuntu.com/download/desktop and grab the Ubuntu 24.04 LTS Desktop image (a .iso file of about 5.7 GB).
There’s also a Server version, lighter. To start, I recommend the Desktop: you get a real desktop to find your bearings while you settle in. We switch to “headless” mode right after, once SSH is in place.
(Optional) The Server version, no graphical interface
You can choose the Ubuntu Server image right away: no desktop, no mouse, just a terminal. It’s lighter (it leaves all the RAM for the models rather than for a graphical environment) and it’s what most “real” servers run.
But do it knowingly: with no graphical interface, everything goes through the command line from the very first second, no browser, no window, no visual safety net. If you’re new to Linux, this isn’t the right moment to add that difficulty. Start in Desktop, find your bearings, and you can always disable the graphical interface later (or reinstall in Server) once you’re comfortable. The machine will be no less capable, it’s purely a matter of learning comfort.
Create a bootable USB stick (8 GB or more)
We’re going to “burn” the ISO onto a USB stick so we can boot from it. Pick your tool based on your current machine:
- On Windows: Rufus, free, lightweight, formidable. Select your stick, the Ubuntu ISO, click “Start.”
- On macOS or Linux: balenaEtcher, cross-platform and dead simple: choose the image, choose the stick, “Flash.”
- For the brave (Linux/macOS, command line):
# ⚠ Double-check the disk name (/dev/sdX) first, a mistake wipes the wrong disk!
sudo dd if=ubuntu-24.04-desktop-amd64.iso of=/dev/sdX bs=4M status=progress && sync
Boot the mini-machine from the stick
Plug the stick into the mini-machine, turn it on, and hammer the boot-menu key the moment it powers up to enter the BIOS or the boot menu. The key depends on the brand:
F2, F12, Del or Esc, if you don’t know, tap them all one after another at startup. Once in the menu, choose the USB stick as the boot device.
Launch the installer
Ubuntu boots onto a temporary desktop. Choose “Install Ubuntu” and roll through:
- Language: English.
- Installation type: “Normal installation.”
- Connect the network: Wi-Fi or Ethernet (Ethernet is simpler and more reliable for what follows).
- At the disk step, choose “Erase disk and install Ubuntu.” The machine is dedicated to this project, no need for dual boot, we give it all the space. Let the installer handle partitioning automatically.
- Create your user: name, username, and above all a real password you’ll remember. This account becomes your administrator account (
sudo), it’s the one that will have the right to do everything on the machine.
Then let the installer work (a few minutes) and reboot.
First boot and first update
On reboot, remove the USB stick (otherwise you reboot into the installer) and log in with your user.
Open a terminal and run the first update. It’s reflex number one on a fresh machine:
# Update the package list, then install all available updates
sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y
Then install the SSH server, so you can drive the machine remotely starting from the next step:
# Install the SSH server: it's what lets you connect with no screen
sudo apt install -y openssh-server
Linux is installed, up to date, and reachable. The machine is bare but ready. And rather than configuring the rest by hand for hours, we’ll make a smart choice: lay down a few clean settings, then install the coding agent that will handle all the rest for you.