NAME

       ubiquity — install Ubuntu from a live CD

SYNOPSIS

       ubiquity [--desktop file] [--debug] [--pdb] [--cdebconf] [--automatic] [--only] [--query] [frontend]

DESCRIPTION

       ubiquity  is a graphical installer for Ubuntu, written largely in Python, using debian-installer (d-i) as
       a backend for many of its functions.  It is  normally  invoked  from  a  desktop  icon,  and  presents  a
       "wizard"-style  graphical user interface.  ubiquity must be run as root, and will escalate privileges for
       itself using gksudo, kdesu, kdesudo, or sudo as appropriate.

       ubiquity has multiple frontends, including one written using  GTK+  (gtk_ui)  and  one  written  for  KDE
       (kde_ui).  The first non-option argument, if any, is interpreted as the name of the frontend to use.

       The following options are available:

       --desktop file
             This  option  is  passed  through  to  gksudo  to  provide  a better description for its privilege-
             escalation message.  It is only relevant when using the gtk_ui frontend.

       -d, --debug
             Run in debugging mode, sending verbose information to /var/log/installer/debug that may  be  useful
             to   developers.    (The  /var/log/syslog  file  is  usually  required  in  any  case,  along  with
             /var/log/partman in the case of problems related to partitioning.)  Note  that  passwords  will  be
             logged in debugging mode!

       --pdb
             Drop  into  the  Python  debugger in the event of a crash.  Only effective if ubiquity is being run
             from a terminal.

       --cdebconf
             Use cdebconf instead of the traditional Perl debconf implementation.  In future  this  may  provide
             enough  memory  efficiency benefits to be made the default, but for now it is not really worthwhile
             and is therefore for experimental use only.

       --automatic
             Skip over questions that have been pre-answered by use of a  preseed  file.   This  is  useful  for
             unattended installations.

       --only
             Tell  ubiquity  that  it  is  the  only  desktop  program running so that it can customize its user
             interface to better suit a minimal environment.  This allows the installer to  be  run  standalone,
             reducing memory requirements.

       --query
             Print the frontend that would be used and then exit.

AUTHORS

       Ubiquity  was  formerly  known  as  "Espresso",  and originally as "Ubuntu Express", which is written and
       maintained  by  Javier   Carranza   <javier.carranza@interactors.coop>   and   Juanje   Ojeda   Croissier
       <juanje@interactors.coop>.   This  version  draws  on the work done on Ubuntu Express, but was renamed to
       avoid confusion, to reduce awkward branding considerations, and because Ubiquity concentrates on  reusing
       debian-installer  code  and  reducing  duplicated  translation  and  branding  work  as much as possible.
       Ubiquity has now substantially diverged from Ubuntu Express and is an independent project.

       ubiquity was mainly developed by Colin Watson <cjwatson@ubuntu.com>  and  Evan  Dandrea  <ev@ubuntu.com>,
       with contributions from many others.

       The mythbuntu_ui frontend was developed by Mario Limonciello <superm1@ubuntu.com>.

Ubuntu                                           August 9, 2007                                      UBIQUITY(8)