Chapter 2: Downloading the ISO File
In this chapter, you will download the ISO image of a Linux distro called MX Linux.
Background
What is an ISO Image?
An ISO image is a file archive of an optical disc. If you want to create Linux CD or DVD to boot up a physical computer, you burn the ISO image onto a CD or DVD. VirtualBox allows you to boot up a Linux distro on a virtual machine directly from the ISO file. In other words, you will NOT need a Linux CD or DVD in this tutorial.
Why do you like MX Linux?
- MX Linux is a quick and lightweight distro that works well on old computers and on virtual machines.
- MX Linux is intuitive and user-friendly.
- MX Linux is based on Debian Linux. Debian is known for having one of the largest software repositories of all Linux distros.
- MX Linux is based on Debian's stable branch, which is known for greater stability and lower maintenance requirements than the testing and unstable branches of Debian.
- MX Linux is #1 on Distrowatch. Because MX Linux and its upstream distro Debian Linux are so popular, there are large user communities. This means it's easy to find answers to all of your basic questions.
- MX Linux is backed by an experienced team, the same team that has been supporting antiX Linux since 2007.
Procedure
- Go to the MX Linux web site.
- Click on the "Download MX Linux" link.
- Click on the "mirrors" link.
- Scroll down to the links to the mirror closest to you.
- Click on the "x64" link to begin downloading the ISO image of the 64-bit edition of MX Linux. (If the link you tried doesn't work, then pick one of the others.)
- While you're waiting for the download to finish, scroll back up to the "checksums and signatures". You'll see that each edition of MX Linux has an sha256 value. In the next chapter, you'll use the one corresponding to the file you downloaded for verification purposes.
- The download of the ISO file will take several minutes. (The time needed will depend on the speed of your Internet connection.) You'll be ready to move on to the next chapter when this big download process is finished.