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>.