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TechQuiet 10d · day 12

hop: Windows app installs dual-boot Linux without USB stick

New tool lets Windows users set up Linux on the same disk by creating a temporary FAT32 partition, mimicking USB installer behavior.

newest coverage 9d agosummary written 9d ago3 pieces2 likes & upvotes Hacker NewsMastodon

What to know

  • hop eliminates the USB stick requirement for installing Linux dual-boot by creating a temporary FAT32 partition on the Windows drive, mimicking what a USB installer does.
  • Supported distros include Ubuntu, Mint, Fedora, Arch, Debian, Zorin OS, CachyOS and others; the tool verifies ISO checksums and checks PC compatibility before making any disk changes.
  • The tool shipped three releases in its first day (Oct 31–Nov 1), reaching 740 GitHub stars and 319 downloads by the weekend.
  • An 'Undo' feature cleanly removes the installer and returns space to Windows, or can remove an existing Linux installation; a separate mode can erase Windows entirely for supported distros.

“hop downloads an official Linux ISO, checks it, makes room on your disk and puts the installer on a small partition of its own, so a Windows PC can start Ubuntu, Mint, Fedora or a dozen others without a flash drive.”

Lockergnome article · Lockergnome / Chris Pirillo

Arjun (dunkedtoast on X) hop developerEkimia Libertix developer

hop: Windows app installs dual-boot Linux without USB stick
github.com

How it unfolded 3 developments, newest first · click a bar or a number to jump posts

Peak 1 piece in 3h at Oct 31, 3 AM; 3 pieces over 12 days (3 posts) Oct 31, 3 AM — 1 piece · 1 post — Hacker News 1Oct 31, 6 AM — quietOct 31, 9 AM — quietOct 31, 12 PM — quietOct 31, 3 PM — quietOct 31, 6 PM — quietOct 31, 9 PM — quietNov 1, 12 AM — quietNov 1, 2 AM — quietNov 1, 5 AM — quietNov 1, 8 AM — quietNov 1, 11 AM — quietNov 1, 2 PM — quietNov 1, 5 PM — 1 piece · 1 post — Mastodon 1Nov 1, 8 PM — quietNov 1, 11 PM — 1 piece · 1 post — Mastodon 1Nov 2, 2 AM — quietNov 2, 5 AM — quietNov 2, 8 AM — quietNov 2, 11 AM — quietNov 2, 2 PM — quietNov 2, 5 PM — quietNov 2, 8 PM — quietNov 2, 11 PM — quietNov 3, 2 AM — quietNov 3, 5 AM — quietNov 3, 8 AM — quietNov 3, 11 AM — quietNov 3, 2 PM — quietNov 3, 5 PM — quietNov 3, 8 PM — quietNov 3, 11 PM — quietNov 4, 2 AM — quietNov 4, 5 AM — quietNov 4, 8 AM — quietNov 4, 11 AM — quietNov 4, 2 PM — quietNov 4, 5 PM — quietNov 4, 8 PM — quietNov 4, 11 PM — quietNov 5, 2 AM — quietNov 5, 5 AM — quietNov 5, 8 AM — quietNov 5, 11 AM — quietNov 5, 2 PM — quietNov 5, 5 PM — quietNov 5, 8 PM — quietNov 5, 11 PM — quietNov 6, 2 AM — quietNov 6, 5 AM — quietNov 6, 8 AM — quietNov 6, 11 AM — quietNov 6, 2 PM — quietNov 6, 5 PM — quietNov 6, 8 PM — quietNov 6, 11 PM — quietNov 7, 2 AM — quietNov 7, 5 AM — quietNov 7, 8 AM — quietNov 7, 11 AM — quietNov 7, 2 PM — quietNov 7, 5 PM — quietNov 7, 8 PM — quietNov 7, 11 PM — quietNov 8, 2 AM — quietNov 8, 5 AM — quietNov 8, 8 AM — quietNov 8, 11 AM — quietNov 8, 2 PM — quietNov 8, 5 PM — quietNov 8, 8 PM — quietNov 8, 11 PM — quietNov 9, 2 AM — quietNov 9, 5 AM — quietNov 9, 8 AM — quietNov 9, 11 AM — quietNov 9, 2 PM — quietNov 9, 5 PM — quietNov 9, 8 PM — quietNov 9, 11 PM — quietYesterday, 2 AM — quietYesterday, 5 AM — quietYesterday, 8 AM — quietYesterday, 11 AM — quietYesterday, 2 PM — quietYesterday, 5 PM — quietYesterday, 8 PM — quietYesterday, 11 PM — quietToday, 2 AM — quietToday, 5 AM — quietToday, 8 AM — quietToday, 11 AM — quietToday, 2 PM — quietToday, 5 PM — quietToday, 8 PM — quiet 123
Nov 1Nov 2Nov 3Nov 4Nov 5Nov 6Nov 7Nov 8Nov 9yesterdaynow · 9:50 PM ET
  1. 3

    It's FOSS publishes technical deep-dive on hop's architecture

    It's FOSS covered hop's implementation, comparing it to the defunct Wubi tool from the 2000s and explaining how hop stages ISO files on a temporary partition. The article also noted the parallel existence of Libertix, a similar tool from French company Ekimia.

    • LinuxToday@techhub.social

      This Tool Lets You Install Linux Without a USB Key, Straight From Windows https:// feed.itsfoss.com/link/24361/17 513222/libertix

      LinuxToday@techhub.socialMastodon9d agoview on Mastodon ↗
  2. 2

    Chris Pirillo shares hop on Mastodon

    Technology commentator Chris Pirillo posted about hop on Mastodon, highlighting the free app and its dual-boot capability without USB.

    “A free Windows app, hop, installs dual-boot Linux from your hard drive with no USB stick…”
    — Chris Pirillo
    • ChrisPirillo@mastodon.social

      A free Windows app, hop, installs dual-boot Linux from your hard drive with no USB stick https:// lockergnome.com/hop-installs-d ual-boot-linux-from-windows-without-usb-stick/ # hop # DualBoot # windows # linux # OpenSource

      ChrisPirillo@mastodon.socialMastodon10d agoview on Mastodon ↗
  3. background

    hop version 0.2.0 released same morning — A second version shipped the morning after launch as the developer iterated on the tool. By Saturday evening, three total builds had been downloaded 319 times and the GitHub repository had 740 stars.

  4. 1 day quiet
  5. 1

    hop version 0.1.0 released

    Developer Arjun released hop, a free Windows application that installs dual-boot Linux from the internal disk without a USB stick. The tool creates a small FAT32 partition holding the ISO's files and adds a one-time startup entry to boot into the Linux installer.

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