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Apple MacBook Pro speaks Ubuntu Linux
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Ubunto running with OS X - Image credit: Lirent.net
Recently I wrote about installing Ubuntu Linux on my MSI Wind netbook. Now that my netbook is happily running Ubuntu, my MacBook Pro is feeling deprived and slighted. It is time to do something about that.
"Run Linux on a Mac? You've got to be kidding! Why would anyone want to do such a thing?"
"Well, err, simply because you can."
Mind you, there is nothing wrong with OS X Leopard (well, not much wrong, anyway.) Apple has clearly placed much thought along with blood, sweat and tears into Leopard and its ancestors. It's just that Ubuntu is so nice, so friendly, so (dare I say it?) Mac-like.
I have continued to use my MSI Wind netbook running on Ubuntu. True, I slip over to Windows XP when I need to use Exchange 2007 e-mail. (As mentioned previously, Ubuntu's Evolution e-mail application doesn't play well with Exchange 2007. You are relegated to using the Outlook Web Agent (OWA) with Firefox, or rebooting into Windows and using Outlook 2007.) Now it's time to see if the same trick will work with OS X and my MacBook Pro.
I need to state my goal in doing this experiment with Ubuntu. Besides my curiosity and the downright fun factor, I am trying to determine if Ubuntu is a reasonable alternative as a business Operating System. Several of my readers have indicated that Ubuntu plays well in the business environment--and that is good news. Yet there remain questions in my mind around support and adopting yet another OS in a business environment. I am trying to answer these questions prior to advocating Ubuntu in my work location.
Now back to my Ubuntu challenged MacBook Pro. There are several ways to incorporate Ubuntu into Intel Mac computers (known affectionately in some circles as "Mactels."):
- Turn your Mac into a screaming Ubuntu machine. In this case you dump out of OS X entirely, reformat your drive and install a pure Ubuntu machine. While this is probably the most robust way to run Ubuntu on a Mac, there are some issues with doing this. So proceed with caution.
- Dual (or triple) boot your Mac into OS X, Windows XP/Vista/Windows 7, and Ubuntu. If you haven't done so already, you will need to download and install Apple's BootCamp utility.
- Run a virtual installation of Ubuntu using VMware Fusion. (I believe that this works under Parallels as well, although I haven't tried it.) Make sure that you are installing the Ubuntu 9.04 (Jaunty Jackalope.) This is the most current Ubuntu version as of this writing. If you use Fusion to run Ubuntu, it is helpful to have Fusion version 2.0.5 (build 173382) installed as there are some fixes, especially for VMware Tools, in this recent version.
I elected to go the virtual installation route on my MacBook Pro using VMware Fusion 2.0.5.
I have to say that this was about as painless as OS installations ever get. Now when I want to run Ubuntu (which is most of the time) I can either grab my Wind netbook or my MacBook Pro. Either way, the choice of OS is entirely mine. Whatever floats my boat at any particular time. I have Windows XP Home or Ubuntu on the Wind netbook and Mac OS Leopard or Ubuntu on the MacBook. I've never enjoyed so much OS freedom. Life certainly is sweet.
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