Best way to install Ubuntu on a MACBOOK PRO?

Buy a PC to run Ubuntu.

no!!! use virtual machines if you want

https://help.ubuntu.com/community/MacBookPro

If you're just looking to "play" around with Ubuntu, I probably would not recommend partitioning your system. You can use VirtualBox (free from Oracle) to create a virtual machine:

https://www.virtualbox.org/

This will basically allow you to install Ubuntu "within" OS X. You're creating a virtual PC in which you can install Ubuntu (I kinda like Linux Mint if you haven't tried that out). The benefits of a virtual machine are that no changes are made to your hard drive configuration. If you just like to experiment, it's easy to try out different linux distributions without having to constantly make changes to your partitions (which are much more difficult to undo).

You pretty much install VirtualBox and use the ISO you download for your linux distro for the installation.

You won't get full 3D acceleration using a virtual machine, but the 3D drivers have gotten much better.

A virtual machine is also the safest if you're concerned with "messing up your machine" as it doesn't make any system changes.

You can use something like this to connect your drive for making the clone...

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16812161004

However, if want to use your old drive as an external drive, you'll want an enclosure instead (as it provides more protection for the drive). There are tons of external 2.5" enclosures to choose from:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=100008040%2060000625 5%20600006272&IsNodeId=1&name=SATA%20I%2fII

I'm not exactly sure what you were asking, so if this isn't what you're looking for, please clarify.

J_taty wrote:

one thing! 😕 ...im new at this, so i wanna do it well..i dont wanna break my mac XD, but if u know of some links that could've help u do so, would be soo nice! 🙂

You'll break your Mac direct installing Linux, it's not for the computer newbie, but very well seasoned geeks as Mac's are very different in hardware than Generic PC's and require special skills drivers and software to work with your hardware and control the fans etc. It's hard even on a 10.6. Mac, almost impossible now on a 10.7 Mac.

Like Joey said, use a virtual machine software, VMFusion and Parallels Desktop are commercial and Oracle's VirtualBox is free.

I recommend for you to buy the commercial versions as your not too well seasoned yet and you need support which costs money.

This way you can dump the whole mess and still have control with OS X.

If you want to direct install Linux, use a generic PC, that's what the boot disks/USB of Linux are made for, not for a Mac.

This is one of the best step-by-step guides for installing Ubuntu in VirtualBox. Note that this is for a Windows machine, but VirtualBox is identical on both Macs and Windows.

http://www.psychocats.net/ubuntu/virtualbox

Easy, install the virtual machine software and run it.

Choose the distro you want and the full DVD version form the webstire, I recommend Linux Mint, download.

Open the download with the virtual machine software and have at it.

You have to specify how much drive space to give to the guest OS, how much RAM, and how many cores.

For Linux 1 core and 1.5 GB of RAM should be plenty, you can always increase it later by powering off the guest OS and making the changes and restarting the guest OS.

When you install, your OS X window will appear like a screen on a generic PC and you run the Linux installer.

You need to treat the guest OS like any other, update it etc.

Create a "snapshot" using the vm software so that way you can revert your changes as your learning about Linux (or Windows or any other OS you want to install)

Linux isn't easy, but Linux Mint is the easiest for newbies as it installs almost as easy as OS X.

I went to a GIS workshop the other day. Part of it was showing how to use GRASS and R in Linux. The IT people couldn't get the PC to boot into Ubuntu. Then they tried to run Ubuntu in Virtual Box and had all kinds of trouble getting apt-get to work propertly.

While they were trying to get it working, and mostly failing, I used Parallels to download and install Ubuntu and run the software. I had a fast network so the download only took about 3 minutes. The whole install took maybe 5 minutes. I think the IT people finally got Ubuntu to work in VirtualBox sometime after lunch.

Was that a PC problem, an IT failure, or a VirtualBox problem? I don't know. It was a simple 5 minute job on my MacBook Pro running Parallels.

I've never had a problem using VirtualBox. I don't have any issues with Parallels (or Fusion). I just have quite a few machines and I wouldn't want to buy a copy of Parallels for each one.... and then pay for updates when newer versions come out. If you just have one machine, then it's pretty much whichever you choose. If someone is just looking to play around with linux, there's no harm in trying out the free options.

DS.

I know this is off topic, but, what is the diagnostic app running on the side of your screen shot? Thanks.

Its pretty fun to install on your actual hardware apposed to in a VM.

MAKE SURE YOU INSTALL THE GRUB BOOTLOADER TO YOUR / (ROOT) partition.

If you want an extra safety net install Ubuntu to an external drive.

here is a straight forward video guide to creating a Ubuntu USB installer:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7osgsM20Nkc