Why do YOU use Ubuntu on your mac?

[almahtar]

I get the question all the time - you have a perfectly good mac with its own perfectly good OS, why did you install (X|K)Ubunu on it?

For me, the answer is complete control and choice - I can get things done the way I want to, rather than having to cave to the limited options I'm presented. Another biggy was file/network integration, the two big file managers for Ubuntu - nautilus and konqueror - provide seamless SFTP integration, and I can save remote files right there within gedit/kate. That and (at the time I installed Ubuntu) OSX didn't have virtual desktops (a must for me), and beryl/compiz-fusion gave me powers no OSX interface could provide.

So coaxed YOU to install Ubuntu on a mac?

[ditsch]

I am used to Ubuntu, and I did not see a reason to learn how to handle with a new OS. ;)

[Pierre Lourens]

I feel that I shouldn't be tied to any software on my computer. While Apple offers great hardware, their expensive upgrade costs and limitations on the end-user caused me to choose Ubuntu. Simply, the freedom. Sure, some of the software on the Mac is "better," but Ubuntu has many advantages of Mac OS X and is gaining momentum in its battle against corporate software.

[tubasoldier]

OSX has too much clicking to accomplish a task. I find I don't have to click as much in Linux.

[Chrisj303]

I feel that I shouldn't be tied to any software on my computer. While Apple offers great hardware, their expensive upgrade costs and limitations on the end-user caused me to choose Ubuntu.


I think that Ubuntu on the mac is far more limiting than OS X - due to annoying bugs / hardware incompatibilities.

I just can't see the point of buying a Mac, if you intend to single boot Linux. I would rather buy a PC laptop that offered better compatibility.

For me, Ubuntu is just something to dick around with in my spare time. Anything serious I do in OS X, and I sometimes play games in Windows XP.

[tchorix]

I'm developper and I got tired of all the problems of installing libraries on MacOSX.... some of them where only available via fink, others with darwinports (now macports I believe) and I ended up with a lot of duplications and inconsistencies. I just like a lot more the Debian/Ubuntu package system.

Also, I hated iTunes, iPhoto and whatever iProgram making decissions for me and filling up my hard disk with music and images I will never listen or see anymore, just for the sake of backup....

I also hated the error messages of mac programs: "Oops, something went wrong, please try again"... but please, tell me what's wrong so I can figure it out and not just retry the same thing...

And I'm also a FLOSS supporter.... I have a Mac becuase I wanted to give it a try but I just gave up....

[msgyrd]

I just can't see the point of buying a Mac, if you intend to single boot Linux. I would rather buy a PC laptop that offered better compatibility.


This isn't always true. I have a 1st gen Macbook C2D and everything works fine, including hibernate/sleep. I had to manually install a webcam and wireless driver (which is usually the case for most wireless devices), and had to do some xorg tweaking to get the touchpad to feel "right", all of which was easily done by following the Ubuntu on Apple Intel guide. Beyond that though, everything else worked fine out of the box with 64-bit 7.10. At the time of my purchase, and with my needs of a computer taken into account, the Macbook was about $50 cheaper than a comparable Dell, and looks alot nicer too.

I still dual boot OS X and Linux. I'm a computer science major, and for every day tasks, the two are usually interchangable to me. I use the video chat and screen sharing of iChat with other OS X users quite a bit, and OSS hasn't yet been able to make that as easy as OS X / iChat does.

For programming though, linux is just much nicer to play with. Components that "just work" together when gotten through apt-get or .debs are often hour long struggles to make work on OS X since Apple abandoned the traditional *nix file system struture. I've also been a linux user for a long time now (going on a decade since I first tried Red Hat), and an Apple user for about 4 years. For me, I can usually solve my computer problems in linux faster than I can in OS X or Windows (largely thanks to linux communities and search engines). Being free and including most everything I need out fo the box is a nice bonus too. I can also get a fresh Ubuntu install up and going in 30 or 40 mintues, about half the time it would take to get OS X or XP installed.

Windows doesn't satisfy my needs at all; OS X does the job for me, and Ubuntu does it even better.

[russo.mic]

I don't like the idea of a single corporation controlling every aspect of my technological life. There making an I Car for christ sake.

before you know it it'll be iMacdonalds, iDisney, you'll eat an iSandwitch and drink an iBeer.

[GeneralSunTzu]

Let's see:

a. because I support Free/Open Source software;
b. because, while the current release of Ubuntu is still not up to scratch, probably GG will be OK on my MacBook Pro 2nd generation;
c. because I do things on it in my spare time;
d. because, unlike Mac OS X, it does not assume I am braindead;
e. because when I retire, in a few years, I will buy the best available portable I find, and run ONLY Ubuntu on it.

I have used Apple computers since 1986, BTW, but I have used also zillions of other hardware, for professional reasons.

[cyberdork33]

because I can.

[tchorix]

because I can.
hehehe... despite all the other good arguments we have given... I always like this kind of answers.

cheers
Tch

[mcoyle]

I've been running Linux on my Macs since 1997. I started because it looked like Apple was about to go 'belly-up' and I didn't want all my Apple hardware to get bricked.

I'm not a coder, but I can roll my own kernel and feel I'm very proficient in Linux, still... I'd never trade Mac OS X for Linux, especially on my laptops. The Open Source communities aversion to restricted drivers make it a never-ending battle to keep my system up to date, and it's the kind of thing that will keep Linux off my Grandma's computer. (Can your grandmother edit xorg for restricted drivers or build MadWiFi? :) ). I understand the community's reasons for open standards and support it whenever possible, but it's a the main reason Linux will remain my backup OS.

So why continue running Linux even though the Apple is healthy? Cause it keeps my brain sharp. An understanding of linux processes, terminal commands, partition structures, etc, make me a much better MacOS X user.

My MacOS X experience is better because I'm comfortable running nano in a terminal to tweak an application setting. If I have an external drive that won' t mount and even Disk Utility can't find it, I can usually fix it from the terminal with fsck. Because of Linux, I pwned Apache and run my own web servers on MacOS X, giving me more control than any ISP would allow.

So for me, Linux is like a video game. Every new feature I build and implement increases my High Score.

Build MadWiFi: 500 pts, Correctly configure Compiz: 1000 pts, Update Kernel: Kill the Boss and move to next level... :-)

Having fun,
Michael

[stair314]

I prefer Ubuntu for development too. It's just a lot easier to get libraries working and do real programming.
I certainly would never want to rely on Ubuntu for getting real work done on my MacBook though. It crashes half the time I close the case and doesn't recognize my wireless card. Maybe things are better on desktop Macs, I don't know. Ubuntu on my desktop PC works well enough I am dual-booting with anything.

[cyberdork33]

The Open Source communities aversion to restricted drivers make it a never-ending battle to keep my system up to date, and it's the kind of thing that will keep Linux off my Grandma's computer. (Can your grandmother edit xorg for restricted drivers or build MadWiFi? :) ). I understand the community's reasons for open standards and support it whenever possible, but it's a the main reason Linux will remain my backup OS.
It is not an aversion so much as an incompatibility. Oil and water can be stored in the same jar, but they still do not mix.

Of course this problem is solved quite easily by using hardware that have open drivers. Machines that are designed with linux in mind...

[Dubbayoo]

You can use pretty much any X11 app on Mac now right? I think Macs are nice looking but I'm not sure I see the point in buying one to run Ubuntu. Wouldn't it make more sense to just run Darwin than Ubuntu on it?

[bronkeydain]

Personally I think that for every day use there is no better system than OS X. Ubuntu is my playground though, and I love it...

[robzon]

Here are some of my reasons I bought a MacBook to run Ubuntu on it:

1. I'm a web developer (Ruby on Rails to be precise), I bought MacBook to have access to OS X and Safari just in case and for testing.
2. I love Apple's hardware - the look and feel and how well it's done, but I don't like the software
3. Development is just so much easier on Ubuntu...
4. Better of two evils (MS Tax vs. Apple Tax)
5. MacBook hardware is really well supported on Ubuntu after a bit of tweaking (including sleep, apple remote, isight, intel video card.. basically everything except wifi, which works just fine with ndiswrapper).
6. I really tried to like OS X, but failed after about 1.5 month of using it
7. I trust Free Software more than any proprietary closed-source vendor
8. gnome-vfs and now gvfs - I can seemlessly use totem/gedit/whatever over my LAN!
9. OS X tries to be totally idiot-proof - it tries to make an idiot of me too much when I know exactly what I want to do
10. Because Ubuntu is more customizable
11. Because Ubuntu is more secure (in some recent contest OS X got hacked within minutes, Windows within hours, Ubuntu didn't get hacked at all)
12. Trivial thing, but still: I heavily rely on alt+left drag and alt+middle drag in Gnome - I really get pissed when I can't do it on OS X
13. Chances are I'll want a different laptop in the future - most probably Ubuntu will work on it (almost) perfectly, OS X - probably not. So I won't feel the pain of switching OSes.
14. Ubuntu is more fun!
15. apt-get...
16. I love the idea of open standards and Free Software - I value my freedom.
17. I hate Apple's policy on stuff like DRM, lack of OGG support and general vendor lock-in policy
18. I find pidgin way better than iChat

and so on.... and on...

On the other hand there are some things that OS X really impresses me with, like:
1. Battery lifetime - on OS X I get 5-6 hours while on Ubuntu it's only 3.5h
2. Really fast waking up from sleep
3. Sleep+hibernate combined (try removing battery while MacBook is sleeping, put it back in and turn it on)
4. Dashboard!

Overall I find OS X nice to play with from time to time (or use for browsing when I want more battery life), but anything serious still gets to be done on Ubuntu.

[cyberdork33]

1. I'm a web developer (Ruby on Rails to be precise), I bought MacBook to have access to OS X and Safari just in case and for testing.
Just making convo... I was under the impression that a lot of RoR devs use OSX. Is that not true? Do you just break with tradition?
3. Development is just so much easier on Ubuntu... This is more of a personal preference I think. I would argue that VS is the best dev system out there... I have tried to learn to use Xcode, but it seems very confusing and complicated to me. I am not a "real" developer though.

9. OS X tries to be totally idiot-proof - it tries to make an idiot of me too much when I know exactly what I want to do I'll agree with that, but it is nice to have UNIX under the hood when it is needed.

18. I find pidgin way better than iChatThere is Adium... but it is true Pidgin >>> iChat

1. Battery lifetime - on OS X I get 5-6 hours while on Ubuntu it's only 3.5h
2. Really fast waking up from sleep
3. Sleep+hibernate combined (try removing battery while MacBook is sleeping, put it back in and turn it on)It is nice when you can completely customize an OS for a very specific set of hardware...

4. Dashboard!Just FYI... There was a guide to setup gdesklets with compiz in a manner that is almost exactly like the dashboard. http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=589403

[thenes]

I think that Ubuntu on the mac is far more limiting than OS X - due to annoying bugs / hardware incompatibilities.

I have found that Ubuntu works very well with Apple hardware. I have not had any major bugs do to incompatibilities on either my mac mini or my ibook (2004-2006 R.I.P.). On the contrary I have found more serious bugs in os x 10.5 than in Ubuntu 7.10. I think because there are always so many different types of mac around, it is easy for the Linux community to stay on top of what ever challenges Apple hardware will provide.

I use my mac in my Law studies and as our home computer. Writing, web and e-mail, photos, instant messaging is pretty much it, so it is pretty basic stuff. Maybe thats why I have not had any problems with Ubuntu on my macs.

[russo.mic]

I have found that Ubuntu works very well with Apple hardware. I have not had any major bugs do to incompatibilities on either my mac mini or my ibook (2004-2006 R.I.P.). On the contrary I have found more serious bugs in os x 10.5 than in Ubuntu 7.10. I think because there are always so many different types of mac around, it is easy for the Linux community to stay on top of what ever challenges Apple hardware will provide.

I use my mac in my Law studies and as our home computer. Writing, web and e-mail, photos, instant messaging is pretty much it, so it is pretty basic stuff. Maybe thats why I have not had any problems with Ubuntu on my macs.

just adding to the conversation:

I've also found that Ubuntu runs great on my MBP. The ONLY reason I find myself turning to OS X is when I'm out and about and need more battery life. My wireless works great under ndiswrapper, Compiz is great, I love amarok, I like programing in Linux, I can honestly say that on my MBP it's my main operating system.

There are some things to work on. I've got a bluetooth mouse, although i've gotten my touchpad pretty well setup it's still not as good as in OS X (although better than in Vista). The battery life issue, as it would be nice to get a bit more, my laptop def. runs hotter than it OS X (due to the same issue I'd guess).

You have to remember though, Apple has the luxury of designing software for exactly the hardware they choose, and nothing more. The linux community does a great job of keeping up!

Russo

[Aurora]

I don't run Ubuntu on my MacBook CD yet, but I'm thinking about it. I want to use Rosegarden, the Linux MIDI and audio production software. No Mac OS port on the horizon.

I am researching installing a triple-boot MacOS/MacOS/Ubuntu a multiboot. With the Boot Camp beta license expired, it's a little more complicated now, so I'm spending lots of time searching online. I want Ubuntu Studio Hardy on this thing really bad...hopefully before LinuxFest Northwest at the end of the month.

I actually started with Warty on an old iMac G3 first, then when I upgraded my desktop, I decided to stick with Ubuntu. I ended up getting the MacBook for some audio production coursework, but want to learn to do the same stuff on Linux.

Cheers,

Paul in Seattle
MacBook Core Duo
Tiger
AMD 64 desktop
Gutsy Gibbon

[cyberdork33]

I have triple booting OSX / OSX / Ubuntu in the past. there is really nothing to it. you can use disk utility with the install dvd to create 3 partitions. Install the OSX partitions, then boot the Ubuntu disc, start teh partition editor and select and delete the third partition. Then tell the ubuntu installer to use the largest free space.

[Aurora]

Hmmm, I've been reading a lot of stuff about EFI, GPT, MBR, GRUB.rEFIt, and how they all relate. Sounds like a long weekend project.

--Paul

[Afkpuz]

Yeah, I guess I don't understand. Has anyone actually bought a mac with the sole purpose of installing ubuntu on it? Like an earlier post said, I think it would be easier and cheaper to just build your own rig. Am I right and assuming that installing linux is an after thought with macs, other than the "I want to stick it to the man" kinda people?

[Jaymo]

I use Mac OS X when I am at university due to superior battery life, but I prefer Linux when I want speed, customisation and functionality. At Uni I use it to check email, write documents, record lectures and some programming (perl, sql).
I use all Windows, Mac and Linux on a daily basis; I think Mac OS X is a better OS overall than Windows (xterm, unix fork, logical user interface, spotlight, automator/scripting including bash, csh and perl).

Things that drive me nuts about Mac OS X are mainly to do with the window manager; I can't pin up windows and I have to resize windows from the bottom right corner. Finder doesn't allow me to type in paths either, but the Path Bar included in leopard has addressed this to a small degree (at least I can see where I am now!)

[jdemesse]

JDK 1.6.

Yes, I know about OpenJDK but that doesn't cut it for me. Java OpenGL development has much improved in JDK 1.6. In addition, the Core Audio Java bridge on OS X is so broken it's not even funny anymore.

[BIGtrouble77]

Just making convo... I was under the impression that a lot of RoR devs use OSX. Is that not true? Do you just break with tradition?.

I've been developing in Ruby on Rails at work for about a year now. I have no good ideas why linux isn't more popular for RoR development... I guess most hardcore RoR developers are stuck on using textmate for some reason. I personally use GEdit with a bunch of plugins. Windows, on the other hand, is a nightmare to do RoR development after being so used to a true unix command line.

One thing I've noticed is that many Java developers are not very technically inclined. They can do their job well, but setting up something like Ubuntu may be too much effort. I guess OSX is an easier upgrade path than Linux for them to get into RoR development.

[cyberdork33]

Yeah, I guess I don't understand. Has anyone actually bought a mac with the sole purpose of installing ubuntu on it? Like an earlier post said, I think it would be easier and cheaper to just build your own rig. Am I right and assuming that installing linux is an after thought with macs, other than the "I want to stick it to the man" kinda people?yes. If you plan to just wipe out OSX, then you don't have to do anything special just install like you would on a PC.

OSX is required for firmware updates though that is the only problem.

[freakalad]

I want to install Ubuntu on my MacBook Pro (after upgrading to the max 4GB), and maybe running OS/X within VMWare (will recover my apps & settings via TimeMachine).
I've hit a glass wall/ceiling with my Mac OS, and need to get more hardcore hands-on access to my networking & security. There are too many hack-around's & compromises I have to make to get stuff to gel under OS/X. It's a GREAT system for simpler users

Couple of concerns:
* Will the touchpad support the multi-touch function
* Will I have same/similar functionality with my mighty-mouse; will be a GREAT peripheral in a 3D environment
* Will the Sudden-Motion-Sensor work. Keyboard back-light
* All the extra's OK? FW800, mini-PCI slot, IR remote, webcam. iPod
* Multi desktops should be stable...
* Dashboard & front row features?
* eject button? fans & heating management. power management

I have no interest in doing a dual boot, so I probably won't need bootcamp & rEFIt (?)
This is my 'baby', my production machine, so I cannot afford downtime longer than a weekend, with configuration & personalisation.
Ideally, I'd like a DVD ISO tailored to the Mac, ready to go. Has anyone done this, or have a very good how-to? I know there is lotsa info online, but I need a single reference

Please advise...:guitar:

[cyberdork33]

* Will the touchpad support the multi-touch function
not yet: http://tannewt.org/touch/
* Will I have same/similar functionality with my mighty-mouse; will be a GREAT peripheral in a 3D environment if you are asking if all the buttons and wheel axis will work, yes, but will require customization
* Will the Sudden-Motion-Sensor work. Keyboard back-lightSort of... I think the hardware is technically usable, but I don't think there is any software that actually utilizes it.
* All the extra's OK? FW800, mini-PCI slot, IR remote, webcam. iPod you lumped a lot in here... you can get it all to work yes, but some things (like the isight) require a little work.
* Multi desktops should be stable...um... yea been on Linux much longer than OSX. This iis just software.
* Dashboard & front row features?again just software. There is nothing like front row that I know of, but there is some media pc type software that might work similarly. You can get dashboard like functions with gdesklets and compiz.
* eject button? fans & heating management. power managementthere have been some issues with some of the keybards recently. Tends to run hotter and shorter batt life.

I have no interest in doing a dual boot, so I probably won't need bootcamp & rEFIt (?)nope

This is my 'baby', my production machine, so I cannot afford downtime longer than a weekend, with configuration & personalisation. Unfortunately, I would estimate that you may have to tinker longer than that. You could do it in a weekend though if you had to.
Ideally, I'd like a DVD ISO tailored to the Mac, ready to go. Has anyone done this, or have a very good how-to? I know there is lotsa info online, but I need a single reference no tailored dvd.
The wiki guide should work for you except your wifi which requires ndiswrapper and the xp driver from the leopard restore dvd.
https://wiki.ubuntu.com/MacBookPro/SantaRosa

[thenes]

OSX is required for firmware updates though that is the only problem.

This question has been on my mind lately. I am dual booting with os x partly because I have read that it can be useful regarding firmware updates. How important are these firmware updates, though? Are they so important that Ubuntu users should keep on dual booting, even though they do not use os x?

[russo.mic]

There are firmware updates being done all the time to the wireless systems, DVD burner, and mostly power managment. I would suggest you keep an OS X running to receive the updates. Plus, I personaly don't use isight that much, but once in a while i'll end up in a situation where I have to do a video conference call for work. This doesn't happen enough to induce me to tinker with isight in ubuntu, however it's nice to jump to OS X to do that in a flash.

It's just another tool for the ole' toolbox.

Russo

[cyberdork33]

you could install OSX to an external drive and only hook it up when you want to do upgrades as well... No need to keep it on the main hard drive.

[robzon]

Just making convo... I was under the impression that a lot of RoR devs use OSX. Is that not true? Do you just break with tradition?

Yes, OS X is very popular among RoR developers, but so is Linux. At my company all developers tried OS X but all switched back to Ubuntu after a few weeks. Both systems are good for RoR, it all comes down to what you're used to and what you like I guess.

By the way, it's way easier to set up rails environment on Ubuntu. Just one apt-get line gets you running with all the additional stuff (subversion, mysql, git, whatever), whereas on OS X it's sometimes pain in the *** to get running.

[xeth_delta]

I think that Ubuntu on the mac is far more limiting than OS X - due to annoying bugs / hardware incompatibilities.


I beg to differ, My second generation MacBook is working great, even the isight camera and remote are functioning properly! I do have from time to time a slight problem with suspend, but I seem to have isolated it to the Madwifi driver. Something that with a new revision will most likely be solved.

Now to the topic. I use Ubuntu on my Mac simply because my favourite operating system by far is Linux and because I like the Macbook itself.
I also wanted to give OSX a try (which I did, even though nowadays I rarely boot it). Of course, this is a matter of preference and each user is free to use whatever she/he finds better.

[josh_dye]

My first experience with linux was with a distra called PeanutLinux, I intalled it from an ISO image named "small.iso"; I installed it in Connectix VPC. Since then, I have trie: Yellowdog PPC &x86, Fedora, OpenSUSE x86, Mandrake PPC, Mandriva x64,. Gnnoppix x86, Knoppix x86, Lycoris x86, Lindows x86, VidaLinux PPC & x86, GoboLinux x86, Debain PPC & more failed installs of Gentoo PPC than I can count. So, I then tried Ubutnu; it was a quick install, hardware detection seemed to wwork good! So, I still use the MacOS for most things, but I don't cre for the inabillity to customize. I am also getting fed up with the configuration that you have to do to get some *nix software to compile. I use kubuntu for thest occasions. MacOS will alway be my main OS, but kubuntu will always have a place in my heart and my HD :)

[upforthedownstroke]

I don't like the idea of a single corporation controlling every aspect of my technological life. There making an I Car for christ sake.

before you know it it'll be iMacdonalds, iDisney, you'll eat an iSandwitch and drink an iBeer.

Ha. I was getting on the BART the other day and there was an advertisement for iFood in the station. I died a little bit on the inside.

[Blingin2Mingin]

Itunes is just a bloated store front, and I prefer the best music player on any platform Amarok. On it's own this one app makes it worthwile for me to run Linux.

[Aurora]

Yeah, I guess I don't understand. Has anyone actually bought a mac with the sole purpose of installing ubuntu on it? Like an earlier post said, I think it would be easier and cheaper to just build your own rig. Am I right and assuming that installing linux is an after thought with macs, other than the "I want to stick it to the man" kinda people?

I first used Linux on a Mac because it was old and I couldn't afford to upgrade. Ubuntu allowed me at least to use the then-current Firefox. It will get overall better performance on a G3 iMac than OS 9.

Later I enrolled in an audio production course that was Mac-intense. Students were required to have a Mac formatted Firewire drive. I decided I wanted to do some of my work at home. My options were: get a Mac, or replace my processor and motherboard (Pro Tools didn't run on AMD 64) and run Windows. I got the Mac. So, yes, it is an afterthought for me.

[mrsteveman1]

On the topic of firmware, i know a lot of people keep OS X installed in the off chance that firmware upgrades may come along, but has anyone ever tried using the firmware restoration CD to upgrade the firmware?

They usually release a new firmware restore CD every time EFI is updated, and though they claim the cd can't be used unless the firmware update fails, i can't see much reason why this would be the case.

Has anyone ever tried UPGRADING their firmware with this cd?

[Monsoonx27]

Because OSX is so slow and doesnt allow you to edit enough configuration options, its protecting it self.

Its my computer I want the control.

[eitan]

the macbook pro i think is a great hardware choice.
the keyboard is nice and easy on the fingers.
the screen is nice an bright. plus it can go up to 1440x900
which is important to me. and they keep up with the
latest hardware.

for me there are contexts in which i prefer linux and vice
versa. if you have to play quicktime movies, or create screencasts,
it's simpler on macosx.

/ eitan

[mrsteveman1]

Because OSX is so slow and doesnt allow you to edit enough configuration options, its protecting it self.

Its my computer I want the control.

Once you figure out where things are and how the system works, it isn't that restricting. It certainly isn't "protecting itself", that's going a bit far. It's just not identical to Linux in how it maintains system config data, EG they aren't in /etc, and hence most people don't know how to hack around in OS X.

[Plazmic]

1. ELF Toolchain (binutils)
2. I'm addicted to compiz
3. deb packaging

I suppose I could satisfy my needs with the majority of other Linux distrobutions, but I tend to own bleeding edge hardware, and Ubuntu typically requires minimal configuration after installation.

[PartisanEntity]

Hey everyone, sorry if I butt in here, but I saw the link posted earlier in this thread about installing Gutsy on a MacBook Pro. Does anyone have a similar tutorial for installing Gutsy on one of the latest MacBooks?

[guj4_n3b3sk4]

I originaly have OS X 10.4. Tiger on my Macbook. I find it very interesting, and I am exploring that Unix based OS.

I have installed Ubuntu on Macbook, because I am student of Programming, and I need lots of stuff that Linux provides, and beside that, we are using Ubuntu in college. So, probobly that's the main reason why do I use Ubuntu on my Macbook.

I also find Ubuntu really nice and friendly OS since I've bothered with Gentoo lots of time.

[oskarloko]

Reasons:

1) I wan to use my macbook as a home server, to download with mldonkey and install a cms.

2) I like Ubuntu a lot, its sexy; so it is a Macbook. A great combination, despite little hardware annoyances.

3) My next computer will be a Linux-by-default one. Maybe an AsusEee; maybe a little home server ( as an iMac )

I've the pleasure to install the beta of Hardy on my MacBook, it works ( except wireless :( ) very good, quick and resposive. I'm in love with this bird.

[cellstije]

i got a mbp 3.1 and have been using osx as main os since i got it - I have few linux boxes also, but dell pcs.
I have been using linux for the last 8/9 years, so it took me a while to get used to this system.

I have to admit that osx is a nice os, especially been unix oriented. (ssh, gcc, etc). Moreover it is tailored for the hardware it runs on, so i get suspend/resume, screen/volume controls, good battery life,...

However i agree that it gives you far less options and freedom compared to linux especially for development... and requires a lot of clicking to interact.

The big thing that makes me NOT install linux is the support of the nvidia graphic chipset.
The lack of it is the reason behind most of the common bugs found when installing linux (missing proper and reliable suspend/resume, battery life drained fast 'cause lack of proper handling of power management)

My plan is to stick with osx probably till the end of this year, waiting for the nouveau project (opensource driver for nvidia hardware) to get in decent shape. Many changes are planned/happening in the xorg stack and i am looking forward to see them on this nice piece of hardware
No, I am definitely not installing the nvidia blob (bad experience with a sony vaio with gf6200TC): unstable and not following the xorg development agenda.

The app that i gonna miss when i move (no dual boot i think) to linux?
Garageband: intuitive and extremely funny to play with (get an usb/midi keyboard and start jammin'!)

my 2c

c.

[xeth_delta]

Hey everyone, sorry if I butt in here, but I saw the link posted earlier in this thread about installing Gutsy on a MacBook Pro. Does anyone have a similar tutorial for installing Gutsy on one of the latest MacBooks?

Do you mean the Santa Rosa Macbooks? I think you might find the following link useful: https://help.ubuntu.com/community/MacBook_Santa_Rosa

[ryjo]

I am used to Ubuntu, and I did not see a reason to learn how to handle with a new OS. ;)

I have used only linux on a PC for the last 5 years, and ubuntu became my primary. But when my employer offered a hardware upgrade, the mac desktop pro offered the best hardware for the cost. I have tried out osx for a couple of months, and I miss ubuntu. I am considering keeping osx on the machine but running ubuntu under vmware or parallels. Any experience/advice on how successful this might be, or which is better? Thanks!

[cyberdork33]

I have used only linux on a PC for the last 5 years, and ubuntu became my primary. But when my employer offered a hardware upgrade, the mac desktop pro offered the best hardware for the cost. I have tried out osx for a couple of months, and I miss ubuntu. I am considering keeping osx on the machine but running ubuntu under vmware or parallels. Any experience/advice on how successful this might be, or which is better? Thanks!
i prefer vmware... you can also try virtualbox

Note that no 3d acceleration is available in Linux on a VM.

[PartisanEntity]

Do you mean the Santa Rosa Macbooks? I think you might find the following link useful: https://help.ubuntu.com/community/MacBook_Santa_Rosa

Thanks for the info, but I am not quite sure what MacBook I have. It is 1 week old if that helps :)

[cyberdork33]

Thanks for the info, but I am not quite sure what MacBook I have. It is 1 week old if that helps :)
that's what you want.

[ruru]

I use mac at work and have recently upgraded the old G4 laptop to a Macbook. I use Ubuntu at home for more involved work (bioinformatics where I need the 64-bit support in R and Java that Leopard still doesn't provide). I need to work with both systems, but prefer Ubuntu, so I decided to dual-boot the Macbook (have tried dual-booting my quad-core G5 but was more trouble than it was worth - my Xubuntu desktop is much quicker for a fraction of the cost). ((As an aside, Bootcamp is not required - it didn't work for me, nor did partitioning the drive from the OSX install DVD. I ended up using gparted from the Ubuntu Live CD.))
OSX is still a nice OS, and the Apple laptops just work so nicely out-of-the-box, but I must say that Ubuntu on a Macbook makes for a really slick laptop - even if the 3rd-gen M.books have some serious linux driver issues (still am not quite there with wifi and sound).
In this case it was an afterthought as the hardware was bought by my work, but because the Macbook seems to be the smartest laptop on the market at the moment, I'm glad I have got Ubuntu running on it (and I only need to lug around one machine!)

[hajk]

I've been using GNU/Linux from the early nineties, having come straight from OS/2 and (before that) PC-DOS. I couldn't do without, having migrated to both Debian (mixed testing/unstable) and Ubuntu.

Went all the way on my old 2006 CD MacBook: wiped OS X and installed Ubuntu, despite some early hardware incompatibilities. On my brand-new MBP (4,1), decked out with 4GB RAM, I've decided to go another route for now: running 64-bit Ubuntu and Debian alternately in VMware Fusion, the both of them sharing a separate virtual HD with personal files and ThunderBird/Lightning mail/calendar stuff. I'm well-pleased with the performance of both, although Xorg could be a bit smoother.

I may not dual- or triple boot, even if/when the current MBP hardware snags have been resolved. Besides, I also have an Apple TV for multimedia fun, and it needs iTunes to work properly, for which Mac OS X comes in handy. Even in Mac OS X I use some trusted FOSS applications like FireFox, VLC and Audacity.

[freakalad]

I've been using GNU/Linux from the early nineties, having come straight from OS/2 and (before that) PC-DOS. I couldn't do without, having migrated to both Debian (mixed testing/unstable) and Ubuntu.

Went all the way on my old 2006 CD MacBook: wiped OS X and installed Ubuntu, despite some early hardware incompatibilities. On my brand-new MBP (4,1), decked out with 4GB RAM, I've decided to go another route for now: running 64-bit Ubuntu and Debian alternately in VMware Fusion, the both of them sharing a separate virtual HD with personal files and ThunderBird/Lightning mail/calendar stuff. I'm well-pleased with the performance of both, although Xorg could be a bit smoother.

I may not dual- or triple boot, even if/when the current MBP hardware snags have been resolved. Besides, I also have an Apple TV for multimedia fun, and it needs iTunes to work properly, for which Mac OS X comes in handy. Even in Mac OS X I use some trusted FOSS applications like FireFox, VLC and Audacity.

hajk,

This is an interesting scenario... So you're booting onto OS/X & running Ubuntu inside VMWare fusion?
Is this correct? Or are you doing it the other way around? (Booting into Ubuntu & running OS/X in VM).
How are you getting around the OS/X's 3GB RAM limit?
I'm considering setting up a dual-boot OS/X & Ubuntu, booting into Ubuntu & running OS/X via VM (in 'RAW' mode).
Could you please give me some pointers...I'm fairly nervous to scratch my MBP

- J

[hajk]

hajk,

This is an interesting scenario... So you're booting onto OS/X & running Ubuntu inside VMWare fusion?
Is this correct? Or are you doing it the other way around? (Booting into Ubuntu & running OS/X in VM).VMware Fusion runs under Mac OS X, so I'm running Ubuntu inside a virtual machine. In fact, I've installed Hardy and Debian testing side-by-side in identical VMs. See my recent post on the Hardy forum for some pointers on making it work.
How are you getting around the OS/X's 3GB RAM limit?What limit? My MBP has 4GB RAM, of which I assign some portion (1.5GB, say) to the VM.
I'm considering setting up a dual-boot OS/X & Ubuntu, booting into Ubuntu & running OS/X via VM (in 'RAW' mode).I don't know anything about that, a different product (VMware Work Station?).
Could you please give me some pointers...I'm fairly nervous to scratch my MBP

- JDoing it via VMware Fusion has the advantage of not having to deal with the hardware problems of the newest MBP. All is not hunky-dory, however, as Hardy installer (at least in the RC) doesn't play all that nice with VMware, see my post on the Hardy forum.

[Jackster]

How are you getting around the OS/X's 3GB RAM limit?
- J

Not sure about this but I think the 3GB RAM limit was a design problem with pre-Santa Rosa Macbooks? I think the Santa Rosa Macbooks should recognise 4GB.

[mrsteveman1]

Most processors released in the last few years support PAE which removes the 32bit limit on memory, but the OS doesn't always support more than 4gb, XP restricts things to 3gb because the rest is used for drivers and the kernel, os x did the same thing until leopard. In either case most processes are limited to a 32bit address space.

The santa rosa thing was a chipset limitation as far as i know, unless the original core duo chip physically can't support more than 4gb of ram. Duno bout that one.

[blurg]

Would I be correct in saying that a Core Duo is a 32bit CPU, hence ~3GB limit, while the Core2 Duo is 64bit, thus no limit (for a long time anyway)?

[mrsteveman1]

yea core duo is 32bit, but most processors for the last few years support PAE mode, which addresses memory as a 48bit address space.

[freakalad]

It's been a while, but I think the problem was to do with on Santa Rosa HW. Although it is a duo-core 64-bit processor (please correct me if I'm wrong), & the hardware can physically handle 4GB of RAM, the OS could only deal with 3Gig.
I might be mistaken, or they fixed the bug.

One of the reasons I intended on running Ubuntu as my primary OS was the better hand-on access to my HW, that OS/X is fairly limited in providing, although, as stated, you need the OS/X to do firmware upgrades.
I reckoned, if Ubuntu gives me better control, I could hand some of that control to OS/X inside my VM

[Charlesqc]

I moved from Mac to PC & Linux world since 98'... mainly for $ raison.

After a few comeback to Mac with a few Hackitosh install, I've recently bough a Macbook. I love OSX. This is by far the best laptop I ever had. The design is slick and nice! The OS is well designed and solid (apart for being somewhat "evil").

So, as a linux-user that love mac, first thing i did was to install linux on my laptop. I've managed to get my ArchLinux working well with my MacBook. I also found that OSX is a nice host for VMware.

So, i found myself using OSX most of the time.. With Windows and Linux virtual machine running like a charm (if you can afford a mac, you can afford 4gig of ram.. give me a break!!).

As a developer, I want my software to be multi-platform.

I code most of the time under OSX but i prefer linux over sometime. As an exemple, if i develop web-apps or POS system that is going to be deployed under Linux, i prefer to develop it under linux directly.

[icrywolf]

I feel that I shouldn't be tied to any software on my computer. While Apple offers great hardware, their expensive upgrade costs and limitations on the end-user caused me to choose Ubuntu. Simply, the freedom. Sure, some of the software on the Mac is "better," but Ubuntu has many advantages of Mac OS X and is gaining momentum in its battle against corporate software.

Umm don't you mean the other way round??? Apple Hardware is substandard the reason why it works so well is that the OS was designed to run with that hardware, I mean you might have a got a pc for the same price with a lot better specs

although I must admit it may be easier for mac users to get ubutnu up and running considering there hardware is not mix'n match

[mrsteveman1]

To some extent Apple hardware may be more expensive, but the hardware cost subsidizes the cost of the rest of the system and the future support required by those users, like system updates, security patches, and of course the cost of developing the OS itself in the first place.

I think Apple probably eats some of the cost, but they do custom design the hardware even the logic board itself, which may be why they can compete with other similar hardware.

You can built a white box with parts but you likely can't buy a finished OEM system from another manufacturer at the same specs for less. Systems with celeron processors are the exception because Apple doesn't use celerons or single core procs anymore.

In some cases the hardware IS more expensive, like the Mini uses laptop parts, which are more expensive but smaller, which was a design goal.

[david_lynch]

Disclaimer: I'm just now looking at installing ubuntu on the mac. I've had my macbook pro since late 2006, and have been fairly happy with it. I need it for things like tax cut and kjamz, which don't exist yet for linux.

Still, after many months of use, I have to say I miss linux when I'm on that machine. Don't get me wrong, I like OSX, and appreciate that it's unixy underneath, but it's just not linux.

Aside from the two programs I mentioned, the rest of my mac use (road warrior wireless, bedtime web surfing/emails/chat etc) is all stuff that I could be doing in linux, and having more fun. I like the mac hardware, but I'd rather be using linux on that hardware.

Since all indications are that hardy heron ought to work just fine with my macbook pro, why not set up a dual boot system? I think it's time.

[JGJones]

Apple say "Think Different"

So I did and I installed Ubuntu on a Macbook :D

(my reason is that I simply do not like OSX. Yes it's a great OS, I have no complaints there - just that the "feel" of it is just plain wrong for me. I prefer Ubuntu. My wife have a Macbook Pro. She is happy enough with OSX, but in some way she prefer Ubuntu, in some way she prefer OSX, there's no clear-cut winner really but she is a photographer and use Photoshop so...it's OSX for her)