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Install Ubuntu on MacBook Air

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christof

macrumors 6502
Original poster
May 8, 2002
316
16
Earth
I've always been a Mac user since System 6. Those were the days when we got to install system upgrades on multiple diskettes--DISKETTES! I've always wondered about Ubuntu and decided to partition 8GB of my HHD for Ubuntu and a BootCamp setup.

I wonder if anyone has tried installing Ubuntu 7.10 (Gutsy Gibbon) on their MacBook Air. I saw directions at https://help.ubuntu.com/community/MacBook, but I wonder if anyone has found any special procedures that should be followed for a perfect Ubuntu/MacBook Air setup.

Anyone? Has anyone read or seen anything?
 
DoFoT9

DoFoT9

macrumors P6
Jun 11, 2007
17,586
100
London, United Kingdom
Benjamindaines said:
I don't know if Ubuntu supports the Airport Extreme card, I know it didn't about a year ago but haven't heard anything. Obviously if you can't use your airport card it's kind of pointless.
Click to expand...

r u forgetting ethernet lol?

cohibadad said:
I had Ubuntu on Parallels but never did a dual boot on a Mac.
Click to expand...

hhmm i could never get ubuntu to work even on parallels.. wierd thing
 
slooksterPSV

slooksterPSV

macrumors 68040
Apr 17, 2004
3,544
306
Nowheresville
You can use fwcutter to extract the broadcom drivers from the Airport driver of OS X, then using those drivers, just probe the module for the Airport driver that was extracted. After that you have to manually configure the wireless via command line - see the Ubuntu Forums on how to do this as this process is a few steps and requires a little bit of effort. But hey it works!
 
C

christof

macrumors 6502
Original poster
May 8, 2002
316
16
Earth
I agree. As I started my post, I've been a Mac OS user since the System 6 days. I just want to futz around with Ubuntu. Has anyone seen any comprehensive guides that address any driver/hardware differences MacBook Air may have with an Ubuntu install, compared to MBP and MB?

I'm not a Linux geek, but can type whatever needs to be done in the command line... Any other direction people have?
 
W

Waynie

macrumors newbie
Jan 22, 2008
6
0
DoFoT9 said:
hhmm i could never get ubuntu to work even on parallels.. wierd thing
Click to expand...
I don't know much about dual booting Ubuntu, but Parallels' web site provides disk images for a pre-configured 7.05 install.

I initially tried to create a VM in parallels using a ubuntu installation disk. No dice. It would just hang every time, sometimes during install, sometimes after.

When I started a VM in Parallels using the images downloaded from their web site, it just worked. (i.e. BOOM). Ubuntu then updated itself to 7.10 without issue, and it's been perfectly fine since.
 
DoFoT9

DoFoT9

macrumors P6
Jun 11, 2007
17,586
100
London, United Kingdom
Waynie said:
I don't know much about dual booting Ubuntu, but Parallels' web site provides disk images for a pre-configured 7.05 install.

I initially tried to create a VM in parallels using a ubuntu installation disk. No dice. It would just hang every time, sometimes during install, sometimes after.

When I started a VM in Parallels using the images downloaded from their web site, it just worked. (i.e. BOOM). Ubuntu then updated itself to 7.10 without issue, and it's been perfectly fine since.
Click to expand...

oh wow thats for the tip. i shall be donwloading that disk image at the end of the month (if i have enuf to DL). :)
 
A

antmo

macrumors member
Feb 20, 2008
69
0
ubuntuforums.org has a dedicated apple intel forum: http://ubuntuforums.org/forumdisplay.php?f=211

as for the intel draft n card, if it is the same one as is in the sr macbook, then it works quite well natively (aka not having to use ndiswrapper with the windows driver, as mentioned above) i had ubuntu 7.10 working flawlessly on my macbook a few months ago (i've since sold it and bought an air...for which i don't plan on putting linux right now)

almost everything that is known about getting ubuntu working with apple intel-based machines you'll find in those forums (or at least a link to external sources with additional info)

there's probably not a whole lot of air-specific posts, but if you look at the sr macbook threads, most of it should apply. beware that the onboard graphics (intel x3100) is very immature in linux (xorg window system) right now...but they're furiously addressing the issues and should probably be much better in the upcoming releases...

mjb
 
C

ChrisA

macrumors G5
Jan 5, 2006
12,907
2,150
Redondo Beach, California
christof said:
I've always wondered about Ubuntu and decided to partition 8GB of my HHD for Ubuntu and a BootCamp setup.
Click to expand...

Dual boot is not as usfull as you'd think. You have to re-boot to switch OSes and that is such a hassel that you just won't do it. Some Windows users, gamers specifically, need to re-boot so that the games can run better but with Linux, it runs very well and fast inside VMware Fusion. It runs almost at native speed but there is zero delay while you re-boot.

Another advantage of VMware is that there is no hardware compatabilty issue. Linux can run using a virtual network interface and you don't have driver problems

One more thing.. A VMware image is "portable" you can install VMware on Windows or on Linux and run a VMware image you made on the Mac on your Windows or Linux system just by copying the VM image file.

To run VMware with a linux system inside you will need about 2GB of RAM.

What you will find is that Umbuntu is very much like Mac OS X. Linux and Mac OS can run a lot of the same software. In fact I'd say that anything that runs under Linux will also run on your Mac. But of course the Mac can run that nice suite of software from Adobe and Apple that Linux can't. I have Umbuntu on my iMac but I find little reason to use it because I can just run any of those Linux/unix apps on Mac OS X. I do use the Linux system for software development at work. I write for both Linux and Solars there.
 
mkrishnan

mkrishnan

Moderator emeritus
Jan 9, 2004
29,776
15
Grand Rapids, MI, USA
HLdan's post and follow-ups to it have been forked to this new thread. Thanks! :)

(posted from Ubuntu, but let's not go there. ;) )

EDIT: I'll throw in another nod for the benefit of Parallels or VMWare or the like -- until you decide that you're using Ubuntu much more than OS X, you probably won't do much in it that really benefits from running it on the full hardware as opposed to virtualized. Also lots of people decide after their first install that they wanted to do something differently in terms of partitioning or whatever anyway, so it'll be a good experience to learn it first and then repartition if you wish later). :)
 
C

ChrisA

macrumors G5
Jan 5, 2006
12,907
2,150
Redondo Beach, California
Waynie said:
I initially tried to create a VM in parallels
Click to expand...

If you have any interest in Linux I'd recommend VMware's Fusion over Parallels. The reason is that VMware has a product that runs on a linux host whereas Parallels is Mac only. Some day you may have a real Linux computer and you would like the use the same VM system on both Linux and Max OS. Paralels I guess is OK if you live in a closed mac-only world

I won't say which is technically better but in terms of the breath and depth of the product line VMware comes out ahead. They have dozens of products and a huge library of pre-build VM images. You can get most of the Linux distros pre-built as well as Solaris and other UNIXES. Paralles lacks VMware's "ecosystem"
 
N

n00binator

macrumors newbie
Aug 23, 2008
8
0
MacRumorUser said:
I think parallels tools for linux breaks installations of 7.10 Ubuntu (just a warning :) )
Click to expand...

I have successfully installed ubuntu to my macbook air with the superdrive and refit. There is a complete guide in the ubuntu forums. Just google "macbook air ubuntu" everything works, even multitouch and the ethernet adaptor if u have one.
 
elppa

elppa

macrumors 68040
Nov 26, 2003
3,233
151
ChrisA said:
What you will find is that Umbuntu is very much like Mac OS X. Linux and Mac OS can run a lot of the same software. In fact I'd say that anything that runs under Linux will also run on your Mac. But of course the Mac can run that nice suite of software from Adobe and Apple that Linux can't. I have Umbuntu on my iMac but I find little reason to use it because I can just run any of those Linux/unix apps on Mac OS X.
Click to expand...

I'd agree, it's fun for playing around with, but if you already have OS X there are no real advantages to running a Linux distro.

The GNOME environment has some way to go to match the usability of the Macintosh as well.
 
K

kntgsp

macrumors 6502a
Jul 27, 2004
781
0
Why bother with Gutsy? Hardy Heron (8.04) has been out for a while now and is working on the Macbook Airs.
 
T

thomasmallen

macrumors newbie
Feb 11, 2007
16
0
Ubuntu 8.04 on Parallels is trivial. Download the ISO, create a new OS in Parallels (Custom > Ubuntu), allocate memory as normal, etc. I prefer bridged networking, it's easiest. Load the ISO, and you're good to go.

This is in response to replies about running Ubuntu over Parallels. I think that putting Linux directly on the MBA is good thinking, because you could make that machine blinding fast using something like Zenwalk or another Xfce-desktop OS. Ubuntu on Parallels on the Air sounds like trouble, and I bet the combo would be slow as hell.
 
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