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caffeeneaddict

macrumors regular
Original poster
Feb 23, 2007
109
0
my title kinda explains my question but is linux possible on a macbook? (1.83 GHz, 512 RAM, C2D) Like with Boot Camp or is that for windows only?
 
Of course you can.
You'd use the Ubuntu x86 version - the one allegedly for "PCs". The C2D is a x86 processor. (Just warning you: the PPC version says Mac, but you dont want that).
Instead of using boot camp, you'd use 'yaboot' - in my opinion a much better bootloader (even though it may be less graphically appealing, hahaha).
Yaboot will be set up automatically for you when you install Ubuntu.
If you even wanted to, I suppose you could set up a triple-boot system with OSX, Linux and Windows. Very cool. :)
 
If you even wanted to, I suppose you could set up a triple-boot system with OSX, Linux and Windows. Very cool. :)

Not to derail the thread, but is it possible to have a triple boot without any hacks or anything using bootcamp?

PS. Can you have more then one operating system in Parrallels? so like XP, OSX, Linux all running simultaneously
 
Not to derail the thread, but is it possible to have a triple boot without any hacks or anything using bootcamp?

PS. Can you have more then one operating system in Parrallels? so like XP, OSX, Linux all running simultaneously

sure you can! just make sure you have enough ram to run more than one Virtual Machine in Parallels at the same time...
 
sure you can! just make sure you have enough ram to run more than one Virtual Machine in Parallels at the same time...

I don't have my Macbook yet but it should be here in a couple of days. I ordered it with 2gb of RAM so would that be enough? Could I have XP, OSX Linux in bootcamp and parrallels with only one install/copy of each Operating System to save hard disk space? My macbook will have the 120gb HDD. Thanks!
 
Several questions: I'm actually sort of interested in this as well. I want to install SuSE on my MacBook, and I don't know much about Linux. I'm learning, though. :eek: Do I still use yaboot despite not installing Ubuntu, or do I use Yaboot for ever Linux distribution?

Also, do I need to reformat my drive before installing SuSE on my harddisk, or will a Linux partition automatically be created on my HDD?
 
I don't have my Macbook yet but it should be here in a couple of days. I ordered it with 2gb of RAM so would that be enough? Could I have XP, OSX Linux in bootcamp and parrallels with only one install/copy of each Operating System to save hard disk space? My macbook will have the 120gb HDD. Thanks!

You will be able to do this with the xp partition just fine. Just tell parallels to use the bootcamp partition as the hard drive. Parallels will unmount xp on the mac side and you'll see the windows drive icon disappear from the desktop. It will reappear when you stop parallels. I use this configuration extensively on my MacBook Pro. I use OS X and XP side by side for everything except demanding 3D games. I reboot directly into Windows for those.

Linux on the other hand seems to require a lot more to get it to work under parallels if you installed it in its own partition. If you are up for it check these threads out. I just glanced over them quickly since they're lengthy and am not sure if they got it working.

http://forum.parallels.com/showthread.php?t=9430
http://forum.parallels.com/showthread.php?p=46630

I'd also check out some of the other threads on parallels' forum. If you're not going to run hardcore 3D on linux then save yourself the trouble and install it to a virtual hard drive file instead. You can even make the file dynamic so parallels will automatically enlarge it as more space is needed. The only downside to this is that you won't be able to use linux, obviously, without booting OS X.
 
Ubuntu is neat.. Installed it on one of my windows machines.. Trying to get rid of windows as quickly as possible.. heh.
 
Ubuntu is neat.. Installed it on one of my windows machines.. Trying to get rid of windows as quickly as possible.. heh.

When i gave it a test drive I didn't boot into Windows for 3 months straight. I was able to do EVERYTHING i needed from Ubuntu with those free apps. From work to play and for anything else Wine worked out quite nicely. I still miss the software repositories that it offered. It made getting codecs, programs a snap especially for a linux newbies like me. You probably know how awkward it felt to boot windows/osx and actually have to browse websites for apps. How primitive feeling..
 
I do not think any Intel Mac would use yaboot, as yaboot is a linux bootloader for Open Firmware/PowerPC machines.
 
I don't have my Macbook yet but it should be here in a couple of days. I ordered it with 2gb of RAM so would that be enough? Could I have XP, OSX Linux in bootcamp and parrallels with only one install/copy of each Operating System to save hard disk space? My macbook will have the 120gb HDD. Thanks!

wow, you want to run XP, linux and MacOS X in Bootcamp AND in parallels?

I don't see why, but that's of course up to you.
If you split the HDD in 3, there will be plenty of room to install all 3 OS'es:
- I run Ubuntu in Parallels with a drive size of 3.5Gb and that's Ok for what I use it. (Which is just messing about really, I don't NEED anything but OSX)
- an XP install on Parallels would take up no extra space as you can point parallels to the HDD partition of Windows for this, don't think this will work for linux though.

If you don't need HW GFX accelleration, I would stick with Parallels or VMWARE.

If you do prefer a multiboot, I'm not sure if Bootcamp will support Linux, someone else would need to advise you on this.

If it does, I would actually recommend splitting the HDD in 4 parts, 1 for every OS and 1 shared data partition, so you can easily access your data from any OS. MacOS -> 15Gb, WinXP -> 15Gb, linux -> 5Gb, DATA -> all that's left. But that's just my opinion...

Doing both a mulitboot AND parallels install seems rather silly to me, but again, you CAN do it so it's up to you.

2Gb is plenty of RAM to run OSX with Parallels and 2 VM's at the same time, though you do not want to run Final Cut pro at the same time :D

I guess it all depends on what you want/need to do.
 
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