Question about UBUNTU on partition! PLEASE HELP!

[MtzDS]

Hey guys! I have a question and need your help with this!

I want to install Ubuntu on my MacBook Pro without getting rid of the OS X.

My MB Pro has 4GB of RAM and I want 4GB of RAM on Ubuntu as well, will I be able to do so, as a partition obviously, without affecting the RAM for my OS X?

I mean, can I use all 4 GB of RAM while using Ubuntu, as well while using the OS X when not using Ubuntu?

 

[ckmu]

Yes you can!, because it´s a partition(Dual boot)

 

[stillblue]

Unless you run ubuntu in a virtual machine like vmware then you choose ubuntu or Mac at the startup, not both, so it doesn't affect your ram in any way.

When in a virtual machine environment you can limit the amount of ram allocated to ubuntu during the install but even then you want to avoid trying to work in both at the same time as one ot the other will be running things. For example. If you try to download something with both at the same time you'll possibly fail.

Look at it this way, an operating system is like a traffic cop at an intersection. He's not driving anything he's just coordinating the movement of the vehicles to have efficient flow. Your operating system is coordinating the software and hardware to work efficiently. If you have two cops and both want to be in charge you see the problem that would cause but if they take turns it's OK. A virtual machine will tell one to hang on a minute while the other works.

 

[Ijack]

It's not quite as easy as doing it on a PC, and there is a definite potential to trash your OS X in the process if you do something wrong, so make sure you have a good backup before going any further. Full instructions here: https://help.ubuntu.com/community/DualBoot/MacOSX

Most people go for a VM installation to start with; it's easier and safer.

 

[Ijack]

Unless you run ubuntu in a virtual machine like vmware then you choose ubuntu or Mac at the startup, not both, so it doesn't affect your ram in any way.

When in a virtual machine environment you can limit the amount of ram allocated to ubuntu during the install but even then you want to avoid trying to work in both at the same time as one ot the other will be running things. For example. If you try to download something with both at the same time you'll probably fail.

Look at it this way, an foperating system is like a traffic cop at an intersection. He's not driving anything he's just coordinating the movement of the vehicles to have efficient flow. Your operating system is coordinating the software and hardware to work efficiently. If you have two cops and both want to be in charge you see the problem that would cause but if they take turns it's OK. A virtual machine will tell one to hang on a minute while the other works.

I'm afraid there's a lot of misinformation in that post. VMs do not work in the way you describe and quite happily multitask with the host. It would be a real limitation for me if you couldn't, for example, download in both host and guest (or even several guests) at the same time.

When it comes to Macs it makes a lot more sense to start off with a VM unless you really know what you're doing.

 

[MtzDS]

So.... What should I do theen??

 

[Ijack]

If I were you then I would try Linux first by installing VirtualBox and creating a Linux virtual machine. If you get along with it, and like it, then it may be worth trying a dual-boot native install as detailed in the link that I gave you earlier.

 

[stillblue]

I'm afraid there's a lot of misinformation in that post. VMs do not work in the way you describe and quite happily multitask with the host. It would be a real limitation for me if you couldn't, for example, download in both host and guest (or even several guests) at the same time.

When it comes to Macs it makes a lot more sense to start off with a VM unless you really know what you're doing.

OK, I changed from probably to possibly fail. It is not recommended to download large, critical files with a virtual box running. It is far less an issue today with high speed bandwidth but for those of us without, it can still cause problems with sites that do not allow resume downloads.

I agree completely that with Mac the OP is better off, at least initially, installing inside a vbox.

Do not forget to install the guestadditions or your usb devices, among other items, will not work.

 

[Ijack]

I agree that with a slow connection (and I'm sure you are more familiar with them nowadays than I am, even if my first Internet experience involved 300 baud modems) downloading more than one file at a time, even within the same OS, can cause problems and is best avoided. But, for those of us lucky enough to have the luxury of fibre connections it's not a worry.

I see so many questions here wher people have messed up their Windows installations by trying to do a native install of Linux that I feel it is always a good idea to try a VM (or even a live CD) first. When people are a bit more familiar with Linux it may be a better time to try a native install as they will be better equipped to attempt recovery if there are problems. This is even more true on a Mac where Linux is not officially supported and requires a more roundabout install than on a PC.