Ubuntu on MacBook

Since my 21-credit-hour semester ended, I've had a little more time to tinker. In preparation for my trip to France, I wanted to install Windows and Ubuntu on my MacBook (model 4,1) so I could have all three major operating systems on my computer so I can develop for any platform (or use iTunes to rescue my iPod and Photoshop as there isn't anything on Ubuntu that really compares).

I followed this tutorial to set everything up (I got a free Windows 7 license from my school's CS department which pays for licenses for students--Microsoft's online support was incapable of allowing me to move my license from my old hardware to new hardware, even after me being on the phone with them for 3+ hours). There were a few minor hiccups with rEFIt (a necessary piece of software used to allow non-OSX operating systems to run on a MacBook)--it had a tendency to not boot correctly but the problem evaporated for no apparent reason and it seemed the problem was pretty rare anyway.

Because I used rEFIt instead of BootCamp to install Windows 7, I'm having a driver problem preventing me from scrolling or right-clicking with the trackpad--making Windows 7 even more frustrating to use.

Lately I've been using Ubuntu 11.10 exclusively and I'm incredibly happy with it. Many of the usability bugs in Unity have been worked out in this iteration (many still remain, but it's much more tolerable) and it's actually a pleasure to use as things have become more customizable. Additionally, because everything is so customizable in Ubunu, the operating system is a pleasure to use compared to OSX which is fairly locked-down. I truly love that I can push a key combination (by default Alt+F1) and navigate the dock with arrow keys. Furthermore, Unity + the Software Center make the new Ubuntu a great operating system for beginners (the Software Center was my biggest criticism for Ubuntu in appealing to new users, but, as I predicted, the Mac App Store drove many improvements in Ubuntu's Software Center).

That said, I plan to install this OS on the computers of a couple of my friends and family before I leave for France. Give it a try. Documentation abounds on how to install the operating system and it's probably the easiest operating system to install.