How to install Ubuntu 11.10 Oneiric Ocelot on Mac/OSX

The best open source operating system available to general enthusiasts is Linux, and when it comes to Linux, Ubuntu is the most popular distribution of its kind. Tomorrow on 13th October 2011, Ubuntu will release the much awaited Oneiric Ocelot 11.10, the latest version from its stable. If you have a PC running on Windows7, you can install Ubuntu 11.10 alongside Windows7 as dual boot or even install inside Windows7 using VM Virtual Box. But what if you have a Mac? Don't worry! This is quite easy!

To install Ubuntu 11.10 Oneiric Ocelot on your iMac / Mac Book, we need rEFIt, a free boot menu manager. rEFIt is a boot menu and maintenance toolkit for Extensible Firmware Interface (EFI) based machines like the Intel Macs. You can use it to boot multiple operating systems easily, including triple-boot setups with Boot Camp. It also provides an easy way to enter and explore the EFI pre-boot environment. You can download it from here.

Follow the steps to install rEFIt:
- Download and mount the rEFIt-0.14.dmg disk image.
- Double-click on the "rEFIt.mpkg" package.
- Follow the instructions and select your Mac OS X installation volume as the destination volume for the install. If everything goes well, you'll see the rEFIt boot menu on the next restart.
After installing rEFIt, we need to create a partition with Disk Utility to install Ubuntu.



Now insert the Ubuntu CD in the CD/DVD drive. Hold down 'C' button to boot from CD and then click 'Install'. Restart your Mac and thats it! you made it!. Don't forget to create the Swap partition to enable hibernation.