How to install Ubuntu on the Mac Mini

This is a very short Quick-Start Guide and review for installing Ubuntu Feisty Fawn on an Intel Mac Mini. Feisty is the first Ubuntu distro to integrate some bleeding edge proprietary drivers and a very useful Restricted Drivers Manager, so, the installation is straight away if you follow this guide. You don't need any computer ability to achieve a perfect result. Hope you enjoy it.

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Published in

Full Circle Magazine

· 4 Jan 2023

Written by Darkmaster 3

Hardware Specs

First of all, the hardware specs of the Intel Mac Mini I own and used for this installation:

Intel Mac Mini
1.66 Ghz Intel Core Duo
512 MB memory
60 GB hard drive

If you have a more powerful version of this machine, don't worry, it'll work just the same.

Prerequisites

To install Feisty Fawn on an Intel Mac Mini you will need to download the following software:

Ubuntu Feisty Fawn (Intel X86) from : http://www.ubuntu.com/getubuntu/download
BootCamp for OSX from : http://www.apple.com/macosx/bootcamp/

Starting the real work

And now let’s start working:

1) Install BootCamp, run it and split your HD in 2 parts. The partition intended for Windows will be the one we’ll use to install Feisty.

Let's see some illustrated steps to partition your disc:

a) The BootCamp Icon
b) Here's the BootCamp screen (below) in which you can set the size of each partition. You choose how big each partition should be but remember that Linux can install software only in its own partition, so, make it big and continue! Now leave BootCamp where it is and jump to the next step.

2) Burn Ubuntu Feisty’s ISO image (Using the “Disk Utility” already present in OSX, Applications –> Utilities), insert it into the disc drive. After having burnt the ISO, return to BootCamp. Ignore the "Start Installation" button. Of course, we don't have to install Windows, so, insert the Ubuntu Feisty CD into the drive and click on the Restart Mac OSX Button.

3) Keep the "Alt" key pressed the moment you listen the classic Mac booting sound. A booting menu will appear, choose CD-ROM. The Feisty Live CD Menu appears. You’ll probably be unable to use the keyboard in this menu, don’t worry, just wait. After some seconds, Ubuntu Live CD will start loading and you’ll be taken into the Ubuntu Feisty desktop.

4) Wow! The wireless card works with the new pre-installed restricted drivers! The restricted drivers manager warns you about the fact that these drivers are not opensource: do you really care? Personally, I’d love OS drivers to exist for any hardware but it is not like that, so, I prefer productivity over renouncing on the use of restricted drivers. The Intel 3D graphic card, obviously, works out the box with the built in Open Source video driver. Everything is perfect then! Let’s install Ubuntu.

5) Double click on the Install Icon on the desktop and install Ubuntu as normal. Choose to edit the partitions manually. This part is much simpler now than in any precedent Ubuntu version, I’m very glad of that. Locate the fat32 partition, delete it, it will be converted to free space. Now create a new partition from the empty space, but remember to leave at least 600 MB empty to create the Swap partition. This new partition will be the one used as root, your main Linux partition. Assign to it this symbol “/” and format it as ext3. Now create a new partition from the remaining free space and choose to use it as “swap”. We’re all set. Start Installation and configure it as you wish.

6) Reboot and remember: every time you want to run Ubuntu Linux, you’ll have to keep the alt key pressed during boot and choose “Windows” (Yes, really) from the boot menù that opens.

The guide is almost over and you’ve got Ubuntu installed on your Mac Mini! The hardest thing is… after several days of using Ubuntu you’ll want to dedicate the entire Mac's drive to Linux!!

Final Tuning

In your Intel Mac Mini you've got one of the best 3D cards around for the Linux world. An Intel Video Card. It is not surely as bleeding edge and powerful as an Nvidia or an ATI, but, hey... the driver is open source, you'll never have problems with it and it is super fast with Linux. So, if you like fireworks, let's burn some. If you like Compiz (Very basic effects), you can simply activate it using the new Feisty Desktop Effects:

System --> Preferences --> Desktop Effects

Turn it on and here you go. You'll just have wobbling windows and the rotating Cube. If you prefer to have tons of more effects and productivity functionality, as well as thousands of useless but wonderful eyecandy (To show off Ubuntu to your friends and have them saying a big: "WOW!"), you need Beryl. So, first of all turn off the desktop effects and then:

1) Beryl is in the official repositories now, so let’s get it! Run Synaptic, search for Beryl and install all that you wish! I recommend every extra plugin package you find :)

2) System –> Preferences –> Sessions. Click on new: write down Beryl in name and “beryl-manager” (Without quotes) in Command. That’s it!

3) Without restarting, Alt+F2. Enter "beryl-manager" and press Return. The Beryl tray icon appears and it's running! WOW! Once you restart the system, Beryl will be loaded automatically.

4) Remember that if you prefer, you can run Compiz instead of Beryl. Don’t try to run Compiz while Beryl’s running. To run Compiz, as we said, System –> Preferences –> Desktop Effects. Enable wobble and enable cube. Never do it while Beryl is running. To switch back to Compiz, just purge "beryl-manager" away from the "Session Manager", right click on the "beryl-manager" icon, select Windows Decorator --> Metacity, right click on the "beryl-manager" icon again and exit. Now you can activate Desktop Effects again.