I need to test out some Web site programming on a Linux system and have determined that the Ubuntu distribution is ideal. My question: what’s the best, easiest way to install Ubuntu Linux on my Mac system so I can run all my tests?
There are a number of different ways to install Ubuntu Linux on your Mac system, but one of my favorites, hands down, is to install it within the Parallels Desktop environment. Why? Because it’s literally a one-click download to get it up and running. Now I realize that Parallels Desktop, like VMWare Fusion, is a commercial Mac application and has a price tag associated with it, but it sounds like this is related to your work and, well, sometimes you have to pay for your tools, right? The again, it’s not that expensive at $79.
From a testing perspective, the Ubuntu Linux environment within Parallels is functionally identical to running the operating system native on a PC computer, which is nice. It’s just neatly tucked into the Mac OS X environment and — a nice bonus — can run full screen giving you the distinct impression that your Mac is only running Linux, which is bound to impress your geeky friends!
Once you’ve installed Parallels Desktop on your computer, simply launch the program and you’ll be given a variety of options for proceeding: