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In this tutorial we will learn how to install Ubuntu Desktop on a Mac OS X host using Virtualbox, a completely free virtual machine software. If system resources are inadequate for running a virtual machine then a dual boot system may be the solution. This only becomes an issue if there are not adequate resources for the virtual machine, depending on the task required of it and the resources available. The only real disadvantage is the system resources must be shared between the two operating systems. Having both operating systems running together means the secondary operating system can be loaded on demand and resources can be shared as easily as dragging and dropping files between them. The main advantage of running a virtual machine is convenience. The hypervisor runs on the host OS and serves as a bridge between the virtual machine and the host device hardware.

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In order to create a virtual machine, software is required to create a hypervisor on the host machine. In effect both operating systems can be run simultaneously and used in parallel, although one is the primary operating system running on the host computer. The term virtual machine in this context refers to a secondary operating system, also known as a guest operating system, running on the host operating system. It can also be more difficult to link the two operating systems for tasks such as file sharing. The disadvantages are that it is less convenient to keep rebooting your machine each time you want to switch operating systems. This is probably the main reason we would want to configure a dual boot system.

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In some cases it may be necessary to run a program that requires the full system resources. The advantages to setting up a dual boot are the secondary operating system, Ubuntu in this case, can have full access to the system resources. In our case we could load Ubuntu on our Mac instead of OS X. When booting up the computer, the user is given the option as to which operating system to load. With a dual boot system the operating system is installed to a seperate partition on the hard drive, or a seperate hard drive all together. Nevertheless we will take a very quick look at a comparison of the two options. There are pros and cons to each method, however a virtual machine will be plenty adequate for most dual operating system requirements. We will be using the virtual machine method in this tutorial. We can either setup a dual boot or we can run Ubuntu as a virtual machine. There are two ways that we can run Ubuntu on the Mac.

Conclusion Virtual machine vs dual boot.Virtualbox is a powerful tool that allows many different operating systems to be run from other operating systems within a window, and best of all it is totally free! We are not limited to just Ubuntu, we could run all different flavours of Linux and even Windows (yes, Windows is a nightmare but sometimes it is the only option).

We will also install Guest Additions, allowing easy drag and drop between your dual operating systems. This simple illustrated guide will get you up and running with Ubuntu Desktop on your Mac.