I haven't used Ubuntu or linux in a while, since switching to Mac years ago actually. I always used Ubuntu though dating back to the original 04.10 release. After switching to Macs I never installed linux again due to the lack of support and complex install methods. My gf wanted to play around with linux so I booted it up on my custom built HTPC. She quite liked Ubuntu and asked if we could easily install it on her 2013 MBA--and I have the 2012 MBA. Since I haven't used linux in a long time I thought I'd start here. After looking around I have more questions than I started with though so I'm hoping people will bare with me and help me out.
1) Can Ubuntu 14.04 be installed from the USB livecd on an MBA?
2) Do Macs still require software like rEFInd to boot Ubuntu? Or can will it boot straight into Grub the same as a PC does?
3) Any chance of installing linux via bootcamp?
4) If my gf decides to delete Ubuntu is it easy to remove Grub for the stock OSX EFI bootloader?
5) Is the multitouch/gesture trackpad on the MBA actually usable in Ubuntu? It's abysmal in Windows. The trackpad is one of the best features of the MBA. It'd be a shame to lose that.
6) If Windows is installed via bootcamp, will Grub seemlessly handle the triple booting? Or would one have to select OSX then hold down the alt key then select Windows via the bootcamp loader thingy?
I'm guessing nearly all of these questions are more general to linux on a MBA rather than just Ubuntu. Sorry for all the newb questions. Linux has progressed quite a bit since I last used it, esp around EFI/UEFI.
1) Can Ubuntu 14.04 be installed from the USB livecd on an MBA?
2) Do Macs still require software like rEFInd to boot Ubuntu? Or can will it boot straight into Grub the same as a PC does?
3) Any chance of installing linux via bootcamp?
4) If my gf decides to delete Ubuntu is it easy to remove Grub for the stock OSX EFI bootloader?
5) Is the multitouch/gesture trackpad on the MBA actually usable in Ubuntu? It's abysmal in Windows. The trackpad is one of the best features of the MBA. It'd be a shame to lose that.
6) If Windows is installed via bootcamp, will Grub seemlessly handle the triple booting? Or would one have to select OSX then hold down the alt key then select Windows via the bootcamp loader thingy?
I'm guessing nearly all of these questions are more general to linux on a MBA rather than just Ubuntu. Sorry for all the newb questions. Linux has progressed quite a bit since I last used it, esp around EFI/UEFI.