Setting up Ubuntu on an older iMac

What does one do with a Core 2 Duo iMac that only has one gig of RAM? OSX Lion requires at least 2 gigs of RAM, and older version of OSX are hard to come by, legally that is.  I decided that the best thing to do with an  (almost) junker machine was to install Ubuntu.

I acquired this Mac from a friend under the terms: "If you can fix it, you can keep it."  The machine needed a logic board replacement for starters, as it wouldn't boot.  I came across a replacement on eBay for the low price of $20.  Once I had that up and running, I grabbed my trusty OCZ Vertex 2 SSD from my desktop and slapped it in the Mac (Why not, I had it open anyway).

Read the install instructions after the break.

WTF Microsoft!?

I'm down to the last few days of the quarter, so I decided to use my CS benefits and download Windows 7 from Dreamspark.  I may never use it, but hey it's a free copy of Winderp.

In order to download a the ISO, M$ makes you install their Secure Download Manager.  This pile of crap only runs on Winderp and OSX, so I couldn't use it on my Linux desktop.  I guess I can't blame them though; open source operating systems aren't secure and are mainly used by pirates.  So I ran the SDM on my Macbook pro instead.  It's nothing more than a browser display with no menu buttons.  The worst part:  it uses 70% of a CPU core while downloading!  WTF?  I guess that's what I get for trying to use an M$ software on a Mac.

In the process of writing this article, I got the following lovely window.

And to rub salt in the wound, I reopen the program to find the download is at 99% completed.  No problem, I just click resume.... And it crashes again.

Maybe I don't need Winderp after all.