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I've adapted these commands in part from this blog post. You can configure your virtual machine (VM) using the VirtualBox graphical program, but it's quicker to set it up from the command line. Download Ubuntuĭownload the Ubuntu Server 14.04.01 LTS iso image. Instructions below were testing with VirtualBox 4.3.18 on OS X 10.9.5. Install VirtualBoxĭownload and install VirtualBox here.
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This entire tutorial should take approximately 20 minutes (not including download times). I simply run the VM in the background, and ssh into it from the Mac terminal. I installed Ubuntu Server instead of Ubuntu Desktop because I wanted to run a lightweight Linux environment, which should save laptop resources. I intend to run my application in a Linux environment, so instead of learning the intricacies of porting my code and makefile to Mac OS X, I decided to install a local Ubuntu Server virtual machine (VM) on my MacBook. For example, right now I'm trying to develop a Boost Python module, and I am having trouble compiling it on OS X. While the OS X experience is wonderful, application development can be frustrating. It's my personal laptop, so I use it for everything - browsing, e-mail, and programming. My laptop is a late 2011 MacBook Pro running OS X 10.9 Mavericks. Ubuntu Server Virtual Machine with SSH using VirtualBox on Mac OS X
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