Booting Options

I want to install Ubuntu 10.10 for a project I am doing and I want to use my Mac version 10.6.5 because it has some really nice hardware that can help streamline the process.

But its actually a work computer and I don't want to do anything that can hurt the files on my computer. Ideally I like to be able to just connect an external harddrive that I can boot from and run any OS that can use any of the hardware on the Mac.

These are the options I have thought about:

I can partition the harddrive and install Ubuntu 10.10 on the other partition. (not as preferred)
because I am worried it can mess things up.

Another idea, use a firewire harddrive, install Ubuntu on it then. And then just hold t whenever I want to boot from there.

Are there any other ideas I can do, will these ideas work?

Thanks.

The easiest and most simple way is to use virtualization. Download the free Oracle VirtualBox and install Ubuntu 10.10 as a VM. Much easier and you won't be in danger of overwriting your Mac boot sector with GRUB.

Thanks, but I am not sure. Wouldn't it make it hard to use the hardware on the system. For example, I have a windows 7 on a virtual machine but it can not use the USB (at least easily).

I have not encountered those issues in a VM - I have 10.10 running under virtualbox right now. Actually, most users on this forum report more issues with drivers and related items when running Ubuntu in a boot manager than they do under a VM. As a result, I would definitely try the VM first because it is much simpler.

Cheers