[tlug] Converting my friend to Ubuntu Linux on a Powerbook

[Dave M G <martin@example.com>]

TLUG,

I've decided that one of my good friends has to start using Ubuntu 
Linux. I'm swaying him towards Linux and open source software on 
political grounds. He has very "left wing" politics that match up very 
well with the ethos of the open source community. So I've got him on my 
side when it comes to the evils of having to use Windows.

He's already said that he was willing to switch, but it comes down to 
fear of the unknown. He's an author, not a technical guy in any sense, 
and doesn't trust his own abilities to do things like install a new 
operating system.

However, an opportunity has come up. His current laptop is dying, and a 
friend of his is going to give him an old Mac Powerbook. I said to him 
that Linux can be installed on a Mac, so since he'll have to learn a new 
interface anyway, he should learn the right one.

The thing is, I was sure that Ubuntu could be installed on a Mac. 
However, I can't find the install discs for Mac on their web site. I was 
sure that installing Linux on a Mac required a special install disc 
designed for Mac.

Am I wrong about that? Can I just use the regular install CD?

Does anyone know if there are limitations on getting Linux on a Mac 
Powerbook? I'll find out more exact details in a week or so, but I'm 
assuming that the model will be kind of an old one. So I'm wondering 
what kind of problems I should anticipate.

Any advice would be much appreciated.

PS: Just in case other people want to suggest using other Linux distros, 
I'm pretty committed to Ubuntu because it makes it easier for me to help 
him out.

--
Dave M G
Ubuntu Feisty 7.04
Kernel 2.6.20-15-386