2008 MacBook (blackbook) - new ssd and dual boot help request

Couple questions...
What version of OS X do you want to use? You are limited to Lion (but Mountain Lion is possible with a "tweaked" install)
Snow Leopard, Lion, (Mountain Lion) are all sold at Apple's web store - so that part is easy.

Ram is good to have. You can have 6GB maximum.

Clone your current drive to the SSD:
Swap the SSD into your Macbook.
Old hard drive in a USB enclosure, then boot to the external - exactly the same boot as you have now. Run Disk Utility, then the Restore tab. "restore" your external drive to the new SSD. That will likely take an hour or so, depending on how much stuff you have. When that completes, you can boot to the SSD, no problem.
Depending on the capacity of your SSD, you can then run Disk Utility, select the SSD, then split the SSD partition. For Ubuntu, you can make that second partition a good size for 'messing around' - I might go for 80 GB. Again, I don't know what size SSD you got, but be sure to leave enough space for OS X on THAT partition.
My 2008 MacBook (I have the white one, but same as yours), originally came with 120GB. So a 240GB SSD would give you space to work, and enough to spare out 80GB for Unix.
If you aren't sure about that, come back with what you have for SSD size (and the OS X system that you want to use), and you can get a suggestion or two.

 

I don't presently run Mountain Lion. I went back to Lion, which works well for me.
You have to use a hacked version of the Mountain Lion installer to get to Mountain Lion. Wasn't worth it for me.

If you have purchased OS X through the App Store, then any of those that are downloads will be available for you to download again, through the Purchased tab.
The restore process through Disk Utility works well enough. It is somewhat slower than some of the cloning apps, such as Carbon Copy Cloner, or SuperDuper! are the primary cloning utilities for OS X. Either one work well, and will do what you want. I have used both, but rarely, as Disk Utility does the job that I need.

I would probably get everything transferred first to the SSD, then work with that (it will speed up the process, too), and if you need to revert because of problems, or other issues, you will still have the old setup on your hard drive - easy to go back.

 

alternative os's? there's some company out there that's providing instructions on how to convert old macbooks into chromebooks. just an idea. personally, i still use 10.6.8.

 

my Macbook 2,1 runs W10 Pro like a champ with a SSD and 4GB of ram

 

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In other parts of this MacRumors Forum there are threads about different tools allowing to install in so called UNSUPPORTED (aged) macs more modern OSX than Lion.
Using MacPostFactor MPFC 1.0.1 for instance, I managed to install Mavericks on a Macbook like yours.
It took me afterwards many unsuccesful trials mentioned in different posts in other parts of this forum and a lot of time, patience and some luck... but I am now writing this lines in a Yosemite 10.10.5.

As my second OS I managed to install Windows 10.

Although using aged macs forces to accept a lot of compromises and a 8 year old computer will NEVER EVER work like a modern one, if one accepts these unavoidable facts, I must say that my 2 OS run reasonably well.
(I also have a black MB 4.1 like yours. Inside are 6 GB (4+2) RAM which is the maximum this mac can take and a 250 GB SSD. from which Yosemite has a bit more than half of it and Windows 10 the rest).
WiFi, Sound and the rest work, (scrolling under Windows... not so), but after any Apple upgrade I must restore in and out sound in Yosemite (not complicated).
Of course I will not dare ask of this mac to perform any high grade graphic or music or other pro work. I use it just for fun.

Since tastes are a personal thing, you can no doubt be happy with Lion and Ubuntu. without any need to make any effort to install anything else... as long as the software you use works OK in those two OS.
Ed