Minimum partition size for normal osx usage? I want to set up a linux/osx dual boot on a mbp with a shared zfs pool for data and /home. My question then is, if /Users is on a separate partition, does anyone have any recommendations towards how large the osx partition should be?

There're a couple of threads that seem to indicate that it has to be at least 9-10GB (What&#39;s the minimum partition size for osx mavericks when dual booting with windows 8?), but this is obviously a bare bones minimum rather than a typical scenario for a normal laptop setup. 

I know that I can easily get away with a &lt;5GB /root in linux, but I have no experience with macs. Thanks!
You're on the right track with 9-10GB if you're doing a barebones OS X install.  See the OS X Mavericks requirements. However...

If you're keeping the root /Applications on the same volume as the OS, then you might want to leave additional space if you plan on adding applications to the system.  I've never tried to store /Applications on a separate volume from /System (the OS) and /Library (system-wide preferences, support files, etc.), but might be worth a shot if you have time to experiment.  

My only concern would be disconnects between core OS X applications and their supporting frameworks.  A prime example would be something like "DVD Player."