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Running Linux on My MacBook

djhworld.github.io

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Re: Running Linux on My MacBook

#91

Off topic maybe, but my Razer Blade 15" has been and absolutely wonderful replacement for my MBP. The build quality feels just as nice, and none of the weird touchbar issues. (Running Ubuntu 19.10 presently, only issue: had to disable the USB-C port to allow it to sleep). The arrow keys are also in a slightly wonky location. It's been very disruptive to have Apple quality tank, and I'm glad they finally went back to…

ThinkPads be like "Are we a joke to you?"

Re: Running Linux on My MacBook

#92

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> You're seeing an extreme case here. Macbooks are actively breaking other OSes. Better to treat it as: "look how much you can bend Linux to work on a proprietary toaster", rather than "look how hard it is to run Linux on a laptop". It's true that Macbooks are an extreme case, but as far as I can tell, there is not a laptop which runs Linux out of the box where tinkering won't be necessary. Let's take another extreme…

My thinkpad runs Linux and everything works exactly as intended.

Seconding - my X1 Carbon 7 runs Ubuntu with no tinkering whatsoever.

Re: Running Linux on My MacBook

#93
post #61

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Linux on the desktop "works" today just like it did twenty years ago -- painfully and with a lot of work to work around the operating system's inability to be a desktop OS. Same thing with Java. Sure, it's not as slow as it was 20 years ago, but it's still slow and painful in comparison to compiled languages. I've used Linux actively for 30 years or more, and I've never had a "great experience" once with it. It's a t…

> I've used Linux actively for 30 years or more "The Linux kernel was conceived and created in 1991"

29, whatever. When you've been doing this as long as I have the years run together.

Re: Running Linux on My MacBook

#94
For Firefox rendering being slow, I forced the Ubuntu Firefox to use Wayland the other day (my login session was already wayland but Ubuntu doesn't default to making firefox using it), and the difference is night and day. Everything is so much faster and super smooth.

Re: Running Linux on My MacBook

#95
post #61

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Linux on the desktop "works" today just like it did twenty years ago -- painfully and with a lot of work to work around the operating system's inability to be a desktop OS. Same thing with Java. Sure, it's not as slow as it was 20 years ago, but it's still slow and painful in comparison to compiled languages. I've used Linux actively for 30 years or more, and I've never had a "great experience" once with it. It's a t…

> it's still slow and painful in comparison to compiled languages Something tells me your opinion about Java is stronger than your experience. Java IS a compiled language. It just happens at runtime. https://www.oracle.com/technical-resources/articles/java/arc... I see this as yet another example of people here repeating a severely outdated statements about the JVM ecosystem.

Sure. Of course Oracle wants you to believe that Java is faster than C.

Re: Running Linux on My MacBook

#96
post #88

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> it feels like that's still the case Very much not true these days. Linux on laptops is (in overwhelming majority) a great experience today. I suggest you just try out one of the live images for Ubuntu or Fedora. On a tangential note I'm surprised that it's still relatively common on HN to see comments like "Linux on desktop doesn't work" or "Java is slow". That was 20 years ago. The world has moved on.

I've tried out Linux as a Desktop OS pretty consistently every 2-3 years for about 20 years on various Desktop and Laptop computers. I use Linux on a daily basis as a Security analyst, so while I'm not as good as many, I am far better off than the average computer user (I was offered a gig as an intermediate Linux admin once but passed it up to remain in security). Every time I try it, I end up fixing a bunch of mino…

> I've tried out Linux as a Desktop OS pretty consistently every 2-3 years for about 20 years on various Desktop and Laptop computers

Well, I have used Linux as a desktop OS consistently since 22 years now. I started with Thinkpads and they did work well for me, and that's what defines my expectations today - that a laptop works without glitch. And the last two laptops I god were supplied by the respective organizations IT department, so they took care that it works.

On the other hand, I am kinda stuck with an Thinkpad X220 because I like the size, the matte display, the great keyboard, and to read my email or work on something in the train, I absolutely do not need more power than it has.

The key for all that is to buy compatible hardware, and research it before spending the money, not after.

Re: Running Linux on My MacBook

#97

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You're seeing an extreme case here. Macbooks are actively breaking other OSes. Better to treat it as: "look how much you can bend Linux to work on a proprietary toaster", rather than "look how hard it is to run Linux on a laptop". Newer generations of macbooks just won't work at all. There's no workaround for recent sound (unless it gets reverse engineered) or wifi (unless you rewrite Linux stack to work around broke…

> You're seeing an extreme case here. Macbooks are actively breaking other OSes. Better to treat it as: "look how much you can bend Linux to work on a proprietary toaster", rather than "look how hard it is to run Linux on a laptop". It's true that Macbooks are an extreme case, but as far as I can tell, there is not a laptop which runs Linux out of the box where tinkering won't be necessary. Let's take another extreme…

I have two Dell Lattitude series laptops, and they've always worked without issues out-of-the-box (at least with Ubuntu Linux).

I do make sure that the hardware is compatible with Linux beforehand. This typically involves buying prior generation hardware (which works out because you can get them for much less), and avoiding Nvidia hardware entirely.

Re: Running Linux on My MacBook

#98
I took a stab at putting Linux on a MacBook about 4 years ago or so. I found dealing with the Broadcom wifi and bluetooth more hassle than I bargained for, and switched to a Thinkpad. Has the Broadcom driver situation improved? I was surprised the author had no issues getting wifi working.

And relating to the article, i3 is the sole reason I use Linux. Such a great window manager.

Re: Running Linux on My MacBook

#99
post #36

Tried Linux on my MacBook Pro mid-2012, ran into some of the issues described in the post (sleep issues, keyboard layout, ...). Though I went with Ubuntu for a bit more simplicity. I finally had to rollback because it was simply not usable. The laptop was getting too hot, and it seemed that I had to use scripting or workarounds for every little thing. Now I use a virtual machine, and it's already way better. I still…

Just a hint, Debian's hardware support can be better than Ubuntu. At least that's my experience with my desktop PC, which I didn't get to work well with Ubuntu because of the graphics card, and which worked without problems with Debian. (But, if you have problems with the graphics card and you only have one supported by proprietary drivers, do yourself a favor and buy a fully supported one. Doing otherwise is just not worth the hassle).

Re: Running Linux on My MacBook

#100

Please notice that OP is trying to run the i3 tiling window manager which is very minimal (as all TWMs) and expressly targets tinkerers and advanced users. A beginner friendly distribution with a complete desktop environment usually provides a much easier plug and play experience.

I like stumpwm, it's great. But Gnome currently has better scaling support for 4K displays.
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