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Moving from Macbook to Linux

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Re: Moving from Macbook to Linux

#231

Post by detaro »

lavp wrote: post #218
snazz wrote: post #106

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think that reflects more on your company's internal distro than Debian itself, especially since Ubuntu is itself based on Debian. I know that gLinux has some very non-standard package management stuff, so it wouldn't surprise me if that was related.

What exactly is the point of running an internal distro?

Central place to add your own stuff and basic setup, push out customized versions of tools with less conflicts, control over what people run (e.g. if your security people or lawyers don't want some software to be ever used).

Re: Moving from Macbook to Linux

#232

Post by fabianhjr »

Cu3PO42 wrote: post #225
fabianhjr wrote: post #207

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Apple M1 processor is an ARMv8-a processor which is commonly known as AArch64. There are many distros that support AArch64. If Apple had created their own proprietary ISA then it is likely that almost nothing would be ported from the get go.

I imagine the post you are replying to is referring to actually getting the Linux kernel to boot (since there is no BIOS, UEFI, etc.) and writing drivers for all the possibly specialized hardware Apple put in there.

The main issue might be video drivers and other non-standard hardware. There are many reports of people being able to boot into linux on the new M1 by tweaking secure boot.

Re: Moving from Macbook to Linux

#233

Post by npunt »

FpUser wrote: post #111
driverdan wrote: post #44

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> That future looks extremely scary. What can we do, now, as developers ? Stop buying, using, and supporting the Apple ecosystem. Vote with your money. The new chips are faster. So what? The laptop you have today works fine, you don't need the latest and greatest hardware.

>"The new chips are faster. So what?" I am curious if it will be faster on sustained loads comparatively to some gaming grade laptops.

That's already been answered by reviews, the answer is there's a dip in sustained performance for the fanless Air but not on the Pro and Mini, and the fan noise on those is almost imperceptible.

Re: Moving from Macbook to Linux

#234

Post by vlunkr »

mbgerring wrote: post #224

I did this in 2015, and then I switched back because I actually wanted to get work done instead of fighting with my tools. I wish the bet of luck to anybody who does this, but with time and maturity comes an understanding of the reasoning behind the trade offs Apple has made, and what the benefits are.

I tried Apple in 2015, then I switched to Linux because I wanted to actually have control over my own computer. I wish the best of luck to anybody who does this, but with time and maturity comes an understanding of the trade offs of using Linux, and what the benefits are.

Re: Moving from Macbook to Linux

#236

Post by sleepydog »

radlad wrote: post #24
anderspitman wrote: post #12

I got into Linux when I was younger because I thought it was cool, and I had plenty of time to fix it when things broke. It's been my daily driver for ~10 years now. But there's quite a bit too learn. If I were to try and switch from Windows or Mac today I'm not sure I'd succeed before giving up. But I'm grateful every day to have a machine that I have some semblance of control over. I use a rolling release distro. I…

I truly believe that the argument for switching to Linux has never been stronger. Windows has embedded bloatware, and Apple allows no control over your hardware. There's really no other option if you care about these things. (Full disclosure - I do own a Macbook for photography work, and use Bootcamp for gaming.) Like you, my Linux installs have been incredibly stable for a long time, even with a rolling release dist…

I agree. I've been using Linux for almost 20 years now, and I remember all the gymnastics and research that was required to get things like audio and wifi working. In 2020, the only reason I dual boot windows and Linux is for video games, which are becoming less and less important to me, and less of an issue with the work Valve is doing.

And, while Linux has gotten considerably more stable and hassle-free, at the same time, Windows, in my experience, has gotten _worse_. The start menu is slow, and makes network requests for some reason. The UI is so flat that I can't tell anything apart, and I'm frequently pestered to link my install with my Microsoft account or enable cortana. I wish I could have used Windows 7 forever :\

Re: Moving from Macbook to Linux

#237

Post by nonamenoslogan »

peterangular wrote: post #27
DarmokJalad1701 wrote: post #8

The trackpad is still a dealbreaker for me. Nothing I have tried so far comes close to the trackpad on a macbook with the sensitivity turned up to max.

Apple's mouse/trackpad/touch drivers are out of this world. Anecdotally as someone who collects laptops - you can't beat them. There's polish there that doesn't exist on any other solution on the market!

Agreed. The touchpas on Macbooks are extremely well built and functional--and they have been for years and years.

Re: Moving from Macbook to Linux

#238

Post by lispm »

vizzier wrote: post #95
crazygringo wrote: post #16

> but with Apple downgrading its hardware (but still keeping those Apple prices!), the problems just kept stacking up. I get that the author wound up with a lemon, but the idea that Apple is "downgrading its hardware" with more problems arising is ludicrous. Especially now that Apple fixed the keyboards, its hardware is better than it's ever been. You might not like Apple for plenty of other reasons, but the notion t…

Heres what we've lost since the 2013-2015 MBPs that I'm currently running: Magsafe 2, Higher travel keyboards, Removable/Replacable SSds, HDMI port (still the most common for displays right now), an escape key, an SD card reader, USB-A which all my peripherals still use. Though we've gained USBc and performance. I'm not sure the "better than it's ever been" is so obvious personally. Replacing the previous input ports…

The new machines have ESC keys and the keyboards are usable again. The interfaces can be brought back with a single USB-C or thunderbolt dock, if necessary.

What we are gaining right now is a much better combination of performance & efficiency. New machines are both fast, long running, quiet, cool. The old MBP + Intel combination had not much room for growth. My i9 MBP came with the largest battery possible and ambitious cooling. The entry level M1 is already outclassing the current MBPs for tasks like compiling code.

See for example the comparison of compiling Webkit: https://techcrunch.com/2020/11/17/yeah-apples-m1-macbook-pro...

Re: Moving from Macbook to Linux

#239

Post by spurdoman77 »

djhworld wrote: post #36

I've been running Linux on my MBP (2015) for about 6 months now and it's been amazing. Great hardware + Fedora, not had any issues. It's really sad that >= 2016 models have problems getting Linux running properly (wifi, audio driver issues etc) and I don't hold much hope about getting anything other than MacOS running on these new M1 based Macs. The key differentiator for me has been the i3 window manager over anythi…

Was there any problems with drivers and so on? Running linux on apple hardware sounds like a great idea.

Re: Moving from Macbook to Linux

#240

Post by trey-jones »

I haven't felt out the general attitude in the comments. I expect it's a lot of Linux people vs. Apple people. And maybe it's appropriate. I would say Linux people should use Linux and Apple people should use Apple. No problem either way. If you're a Linux-curious Apple person, then perhaps you'll find some good information here. I think most of us are probably very, very specific about our technological tools, so this is a very personal decision, yes?

Personally I'm a Linux person that used a Macbook Pro as a daily driver for about 8 years. I still use the Macbook (2013) as a carry-home, but I started using a Linux desktop in the office about a year ago. For what I do (Linux sysadmin with developer tendencies), I like it much better, and this machine has 12 cores and 64GB of RAM and still cost about half of the top-end Macbook Pro of today. I chose Manjaro KDE for this, and I really like it a lot.

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