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Linux has better hardware support than OS X

devblog.avdi.org

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Re: Linux has better hardware support than OS X

#171

Post by Derbasti »

rosser wrote: post #147
Derbasti wrote: post #146

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You wish. For years, I have been trying to run Linux on my dual GPU Macbook Pros. This generally works, but Linux always uses the "big" GPU, thus battery life is abysmal.

All the following links were found by searching since your comment was posted: http://forums.fedoraforum.org/showthread.php?t=289711 https://github.com/ah-/gmux-scripts http://www.linuxine.com/story/how-do-i-use-integrated-intel-... http://askubuntu.com/questions/126862/how-to-use-integrated-... I make no warranty that the linked recipes, scripts, or suggestions work, but your "you wish" warrants refutation.

Thank you for those links. I have not yet been successful in booting any Linux in EFI mode on the MBP. EFI mode is required for using the integrated GPU. Currently, EFI mode on an MBP seems to require a custom-built kernel, which frankly is too much trouble in my book. I will try again in a few weeks.

Re: Linux has better hardware support than OS X

#172

Post by Nursie »

driverdan wrote: post #21

Valid points but the author highlights one of the original reasons I switched from a ThinkPad running Linux to a MacBook. All high end Linux laptops have driver issues, including ThinkPads. Last thing I knew you still couldn't switch between discreet NVIDIA graphics and the Intel 4000 without a reboot. I've been told some laptops still have issues with sleep / hibernation. Maybe the Dell XPS 13 highlighted in the art…

I ran linux on a variety of thinkpads for several years. Never did have one of these weird hybrid ones though, so maybe that's it.

Never had a need to run adobe products either, but I am entertained how often and for how many years things like photoshop have been used as a prop to crow about how inadequate linux is.

Re: Linux has better hardware support than OS X

#173

Post by vacri »

kryten wrote: post #32
ewzimm wrote: post #18

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Printing on Windows is so bad that people are employed just to fix it. Office crashes a lot and has compatibility issues with certain formats, and I often just direct people to LibreOffice, which in every case has fixed the problem and run smoothly. Any minor Windows system problem usually results in sending the machine to be re-imaged. If you're on Windows 8, a lot of old stuff simply doesn't work, and in the absenc…

I call bullshit. I've worked for a couple of printing outfits and Windows has by far been the most reliable bar some big ass Xerox machines with PostScript processing and a Sun workstation tied to it. Fuck, the most unreliable so far has been the PDF rendering engine inside OSX which sometimes just whacks the CPU at 100% and you have to kill the process. And don't give me the shitcrock of Ghostscript or CUPS as a bet…

Word and Excel have NEVER crashed on me and I've been using them since the '97 versions

My anecdata has seen a bunch of crashes, at least in Word (I was never a heavy Excel user) and mostly in the earlier versions. If we steer away from application crash to merely screwing up the document, then you can probably double it.

I, too, have been running win7 since 2009 without requiring a reboot, but despite having a 64GB SSD boot drive, it has somehow filled it (\programfiles is on d:) and every now and then I need to go in and clear crap out. 64GB! I can account for perhaps 20GB in user data (\users is 16, \progfiles is 6). Crazy.

My one and only experience with Win8 was helping a neighbour install some older software that worked fine on XP and Vista, which pretty much defines my whole experience with it as doesn't 'just work'. Perhaps not a fair comparison, but when metro decides that I REALLY WANT the troubleshooting pdf to be fullscreen instead of having it side-by-side with the issue I'm dealing with, then screw being fair to it.

Re: Linux has better hardware support than OS X

#174

Post by muyuu »

edent wrote: post #28

Interestingly, I run Ubuntu on a MacBook and a MacBook Air. As they are a "fixed" target, I figured that at least one developer would have made sure that they "just worked". And, indeed, they did. The installation tutorial was comprehensive, the out of the box experience was great, and upgrades have gone smoothly. The only thing to note was that I was able to manually update the WiFi drivers for (supposedly) better p…

System 76 are offering new configurations and frankly they seem fantastic.

I haven't ordered yet because I'm in the UK and I have to find out about VAT and tariffs (last time I ordered straight from the US I was charged them and a fine on top, and extortionate "processing charges"). Otherwise I'd be ordering straight away even with a 20% VAT on top.

Re: Linux has better hardware support than OS X

#175

Post by vacri »

bdcravens wrote: post #109
virtualwhys wrote: post #87

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"MBP-equivalent Thinkpads are typically more expensive" More expensive than what? MBP with 2.8Ghz, 16GB runs at least $3K. With the exception of the screen, hardware-wise Thinkpads and Dell Precisions are far superior to MBPs. Max 16GB RAM and can't even stick an i7 extreme CPU in MBPs. Whoops, 17" MBP, sorry, that's been discontinued -- as a Mac user you have NO choice; the hardware and software offerings are fixed…

I'd argue that the trackpad on MBP's and Airs is the best anywhere. Every other computer I've ever used resulted in funky stray swipes, sometimes even when I hit a key near the trackpad. (Haven't tried a Dell Precision's, and I haven't had a Trackpad since the IBM days) I believe the X1, which Avdi referenced, maxed at 8GB? (same as Air) The W series of course can have crazy hardware in it, but it's quite the anomaly…

I have a personal issue with the mac trackpad - clickable at the bottom and only the bottom? I understand it's their historical thing and not a genuine issue, but it always throws me as an odd thing to do.

Re: Linux has better hardware support than OS X

#176

Post by [deleted] »

vacri wrote: post #175
bdcravens wrote: post #109

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'd argue that the trackpad on MBP's and Airs is the best anywhere. Every other computer I've ever used resulted in funky stray swipes, sometimes even when I hit a key near the trackpad. (Haven't tried a Dell Precision's, and I haven't had a Trackpad since the IBM days) I believe the X1, which Avdi referenced, maxed at 8GB? (same as Air) The W series of course can have crazy hardware in it, but it's quite the anomaly…

I have a personal issue with the mac trackpad - clickable at the bottom and only the bottom? I understand it's their historical thing and not a genuine issue, but it always throws me as an odd thing to do.

[deleted]

Re: Linux has better hardware support than OS X

#177

Post by kryten »

vacri wrote: post #173
kryten wrote: post #32

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I call bullshit. I've worked for a couple of printing outfits and Windows has by far been the most reliable bar some big ass Xerox machines with PostScript processing and a Sun workstation tied to it. Fuck, the most unreliable so far has been the PDF rendering engine inside OSX which sometimes just whacks the CPU at 100% and you have to kill the process. And don't give me the shitcrock of Ghostscript or CUPS as a bet…

Word and Excel have NEVER crashed on me and I've been using them since the '97 versions My anecdata has seen a bunch of crashes, at least in Word (I was never a heavy Excel user) and mostly in the earlier versions. If we steer away from application crash to merely screwing up the document, then you can probably double it. I, too, have been running win7 since 2009 without requiring a reboot, but despite having a 64GB…

Screwing up the documents is usually a human issue.

That crap on your disk is probably system restore, swap file and hibernation file. You can delete the system restore checkpoints easily. The rest you have to live with.

Windows 8: install start8. Problem solved.

Re: Linux has better hardware support than OS X

#178

Post by coldtea »

rosser wrote: post #105
coldtea wrote: post #103

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Huh? The claim was just that Linux has good working drivers for the standard Lenovo parts? Trackpad, monitor, GPU, HD controller, sleep/wake-up, etc? That's barebones basic stuff. Of course that should work out of the box... It's all the other stuff driver-wise that matters...

Yes, that was the claim. The parallel to your argument is that people should blame Apple for random third-party hardware not working out of the box with OSX.

>The parallel to your argument is that people should blame Apple for random third-party hardware not working out of the box with OSX.

No they shouldn't blame Apple.

But they should give minus points to OS X for "compatibility" when "random third-party hardware does not work out of the box" with it.

And similarly: they should not "blame" Linux for "random third-party hardware not working out of the box" with it, but they should give minus points to Linux in the compatibility department.

Re: Linux has better hardware support than OS X

#179

Post by coldtea »

sangnoir wrote: post #118
coldtea wrote: post #103

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Huh? The claim was just that Linux has good working drivers for the standard Lenovo parts? Trackpad, monitor, GPU, HD controller, sleep/wake-up, etc? That's barebones basic stuff. Of course that should work out of the box... It's all the other stuff driver-wise that matters...

You seem to be contradicting yourself, earlier, you said "And yet, Linux doesn't have all that great driver support ..."

Where's the contradiction? Having working trackpad, monitor, fan control, sleep/wake montherboard, soundcard, etc is not "great driver support" -- it's the bare essentials people should expect OUT OF THE BOX.

Support for third party stuff is what makes for "great driver support".

Re: Linux has better hardware support than OS X

#180

Post by mathnode »

S201 wrote: post #131
mathnode wrote: post #64

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What about over heating? I tried ubuntu 12.04, and 12.10 on a 2011 macbook air 4,2. I followed the information here, some of the tweaks weren't needed on 12.10: https://help.ubuntu.com/community/MacBookAir4-2 But the fans were spinning almost constantly. This was with just firefox and vim usage. OS X seems to do a better job of running Apple hardware at a sensible temperature.

I'm using this project on my Macbook retina and it works wonderfully: https://github.com/dgraziotin/Fan-Control-Daemon The fans only spin up when I'm doing something intensive and go back down to completely silent when finished.

Thanks I will take a look.
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