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Warning: 2016 MacBook Pro is not compatible with Linux

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Re: Warning: 2016 MacBook Pro is not compatible with Linux

#161

Post by noobermin »

mjg59 wrote: post #97

The three primary issues here are: 1) The input devices are on SPI, not USB. Apple's ACPI tables don't provide the GPIO mappings for these things via the standard mechanisms, so the chipset driver won't bind. You then still need another driver for the SPI controller, and there's an out of tree one at https://github.com/cb22/macbook12-spi-driver/ . Longer term, the kernel needs to be able to parse Apple's ACPI tables…

Actually, (2) has been fixed for the 2015 Macbook, I suppose that can help for the Macbook Pro. We have been trying to fix the SPI issue for a while, see this[0]

As I've posted before, I am so happy now the Macbook Pro is out because we desperately need help on this issue.

[0] https://bugzilla.kernel.org/show_bug.cgi?id=108331

Re: Warning: 2016 MacBook Pro is not compatible with Linux

#162

Post by striking »

cpncrunch wrote: post #108
plzbo wrote: post #81

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What are those reasons apart from having a "better" ui? (Which is highly subjective and if you use a tiling wm Linux is probably the better choice). What turns me off OS X is the lack of a good package manager with up to date packages. Has this changed?

>What are those reasons apart from having a "better" ui? (Which is highly subjective and if you use a tiling wm Linux is probably the better choice). - More commercial software available (photoshop, etc). - OS X is required if you need to run xcode - Easier to upgrade to the next version of the OS, without having to do a full reinstall - Better binary compatibility. (Pretty minor issue). >What turns me off OS X is th…

> full reinstall

You need to fully reinstall your Linux install every upgrade?

That might be a symptom of Ubuntu usage, but many other distros handle upgrades gracefully. Arch is an example of this.

Re: Warning: 2016 MacBook Pro is not compatible with Linux

#163

Post by dom0 »

bluedino wrote: post #141
dom0 wrote: post #102

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Unless I'm missing something: Huh? Apple is just using regular NVMe/M.2 SSDs, nothing special about them. Lots of laptops have the option for M.2 NVMe SSDs, and most newer desktop motherboards have the slot for it.

The latest MBP leapfrogged the rest of the market again

Specs seem to be 3.1 GB/s read and 2.1 GB/s write speed. While that's faster than most M.2 SSDs, equally-or-better specced SSDs are already on the market, eg. Samsung 960 Pro (3.5 / 2.1 GB/s).

Re: Warning: 2016 MacBook Pro is not compatible with Linux

#164

Post by dom0 »

wtallis wrote: post #122
dom0 wrote: post #102

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Unless I'm missing something: Huh? Apple is just using regular NVMe/M.2 SSDs, nothing special about them. Lots of laptops have the option for M.2 NVMe SSDs, and most newer desktop motherboards have the slot for it.

A lot of laptops that advertise NVMe SSDs are using inferior TLC-based or non-Samsung SSDs to check that box. Apple's not alone at the top (especially when aftermarket upgrades are taken into account), but they have been pretty good about using the fastest PCIe SSD that money could buy at the time of release.

True, but I don't think that's common near the price point of Apple hardware.

It's also not uncommon in the "lower ranks". I just bought a 800 € ultrabook with a 256 GB Samsung PM961 SSD (NVMe, 2.8 / 1.1 GB/s) and the Skylake i7 for example.

Re: Warning: 2016 MacBook Pro is not compatible with Linux

#165

Post by [deleted] »

bluedino wrote: post #141
dom0 wrote: post #102

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Unless I'm missing something: Huh? Apple is just using regular NVMe/M.2 SSDs, nothing special about them. Lots of laptops have the option for M.2 NVMe SSDs, and most newer desktop motherboards have the slot for it.

The latest MBP leapfrogged the rest of the market again

[deleted]

Re: Warning: 2016 MacBook Pro is not compatible with Linux

#166

Post by freehunter »

micaksica wrote: post #55
mi100hael wrote: post #54

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The hardest part for me was finding a 15" PC laptop without the retarded number pad. I'm quite happy with my Dell M5510, but it was basically the only alternative to a MBP.

Yes, this drives me insane too, and is the thing that I hate about the "workstation class" devices. I don't use the number pad and I don't want it, thank you. It trips me up whenever I have to use one and I have to offset my hands from the display.

I would have really loved one when I was doing a lot of data entry in a previous job. Instead I just got a USB keyboard with a number pad, I understand that my niche desires don't necessarily make for a mass-market desirable device.

Re: Warning: 2016 MacBook Pro is not compatible with Linux

#167

Post by cpncrunch »

striking wrote: post #162
cpncrunch wrote: post #108

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>What are those reasons apart from having a "better" ui? (Which is highly subjective and if you use a tiling wm Linux is probably the better choice). - More commercial software available (photoshop, etc). - OS X is required if you need to run xcode - Easier to upgrade to the next version of the OS, without having to do a full reinstall - Better binary compatibility. (Pretty minor issue). >What turns me off OS X is th…

> full reinstall You need to fully reinstall your Linux install every upgrade? That might be a symptom of Ubuntu usage, but many other distros handle upgrades gracefully. Arch is an example of this.

Perhaps it depends on the distro. You certainly have to reinstall to upgrade to a new version of CentOS (which is what I use on all my servers).

Re: Warning: 2016 MacBook Pro is not compatible with Linux

#169

Post by spronkey »

dom0 wrote: post #102
givinguflac wrote: post #34

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It may be fine, but the disk speeds on the latest Macs are amazing. There is no laptop that matches that I'm aware of.

Unless I'm missing something: Huh? Apple is just using regular NVMe/M.2 SSDs, nothing special about them. Lots of laptops have the option for M.2 NVMe SSDs, and most newer desktop motherboards have the slot for it.

Just as a sticking point, Apple's SSDs are not, and have never been, regular NVMe or M.2. They have always used their own stupid custom proprietary connector, despite basically implementing most of the relevant standard (NVMe/PCIe/SATA).

Re: Warning: 2016 MacBook Pro is not compatible with Linux

#170

Post by freehunter »

Koshkin wrote: post #63
jrockway wrote: post #60

Earlier quoted context omitted.

$150 isn't a very good status symbol.

Linux isn't, either... Otherwise, it's great!

You'd be surprised. When I was in college I saw a lot of people running Linux and showing off how cool it was. They were l33t because they had Linux. Uncommon things are very cool in the right audience. Plus, people in CS majors see their heroes using Linux for work and want to emulate them. For us, it's just another tool to get the job done. For them, it's getting a jump start on how they imagine their lives will be in a few years.

My 18 yr old cousin drives a 1988 Volvo with holes in the floor and a missing second gear, and he's the cool one in his group. Because he has the most inconvenient car. That's cool in his group.

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