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From M1 MacBook to Arch Linux: A month-long experiment that became permanenent

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Re: From M1 MacBook to Arch Linux: A month-long experiment that became permanenent

#271

Post by jeroenhd »

Pooge wrote: post #243
adastra22 wrote: post #70

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think it is just us getting old. I used Linux since high school in the 90's, through all the way to the late 00's. I switched to OS X (long before it was macOS) because that's where all the and coming developer tools were, and I got tired of being sysadmin to my own Linux install as things break. Now I'm the opposite of you. I WANT to run Linux, and I have both a recent Framework and Lenovo laptop at home that I bo…

I just had PTSD from reading your comment. Laptop + Nvidia drivers + Linux just do NOT work together. Nvidia drivers almost bricked my laptop once, and I'm glad a random guy in a Discord server could help me out because I couldn't even get to the boot screen.

The biggest issue with Nvidia drivers, the mux chip issue, doesn't seem to be very prominent anymore these days. With modern laptops, you'll probably boot to desktop, though your experience will be terrible and pretty much unaccelerated.

Nvidia remains a problem on Linux, though they're making steps in the right direction. By putting all of their code in the secret and signed firmware, they can actually open source their drivers now, which is a lot better than how things used to be.

Still, I wouldn't buy Nvidia anything with a computer I want to run Linux on, it's not worth the hassle. Sucks that all developments related to AI are using Nvidia APIs though.

Re: From M1 MacBook to Arch Linux: A month-long experiment that became permanenent

#272

Post by mythz »

I've owned several laptops over the years and have come to regret each of my non Apple laptop purchases which never got more than 3-4 years life without some hardware failures, Surface was the worst which died after 10 months of low sporadic usage.

Whilst my gen 1 MB Air has been too slow for anything, my 2013 MB Intel still looks and runs great which the kids still make good use of. My latest M2 MB is by far the best I've ever owned with great build quality, performance, battery life where it's the first time I can confidently travel without a power brick.

Whilst Apple's non-Desktop hardware is always best-of-class, I've become increasingly dissatisfied with the direction of macOS and Windows which IMO have both become power-user-hostile and have switched to a Linux desktop full-time. Everyone's been predicting the year of the Linux Desktop for 20+ years, but I believe we're at a turning point for Linux adoption with Windows 11 becoming an intolerable ad/spyware infested marketing platform and Apple's continued ignorance of developers and ambitions of turning its neglected macOS into a locked down appliance.

Hopefully Valve can continue their investments in Steam Deck and Arch Linux to accelerate the adoption, their contributions to Proton have already IMO unblocked the biggest barrier to adoption. Whilst currently a happy Fedora user I like the direction, taste, philosophy and community behind Omarchy from what I've seen after kicking the tires in a VM, will look into switching over after they bring out their ISO.

Re: From M1 MacBook to Arch Linux: A month-long experiment that became permanenent

#273

Post by mark_l_watson »

I would like to make the switch but I inherited a 7K Apple Studio monitor when my Dad died two years ago and I fear that I will never get full use of the monitor moving away from macOS. BTW, my favorite Linux machine is an about ten year old MacBook Air running Ubuntu. That slim little laptop is still amazing.

Re: From M1 MacBook to Arch Linux: A month-long experiment that became permanenent

#274

Post by jeroenhd »

mrtksn wrote: post #151
j4coh wrote: post #130

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Or, alternatively, non-illiterates have different needs.

macOS is quite popular among tech literate people too, it's almost the default OS for most techies.

That's not my experience at all. Some tech companies are macOS shops and their employees will use macOS, but Windows still dominates the market.

Re: From M1 MacBook to Arch Linux: A month-long experiment that became permanenent

#275

Post by porridgeraisin »

sylens wrote: post #235
porridgeraisin wrote: post #152

I am still in the market for a laptop that a) has good linux drivers b) has a big battery ~80wh or more c) metal build d) good touchpad, screen, keyboard, e) strictly no dGPU. I genuinely don't care about the CPU, all of them are good enough for me. Although I suppose if I'm going to be spending on a laptop in 2025, I will be looking for one with 24 or 32GB of RAM instead of 16GB. Macbook Pros satisfy b), c), d) and…

I realize touchpad quality is subjective but is a Framework 13 not an option?

55-60wh battery unfortunately. That cuts off 2.5hrs-ish of usage on linux, compared to 85wh laptops.

Didn't hear great things about the build quality and touchpad although these were just reddit reviews.

I really like the repairability though, so I'll be watching their product line.

Re: From M1 MacBook to Arch Linux: A month-long experiment that became permanenent

#276

Post by baq »

wongogue wrote: post #184
baq wrote: post #99

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> I have no idea how people are still using alt tab in 2025. Everything is full screen almost always. In a week I need windows tiled for maybe 2h.

This workflow is even easier on a Tiling WM. These days I use niri which at its core, is just Alt-Tab blown up as your actual desktop.

The point is I don’t need any wm for this workflow. It just works on any box regardless of OS.

Re: From M1 MacBook to Arch Linux: A month-long experiment that became permanenent

#277

Post by goyagoji »

goyagoji wrote: post #160
me551ah wrote: post #137

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Also durability. I’m shocked that something that looks so good can withstand by downright abuse. I hold my MacBook Pro with one hand and fling it around and I’ve lost track of the number of times it has fallen down. But except for some chips at random places, it works perfectly fine

I'm not really sure that's remarkable, maybe compared to the netbook level machines. Now that HDs are gone the only cause of failure I see from my coworkers is extended vacations and remote work in tropical climates.

Ah, I guess the point of the thread was to share only data points consistent with the distortion.

Re: From M1 MacBook to Arch Linux: A month-long experiment that became permanenent

#278

Post by MangoToupe »

rwyinuse wrote: post #236
newsclues wrote: post #230

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Have you used the cheap Dells and HP laptops that most people buy (not high end IBM machines)? They tend to be plastic junk. Yes thinkpads are good, but most laptops are trash disposable hardware

They are plastic junk, but even they are likely to remain technically functional for more than 5 years. It's mainly things like battery life, screen & keyboard quality that make those laptops annoying.

> even they are likely to remain technically functional for more than 5 years

Every plastic laptop I've bought has busted within two years, whether it's mechanical stress or poor heat design. They feel less like reliable tools and more like toys. Looking specifically at you, thinkpads.

Meanwhile, the MacBook Pro I bought for myself for college 17 years ago still boots. The battery is dead, but that's an incredibly long life for any hardware of that complexity.

Re: From M1 MacBook to Arch Linux: A month-long experiment that became permanenent

#279

Post by throwaway31131 »

cycomanic wrote: post #76

> But the quality of MacBooks is just another level. I had 3 or 4 so far since 2010, and each of them held at least 5 years. Crazy good. When I read things like this it really sounds like there is some reality distortion field in the mac world. How is that anywhere special? I'm running a thinkpad X1 as my 2 main laptops (it was my only work machine until 2 years ago) and I never felt the need to replace it. It gave m…

Defect rate is a probability distribution so some people will get 10 heads in a row and others will get 10 tails, and since it’s the internet, and since it’s kinda amazing we hear about both. But most people get a mixture and post nothing.

Every IT survey I’ve ever seen shows Macs as more reliable. On the other hand the repairs are often more expensive. So there’s a trade off.

For me, my M1 16” is a champ. The computer is almost too good. I’d like to upgrade but honestly there’s no reason to so I just can’t get myself to ditch a perfectly good computer.

Re: From M1 MacBook to Arch Linux: A month-long experiment that became permanenent

#280

Post by ninkendo »

dghf wrote: post #178
rz2k wrote: post #177

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It should be more easily discoverable, but command-shift-g lets you type in the path directly, and even has tab completion. If you want to navigate visually, navigate up to the computer or drive where you want to start, then press command-shift-period in order to see all of the directories that are usually hidden. Both of these approaches work in the open and save dialogs, and not just the Finder.

Thank you for the cmd-shift-g tip. That will save me a lot of grief. Re your second tip: how do you navigate up? I couldn’t see an obvious way to do that, either.

Command+Up
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