this post was submitted on 09 Apr 2024
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Linux
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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Linux is a family of open source Unix-like operating systems based on the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released on September 17, 1991 by Linus Torvalds. Linux is typically packaged in a Linux distribution (or distro for short).
Distributions include the Linux kernel and supporting system software and libraries, many of which are provided by the GNU Project. Many Linux distributions use the word "Linux" in their name, but the Free Software Foundation uses the name GNU/Linux to emphasize the importance of GNU software, causing some controversy.
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@cyclohexane Is there any risk for me to try installing Linux on my MacBook (intel) and are there specific distros that run better on a macbook?
Check compatibility first. Some of em need a binary blob network driver that certain distros don’t ship by default. But yeah you can run Linux on Macs pretty good. What mb do you have and I can give better input?
I'm not aware of any distros that works better on Intel Macs - in general you may find one or two things not working (like WiFi or Bluetooth), that may take extra steps to resolve.
You can check general compatibility here: https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Laptop/Apple
In saying that, if you like the macos aesthetic, you might be interested in elementary OS.
I unfortunately don't recall them by name, but there are distributions that are specific to Macbook and run better.
I installed Scientific Linux on a brand new intel macbook some 7-8 years ago. Worked pretty well once I realized that MBR boot was not an option. I would think other modern distros would work just as well.
Check out Action Retro on YouTube and mastodon (bitbang.social). Sean has several videos detailing how to install Linux on mostly older MacBooks with good success. Main thing to look out for is driver support for WiFi and sound.
Compatibility is iffy on some of the newer ones. Here's a list of what works for some of them: https://github.com/Dunedan/mbp-2016-linux