Is there any advantage to installing Linux on an Apple machine?

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James_Smith
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Is there any advantage to installing Linux on an Apple machine?

Post by James_Smith »

I have a chance to buy a used Mac 11" laptop for $800. With the Apple iOS it starts up in about 1 second and it's faster than any computer I've ever had.

So, as the subject line above says: is there any particular advantage to running an Apple computer with Linux? It seems to me the answer would be no but I'd like to get some opinions from the other members of the forum.

Thanks
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I have been using Linux for years and I am still a newbie
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catweazel
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Re: Is there any advantage to installing Linux on an Apple machine?

Post by catweazel »

"There is, ultimately, only one truth -- cogito, ergo sum -- everything else is an assumption." - Me, my swansong.
DAMIEN1307

Re: Is there any advantage to installing Linux on an Apple machine?

Post by DAMIEN1307 »

Starts in 1 second???...DAMIEN
MintBean

Re: Is there any advantage to installing Linux on an Apple machine?

Post by MintBean »

It's all down to personal preference. You know MacOS, you know Mint, use what you like. My Mum was happy with her Mac Mini until it started slowing down, plus I found the GUI a little lacking in options in some circumstances. Once it really started slowing down I said I'm sticking Mint on it. The transition was painless for her and she prefers Mint a little. I prefer it because I feel it gives me more control over the machine and is easier to administer and I say that as someone who ran MacOs for about 6 years on my primary machine. Whereas MacOs gets worse with each release, Mint improves and I know the hardware won't be artificially obsoleted by removal of OS/security support down the line.
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Re: Is there any advantage to installing Linux on an Apple machine?

Post by James_Smith »

DAMIEN1307 wrote:Starts in 1 second???...DAMIEN
Ok, maybe three :lol:
I have been using Linux for years and I am still a newbie
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majpooper
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Re: Is there any advantage to installing Linux on an Apple machine?

Post by majpooper »

Someone gave me a MacMini that they had replaced and that they didn't want anymore. It was pathetic it was sooooooooo slow. I installed lubuntu on it. The install was a bit tricky btw, at least for me. But it ran fairly well on lubuntu. I then gave it to a 14 year old who was tickled to death to have it.
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Re: Is there any advantage to installing Linux on an Apple machine?

Post by James_Smith »

Ok, I missed out on the 11 inch I mentioned above but I just bought a used 2017 MacBook Pro. It's on the way to my house right now. Wish me luck :shock: :?
I have been using Linux for years and I am still a newbie
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CaptainKirksChair
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Re: Is there any advantage to installing Linux on an Apple machine?

Post by CaptainKirksChair »

I have an iMac 9.1 with Mint 18.3 Cinnamon installed. Works perfectly. The install was different than 18.1 and 18.2 in that running driver manager to use the Broadcom wireless drivers worked fine in 18.1 and 18.2 but failed in 18.3; I had to connect via wire to the network to get driver manager to run so I could select the Broadcom drivers. Works perfectly now. I am also looking for a used Macbook Pro, preferably in the 5.x and over range. I'd like to run Mint on it as well.

The reason I use Mint instead of macOS is because at some point macOS will pass this hardware by and I won't be able to use it anyway. So why wait? Start by not using it now and move to something better! Here's a screen shot of my desktop.

Image

I use Cairo-Dock (the Alu theme) with Mac4Lin for the window control buttons. While I may not like the macOS, I do like the look and feel of it. People say, "Nice Mac." I correct them and say, "Nice Apple hardware running the superior operating system of Linux Mint." I get some weird looks until I show them what it can do.
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Re: Is there any advantage to installing Linux on an Apple machine?

Post by James_Smith »

CaptainKirksChair wrote:I have an iMac 9.1 with Mint 18.3 Cinnamon installed. Works perfectly. The install was different than 18.1 and 18.2 in that running driver manager to use the Broadcom wireless drivers worked fine in 18.1 and 18.2 but failed in 18.3; I had to connect via wire to the network to get driver manager to run so I could select the Broadcom drivers. Works perfectly now. I am also looking for a used Macbook Pro, preferably in the 5.x and over range. I'd like to run Mint on it as well.

The reason I use Mint instead of macOS is because at some point macOS will pass this hardware by and I won't be able to use it anyway. So why wait? Start by not using it now and move to something better! Here's a screen shot of my desktop.

Image

I use Cairo-Dock (the Alu theme) with Mac4Lin for the window control buttons. While I may not like the macOS, I do like the look and feel of it. People say, "Nice Mac." I correct them and say, "Nice Apple hardware running the superior operating system of Linux Mint." I get some weird looks until I show them what it can do.
If you don't mind, I have a couple of follow-up questions:

1. On a very well-known social networking site, someone encouraged me to do it but with one caveat: he told me to make it a dual-boot machine because you cannot do firmware updates on a Mac using Linux.

2. If I totally screw this up, is there any hope of me re-installing the native OS and then unloading the thing on a Mac fanboy or girl?

Regarding the second question, I really don't think it will come to that given the tutorials on this forum and all the help I've received for my various problems, but I'd like to know there is a safety net.

Thank for your reply and your desktop looks beautiful.
I have been using Linux for years and I am still a newbie
BaltyRaven

Re: Is there any advantage to installing Linux on an Apple machine?

Post by BaltyRaven »

Thank you so much for actually giving us this link. My uncle is an Apple fanboy (he has been using their products since the original Macintosh days) and if any of his iMacs just screw up, I'll try to convince him to switch to Linux.
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Re: Is there any advantage to installing Linux on an Apple machine?

Post by CaptainKirksChair »

James_Smith wrote:If you don't mind, I have a couple of follow-up questions:

1. On a very well-known social networking site, someone encouraged me to do it but with one caveat: he told me to make it a dual-boot machine because you cannot do firmware updates on a Mac using Linux.

2. If I totally screw this up, is there any hope of me re-installing the native OS and then unloading the thing on a Mac fanboy or girl?

Regarding the second question, I really don't think it will come to that given the tutorials on this forum and all the help I've received for my various problems, but I'd like to know there is a safety net.

Thank for your reply and your desktop looks beautiful.
1. Yes, that is true. Firmware updates do require using macOS. However, you can get a USB drive and install the latest macOS version your Mac will run. I have an external 1TB USB drive with Mountain Lion on it. I can boot to it at any time. If I need to do a firmware update, I can boot into Mountain Lion, download the necessary files/updates, and run it from there. Or you can dual boot to Mint and macOS. Your call.

2. If you boot to the macOS DVD that came with the hardware, doing a full install of the operating system will remove all existing partitions. You'll just end up with a Mac. That's how I started with my iMac. Then I blew away everything except the EFI partition and installed Mint. Works fine.

3. (FYI) Backup your data. Just before writing this, I almost lost everything today. I had planned on a backup but never got around to it. Today, the iMac wouldn't boot. (I was having some issues with the Mint screen saver.) I finally got it to boot into Mint and I've just backed up my files. If something goes wrong, a reinstall and restore will get me right back to where I am now.

I have those exact tulips planted now and I'm hoping they come up this spring. Should look great around April or May.
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Re: Is there any advantage to installing Linux on an Apple machine?

Post by James_Smith »

CaptainKirksChair wrote:1. Yes, that is true. Firmware updates do require using macOS. However, you can get a USB drive and install the latest macOS version your Mac will run. I have an external 1TB USB drive with Mountain Lion on it. I can boot to it at any time. If I need to do a firmware update, I can boot into Mountain Lion, download the necessary files/updates, and run it from there. Or you can dual boot to Mint and macOS. Your call.
I'd rather it not be a dual-boot. I'm dealing with that with my Alienware and I'm thinking of wiping out Windows all together and just making it a straight-up Linux machine.

Question: is there an easy guide (for dummies like me) for setting up the macOS on a USB stick?

Follow up question: will I have to make the stick using the MacBook native OS before installing Linux? It seems like the answer would be yes, but I know you can get USB sticks with Windows. Is it similar with Apple?
CaptainKirksChair wrote:2. If you boot to the macOS DVD that came with the hardware, doing a full install of the operating system will remove all existing partitions. You'll just end up with a Mac. That's how I started with my iMac. Then I blew away everything except the EFI partition and installed Mint. Works fine.
Question: will the USB mentioned above (with the macOS on it) work for this or will I have to separately purchase the macOS DVD? (The MacBook I'm getting might come with one, but I'm not counting on it).
CaptainKirksChair wrote:3. (FYI) Backup your data. Just before writing this, I almost lost everything today. I had planned on a backup but never got around to it. Today, the iMac wouldn't boot. (I was having some issues with the Mint screen saver.) I finally got it to boot into Mint and I've just backed up my files. If something goes wrong, a reinstall and restore will get me right back to where I am now.
Acknowledged. Thanks for the advice.
CaptainKirksChair wrote:I have those exact tulips planted now and I'm hoping they come up this spring. Should look great around April or May.
Oh, that's great. I thought that pic was one of the Apple backgrounds from the macOS. Speaking of which, one thing I'm going to do before installing Linux is to get all of the background pics from the MacBook. They're beautiful (I am a former photog).

Slightly o/t question: I know this is a Linux Mint forum and the only two Linux distros I've used are Mint and Ubuntu but someone on the aforementioned well-known social media site strongly recommended Kali. He says it works great and he claims that his MacBook Pro 13 (one step down from the one I'm getting) boots up in 4.77 seconds consistently. I can't testify that he's telling the truth, but I don't see why he'd lie.

I know nothing about Kali except that it looks slick and I love the dragon.

Also this gentleman is far more computer literate than I am. Maybe Kali isn't good for dummies like me(?).
I have been using Linux for years and I am still a newbie
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Re: Is there any advantage to installing Linux on an Apple machine?

Post by whm1974 »

I would stick with Mint due to the larger user base and friendly forum.
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Re: Is there any advantage to installing Linux on an Apple machine?

Post by CaptainKirksChair »

James_Smith wrote:I'd rather it not be a dual-boot. I'm dealing with that with my Alienware and I'm thinking of wiping out Windows all together and just making it a straight-up Linux machine.
Question: is there an easy guide (for dummies like me) for setting up the macOS on a USB stick?
Follow up question: will I have to make the stick using the MacBook native OS before installing Linux? It seems like the answer would be yes, but I know you can get USB sticks with Windows. Is it similar with Apple?
Dual boot isn't bad, but I try to avoid it too. With that said, the external USB drive I have is dual boot. It has to be so I can boot to macOS or Linux. Actually, you should probably get a USB hard drive. I have a 1TB Western Digital Passport. I partitioned it using the macOS DVD that came with my iMac and installed Mountain Lion on it. Not only does it boot to Mountain Lion, it also boots to Mint that is installed and I also use it for my backup. So yes, you would install macOS on the USB hard drive first and make sure it does boot. You don't need a large partition, just big enough to hold the operating system. You can then boot to a LiveUSB of Mint and partition the USB hard drive for Mint and install it. Remember, all of this has to be UEFI because macOS demands it.
Question: will the USB mentioned above (with the macOS on it) work for this or will I have to separately purchase the macOS DVD? (The MacBook I'm getting might come with one, but I'm not counting on it).
You will have to have a macOS DVD and you may have to purchase one if the Macbook doesn't come with one. You would boot the Macbook to the DVD and install the macOS onto the external USB hard drive. If macOS comes on the Macbook, you'll have to remove all of the partitions with a Mint LiveUSB except the EFI partition which the Macbook requires. If nothing is installed on the Macbook, you should have a macOS DVD because you will need it.
Slightly o/t question: I know this is a Linux Mint forum and the only two Linux distros I've used are Mint and Ubuntu but someone on the aforementioned well-known social media site strongly recommended Kali. He says it works great and he claims that his MacBook Pro 13 (one step down from the one I'm getting) boots up in 4.77 seconds consistently. I can't testify that he's telling the truth, but I don't see why he'd lie.

I know nothing about Kali except that it looks slick and I love the dragon.

Also this gentleman is far more computer literate than I am. Maybe Kali isn't good for dummies like me(?).
I know absolutely nothing about Kali Linux. Mint is always a good starting place. And I think you'll stay once you see what it can do.
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Re: Is there any advantage to installing Linux on an Apple machine?

Post by catweazel »

BaltyRaven wrote:Thank you so much for actually giving us this link
You're most welcome.
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Re: Is there any advantage to installing Linux on an Apple machine?

Post by James_Smith »

catweazel wrote:
BaltyRaven wrote:Thank you so much for actually giving us this link
You're most welcome.
I'd like to thank everyone who replied. I just bought a Linux-themed protective skin for my MacBook. That should wrankle the Mac fanboys and girls :wink: :mrgreen:
I have been using Linux for years and I am still a newbie
BaltyRaven

Re: Is there any advantage to installing Linux on an Apple machine?

Post by BaltyRaven »

James_Smith wrote:
catweazel wrote:
BaltyRaven wrote:Thank you so much for actually giving us this link
You're most welcome.
I'd like to thank everyone who replied. I just bought a Linux-themed protective skin for my MacBook. That should wrankle the Mac fanboys and girls :wink: :mrgreen:
If you gave us a picture, maybe I could text it to my uncle so he could think of switching to Linux (probably).
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Re: Is there any advantage to installing Linux on an Apple machine?

Post by James_Smith »

BaltyRaven wrote:
James_Smith wrote:I'd like to thank everyone who replied. I just bought a Linux-themed protective skin for my MacBook. That should wrankle the Mac fanboys and girls :wink: :mrgreen:
If you gave us a picture, maybe I could text it to my uncle so he could think of switching to Linux (probably).

Pictures will be posted as soon as I get home in about 2 and a half weeks (I'm on one side of the world; the MacBook and skin is on the other side of the world).
Last edited by James_Smith on Mon Jan 29, 2018 10:25 pm, edited 1 time in total.
I have been using Linux for years and I am still a newbie
BaltyRaven

Re: Is there any advantage to installing Linux on an Apple machine?

Post by BaltyRaven »

James_Smith wrote:
BaltyRaven wrote:If you gave us a picture, maybe I could text it to my uncle so he could think of switching to Linux (probably).
Pictures will be posted as soon as I get home in about 2 and a half weeks (I'm on one side of the world; the MacBook and skin is on the other side of the world).
Oh. Well, I guess I could probably give him a free Linux distribution (either Ubuntu or Mint would be good) and he'll go do something. Although I only have his phone number on an iPhone, so I'm not sure how would it work there. Unless I could give him an email.
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Re: Is there any advantage to installing Linux on an Apple machine?

Post by James_Smith »

BaltyRaven wrote:*tag*
I messed up the formatting on my previous post so when you quoted me it messed yours up, too. I've fixed it now.

I mean, you don't have to fix it, but I used to be a moderator over at (the now-defunct) iidb.org and I always liked a clean-looking thread :wink:

My bedroom's a mess but I like all my computer/internet stuff to be neat. I guess I'm kind of like Monk (but only in the virtual world).
I have been using Linux for years and I am still a newbie
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