Apple Hardware

tntcoder

tntcoder

tntcoder

Soldato
Joined
7 Apr 2004
Posts
4,212
Hey,

I'm tempted (:() to buy either a MacBook Pro or MacBook Air as a new laptop, but because OSX sucks it would need to run Linux.

Has anyone here played around with *nix running on Apple hardware? Are there any drawbacks or hardware incompatibilities to be aware of? Will probably be running either Debian, FreeBSD or Arch.

Thanks :)
 
Huh? People buy the hardware so they can run OSX? That was my view, have struggled and getting fed up with illegal solutions to do the same on x86 hardware.

If you don't like OSX, then buy one of the MBP-esque clones that HP etc.. are offering. They look just as good, are of similar spec and most importantly...

Save yourself much bucks!
 
Ok thanks - I will have a look at the HP ones, didn't know they were doing clones. The main thing I really like is the build quality and style, but I agree it does come at a premium if you don't like the software :p
 
I think Asus and Acer have similar offerings too, would be worth checking out. :)

What do you want to use the machine for out of interest?
 
Linux has a long history on Macs, and Apple directly contribute to a number of open source projects they have benefited from over the years. So the question seems a bit odd to me.

Let's put it this way OP: OSX is a Unix fork running on bog standard Intel hardware these days, with a UEFI for bios. They get it from the same bulk suppliers as everyone else in the industry. Software, casing and marketing terminology is what differs. Hence the 'holistic experience' commands a premium from Apple's point of view.

But considering your requirement for build quality, probably battery life and other selling points of MacBooks, I doubt you will save that much cash by going elsewhere, unless you buy without an OS or second hand / outlet. If you are a student or know someone who is, it can help, as discounts from both Apple and traditional PC manufacturers are good for that demographic.

Whether you want to keep OSX, dual or triple boot is up to you, though. As a user there is nothing stopping you at the moment. Mind, with the way Microsoft is trying to exploit secure boot module of UEFI, I wonder if Apple will follow suit? Still, virtualization is always an option!
 
One thing to note, even though the above is true - drivers for mac hardware can be a pain. Backlights, fn-keys etc. I know from experience the touchpads can be a royal pain to get working to an equivalent standard.
 
Out of interest what don't you like about OSX, I always thought that OSX was what Linux GUI wanted to be. Obviously servers are a different matter.

So far the only thing that has annoyed me about OSX is not being able to do SFTP mounts easily.
 
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