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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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Is it possible to install ubuntu or another linux distro on a 2014 macbook pro? (linux.community)

submitted 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago) by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

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A friend wants to gift me an old macbook pro he no longer uses. Specs follow:

MacBook Pro, Core i5, 2.8 GHz (I5-4308U), model A1502 (EMC 2875), Retina Mid-2014 13", MacBookPro11,1, RAM 8 GB, VRAM 1.5 GB, Storage 512 GB SSD

Out of principle I don't use anything made by that brand and the only way I see myself using the hardware is if I can nuke the software and install any linux distro, ubuntu is the distro I know best.

Can it be done?

Any drawbacks?

It's a model with a screwed aluminum case, meaning I cannot unplug the battery when I don't need it. How long does it last?

Alternatively, what could I use this notebook for? Is there anything apple does better than linux that deserves I don't nuke it?

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[–] [email protected] 2 points 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago)

Running PopOS on a 2012 Macbook Air and Fedora on a 2015 Macbook Pro.

Potential common pitfall used to be having to add the Broadcom wifi drivers separately - I had to add them manually for PopOS but Fedora worked out of the box. Honestly PopOS + Wayland totally saved the old little Air and it’s a fantastic machine to use.

You may have to start using some free third-party tools for built-in features that work on the Mac.

I replaced iCloud keychain with BitWarden for password management. You can use Beeper for iMessage - it’s one of the few things to actually support it. iCloud Drive can be accessed via rclone I think but it might be terminal only - mind if you can get it to work via terminal then you can mount it as a folder. You can use Cider as an Apple Music client. I haven’t yet looked into Calendar and Contacts sync with iCloud but you can always export those and import in your software of choice on Linux.