Install Linux directly on your MacBook Pro using native tools.
Install Linux directly on your MacBook Pro using native tools.
Macs lack strong Linux support; avoid purchasing one expecting Linux functionality since it may be difficult. Consider getting it only if it's available for free, but refrain from using Linux on it.
Silversoul shares insights that hold up. With some Linux experience, issues can be managed. Macbook Airs lacking an RJ45 port often face problems because the WiFi chip may not function on Live media. I encountered glitches with graphics—neither Nouveau nor proprietary NVidia drivers support all games and multi-monitor setups required for presentations—and text display struggled. Backlight settings needed adjustments. Libinput outperforms the standard evdev for touchpad control. These are the challenges I had to overcome, and overall hardware support remains below par compared to OS X. I still favor starting in Linux for my needs.
You're looking for a laptop that feels like a Mac, possibly a Dell XPS Developer Edition running Ubuntu, or a System76 with Ubuntu or Pop!_OS (which is based on Ubuntu). Other distributions are also an option if you want flexibility.
I’ll keep my Lenovo for personal purposes. Our CEO mentioned we’re a dual-platform company and told us the organization must use Bitlocker. We’re working to stop using Macs because of that requirement. For OSX compatibility testing, I’ll need to dual-boot with Ubuntu.
MacOS has generally offered stronger support compared to Linux recently, though I believe Proton is a genuine game-changer. Regarding GNOME, there could be alternatives, but I haven't explored them much since MacOS is usually quite refined. It might improve in the future.