Should I run Linux on my new/old Macbook?: Off-topic discussion forum: Grassroots Motorsports Magazine

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Feb. 12, 2011 2:31 p.m. alex SuperDork

I bought a used Macbook (a few generations old) to replace the one stolen from my house. The 'puter it's replacing was only a year old when stolen (also a bottom-line Macbook), and I had become more accustomed to its speed/features than I really appreciated. Going backwards in tech is kind of a struggle.

Yes, I realize this is a high-class problem.

I have been Linux-curious for a while now, so much so that I had burned a copy of an Ubuntu boot disc a while back to try out.

This new 'book is running OSX 10.4.11 on a clean install from a reputable Mac specialist, and even that runs pretty laggy. And it really doesn't seem to like Java or Flash. And dammit, it won't even run Chrome.

My (limited) understanding of Linux is that it's a pretty lean OS. Will is run faster? Will I lose other functionality?

For the record, my machine has a 1.83 GHz Intel processor and 512 MB / 667 MHz RAM.

I realize I'm getting in over my head to some degree with Linux, but I'm willing to learn.

Any thoughts from Mac/Linux geeks would be most appreciated.
Feb. 12, 2011 2:33 p.m. Grtechguy SuperDork

OSX is essentially a derivative of BSD linux. 1.8ghz and 512 is ok, but no powerhouse for anything. My opinion? image your hdd and try it.
Feb. 12, 2011 2:35 p.m. Grtechguy SuperDork

also Ubuntu still run gnome for a shell. Xbuntu will run Xwindows - Much lighter
Feb. 12, 2011 3:01 p.m. madmallard Reader

run a livecd. ;p
Feb. 12, 2011 3:02 p.m. alex SuperDork

Fortunately, as fresh as this machine is, I don't have anything important to lose if something goes pear shaped.
Feb. 12, 2011 6:59 p.m. pigeon Dork

I know nothing of Linux, but I bet it runs OSX a lot better if you throw a couple gigs of RAM at it. That'd allow you to upgrade to Snow Leopard too. My little hackintosh netbook running an atom processor @1.6ghz is plenty snappy with 2GB of RAM and Leopard (10.5.7)
Feb. 12, 2011 8:12 p.m. 1988RedT2 Dork

madmallard wrote:

run a livecd. ;p

This. If you burn a CD image of Ubuntu, you can load it and run it "live" without making any changes to your system.
Feb. 12, 2011 8:32 p.m. BoxheadTim SuperDork

The most likely reason it doesn't run Chrome and a host of other software is because the OS is outdated - I would update it to 10.6 ASAP.

Also, put more RAM in - 512MB isn't really going to make a big impression on Linux, either.

As someone who really likes OS X because it's Unix with a sensible UI on top, I would think putting Linux on the machine would be a bit of a downgrade TBH. I'm not saying this because I don't like Linux - I run it an older IBM laptop and it's great on that, but if I could run OS X on it easily I'd rather do that.
Feb. 12, 2011 9:10 p.m. szeis4cookie New Reader

I run Ubuntu Linux 10.10 on a home-built computer and love it. Like others have said, no matter which OS, you will want more RAM - 2GB is a good minimum. Ubuntu will run (and run fairly decently) in less, but the more RAM the better. I would also upgrade to Snow Leopard if funds allow. The great thing here is that you don't necessarily have to choose between OSs - split your HD into two partitions, and the Boot Camp utility will allow you to dual-boot your MacBook.

There are some things that Linux (and/or the software that runs on Linux) doesn't do well. For example, if you use Excel's Solver plugin, OpenOffice doesn't really have a substitute for that. Also, Netflix doesn't work on Linux due to DRM issues - the open-sourced version of MS Silverlight doesn't include the DRM stack. You will also need to use a computer with iTunes to convert any iTunes Store purchases to a non-Apple format - this is something you can do if you have the dual-boot set up.

With all that said, Ubuntu Linux is a great operating system, and definitely worth a shot.
Feb. 12, 2011 9:34 p.m. Tim Baxter SuperDork

Do NOT upgrade to 10.6. That machine is too old. You can upgrade to 10.5, but you won't see a lot of advantages. Stick with 10.4 if it will do the things you need. It'll run faster on that old a machine.

Throw as much RAM as you can at it. You'll be amazed how much faster it runs with one or preferably two gigs of RAM.

And then, if you're still not happy, fire up Boot Camp. Leave OS X on it, install Ubuntu on the other side of Boot Camp and you can switch back and forth. If Ubuntu doesn't work for you, there's still a perfectly good OS X install ready to switch to. Because they don't run at the same time, there's no performance hit.
Feb. 12, 2011 9:41 p.m. Tom Suddard SonDork

I used to run 10.5, 10.4, Vista, XP, and Ubuntu (at the same time!) on my 2 ghz. Core 2 Duo Macbook with 2 GB of RAM.

10.4 was the fastest, Vista was the slowest, and Ubuntu was the least compatible, FYI.

It's still my main computer, but now I just dual boot between 7 and 10.6.

Oh, and upgrading the RAM is stupidly easy on these computers. It took me five minutes and $30 to go from 512 mb to 2 gb.
Feb. 13, 2011 12:17 a.m. alex SuperDork

Sounds like I'll do the RAM upgrade first, then screw with ubuntu/xubuntu on a partition.

Thanks, geeks.
Feb. 13, 2011 10:09 a.m. Grtechguy SuperDork

Definitely Max the ram out if you can afford it.