Can you use linux on a mac

You need to use a third-party app to create a USB installer from the Ubuntu disk image. One of the simplest apps for this is balenaEtcher , but you can use anything you like. Use this opportunity to test Ubuntu on your Mac. Keep in mind that because it's running from your USB flash drive, it may be slow. Since Ubuntu can't use your Mac's Wi-Fi by default, use an Ethernet adapter to connect to the internet. In , Apple introduced the T2 security chip to new Macs.

This advancement might stop you from booting other operating systems on your machine. If you experience any boot issues, follow Apple's instructions to disable the T2 chip. When you're ready, double-click the Install Ubuntu item on the desktop.

Follow the on-screen prompts to choose your language and keyboard layout. Choose a Normal installation and select the option to Install third-party software. You need to connect your Mac to the internet using an Ethernet cable to install this software, which makes functions like Wi-Fi and Bluetooth work.

Then click Continue. From the Installation type screen, select Something Else and click Continue. Unfortunately, there are no recognizable partition names, so look for a device with fat32 in the name that matches the partition size, measured in MB.

Double-click to select it and choose Use as: Ext4 journaling file system. Click OK. In the popup alert, click Continue to write previous changes to the disk. Now identify your SWAP partition, which should also have fat32 in the name. Double-click it and choose to Use as: swap area , then click OK. The name should match what you selected for it from the table above.

Take a moment to ensure you selected the correct partitions, then click Install Now. Click Continue in the popup alert to confirm you want to write changes to those disks.

Finally, follow the on-screen prompts to choose your time zone and create a user account, then wait for the installation to complete. From the Installation type screen, select Erase disk and install Ubuntu. Be warned: this erases everything from your Mac, including the operating system and the Recovery partition! To manage my images, I use the simple Shotwell application. For 3D modeling, I use and teach the open source Blender software. At my school, we teach Unity 3d , which has Linux builds.

It works fine, but I've been meaning to try out Godot , an open source alternative. I also added Firefox and Brave Browser. All work as you'd be used to on a Mac or PC. Most of the time, I do my development work in Atom and sometimes in Visual Studio Code, both of which are easily installed on Linux. Vim is pre-installed in the terminal, and Neovim, my preferred terminal text editor, was an easy install. After a few weeks, I began to try out other terminals.

My current favorite is Terminology from the Enlightenment Foundation. For one, it allows you to view images in the terminal, something you'd be hard-pressed to do in Mac's terminal. I can't see myself switching back to a Mac as my daily computer. Now when I use a Mac, I notice the abundance of options and extra steps needed to run an application or navigate somewhere.

I also notice it runs a bit slower, or is that just in my head? Now that I've made the switch to an open source ecosystem and Linux, I'm happy and have no need to switch back. Thanks for great article. Mac runs at the same speed as any other Linux. I did not notice the difference in speed.

But this is my opinion. I have been confused in choosing between Linux and Mac for a while now. Seeing how positive your reviews are, I am tilting a bit towards Linux. Are there any factors in which you would say that Mac is a better option? I think Linux is better or on the same level as Mac on every level. The only advantage would be the lightweight of Mac as compared to the comparatively heavier Laptops with Linux.

I would recommend that you go with Linux as your choice. How do you run Office natively on Linux? What tool is available in Linux for me to publish iOS apps on the Apple store? How do I integrate my watch; phone; and biometric id with my Ubuntu devices? I run most of the same open source stuff in either environment, but how do I run iMovie, Garage Band, and other Mac-centric programs in Linux?

If you're looking to keep using all these specific Mac programs because you specifically love them and are already familiar with them, it could be hard to switch.

I think you could look into using a Mac VirtualBox but essentially that would just be starting up a Mac system in your Linux box, which maybe goes away from the goal, and you'd want to look up the legality of this. If you want to find Linux software with similarity to these Mac programs, you can find that. There is Office Online for the occasional need to open up an office document, but otherwise I use LibreOffice. The most simple research would show you that Office does not run 'natively' on Linux though there has long been talk it is coming.

And you cannot run Mac in a virtual machine a mortal with other work in life cannot, anyway. So if you want to use those apps, stick with the Mac. The Terminal gives great access to all unix commands.

If you want Linux, install a distro or two in VirtualBox. Yeah, it's up to you. I have the Dell XPS and it's 2. The Macbook Air 13 is 2. For me the biggest advantage of a Mac is the better and smoother multitasking. I usually have 2 monitors to work with Ubuntu and Windows, but on a Mac I am completely okay with using one small screen of course 2 screens are still better even on a Mac.

Having a smooth and easy way to fullscreen an application and hide the topbar and order them however my needs are is so helpful and really helps productivity. I don't need to remember where the app I need is because if I forget I simply swipe up and get all the screens ordered.

If I need to swap to another screen just swipe left or right to the desired screen. Maybe they do but not out of the box like on Mac So if you plan on using your laptop's trackpad without a mouse Mac multitasking experience is really smooth.

Apart from that from my experience using Ubuntu and Mac, I don't really see any major benefits to using a Mac over Linux both work well and get the job done. FYI I am a web developer and a student. I think I have the same functionality on my Ubuntu out of the box. Press the Super key It's the one with the windows logo and you get a view with all open apps and your workspaces on the right. Click on any app or workspace to switch. It's equivalent I think to swiping up on a Mac.

Also: Alt-Tab switches apps. Re-reading your comment again. If you're looking for mouseless ability to view all and switch. After you hit SUPER and it brings up the open apps and workspaces you can hit tab to cycle through them and hit enter to accept. Maybe there's some other functionality you're looking for as well? As well as three-finger drag and text selection in my experience at least.

You're lucky you can programme , because yiu may need to develop a driver to a printer or other piece of hardware. Linux is great but it is not for everybody. I don't program and, obviously, have never developed a hardware driver. Yet I've been using Linux as my sole operating system, and productively, since Personally, I find that kind of limiting, just using one OS only. Heck, the only reason I do not own a Mac is because I cannot justify spending the money on one.

After all, I prefer to build my own machines and have done so for at least the last 35 years or so. We're not in the 90's anymore, you don't need to program your own driver, they are already included in the kernel unless it is a Linux-hostile hardware vendor.

Incorrect - most hardware works under Linux-based operating systems "out of the box", especially with Ubuntu I've been using Linux-based operating systems for nearly ten years now, and I could count on half a hand the hardware that hasn't worked "out of the box".

Unless you're using hardware that's pretty obscure, you're going to find that hardware compatibility is almost on-par with an Apple macOS or Microsoft Windows-based operating system. So you generally pretty much have the same printing options as on a Mac. I know, not always, because sometimes, brain-dead printer producers make you install MB of software on your Mac in order to print out some sheets of paper while all you really would need is a CUPS description file and Gutenprint or something similar.

I can't speak to MacOS driver availability, but I have found more often than not I have better luck getting devices working with Linux out-of-the-box, while MSWin wants you hunt down vendor drivers that may or may not still be available.

It's especially the case if you're using older printers and scanners, where MSWin will have broken the ABI for the only available device drivers and the vendor has zero interest in updating them for a newer OS version. Meanwhile plug that same device into Linux, and it just works more often than not. Your biggest problem comes from the so-called "WinPrinters" and "WinModems" at one time. These are dependent on proprietary vendor drivers to function at all, being reliant on the OS to do all the processing that a proper peripheral should do on it's own.

These are only made so the vendor can crank out cheaply-made, readily-disposable devices which also adds to the ecological problem of electronic waste. I prefer using Linux as it provides more administrative and root level access than Mac OS and it helps me in doing task automation through command line interface.

The last Apple computer I owned was a IIe, which tells you something about how long ago that was. I got fed up with the fact that there was always something else you needed to add for more usability.

Mainly, though, the absolute lock-down control Apple has on the hardware and OS means they are overpriced at every level. If you want to try an alternative Markdown editor, I would wholeheartedly suggest Typhora.

It's cross-platform, with a minimal GUI and the ability to export in md, pdf or html. It's very convenient to use it when exporting html files for GitHub Pages. Having an iPhone, I need to be able to text and call people from my computer, and copy and paste between the devices.

I haven't figured out a way to do so on Linux. Anyone else with the same dilemma? I don't use Messenger much, so this may not help you, but I do use Signal. And the Signal app works well on Ubuntu and syncs with my phone.

Fair enough I use Apple for everything, many, many photographs and I never use either of those apps. Lots of alternatives. For me, one of the problems with Mac aside from it not being an open source system is that it compels its users to upgrade. Mac OS becomes obsolete before the hardware does. You're forced to upgrade on a pretty regular basis, and it often involves e-waste and high prices.

Linux enables you to run a modern OS on very old hardware. While your last statement is true, Macs are supported for quite a while. Take note of the size of your partition, you will need this information later.

Click Apply. This will cause your computer to become unresponsive as the partition is created. Click Partition and Continue when further prompted and wait for the partition process to finish. Tagged: Linux Dual Boot Mac. Was this article helpful? Yes No. Need to chat with an expert? Can't find the answer you're looking for? Don't worry, we're here to help. Visit HelloTech. Notice: JavaScript is required for this content.