Can I install linux on an apple computer and remove the apple OS?
 

hello everyone,

I am thinking of getting an apple computer but I never used one. I have always been a PC user since 1990. Also, I hear that apple locks down their machines. Does this mean I cannot install linux as my main OS and remove the apple OS? Any clarifications is appreciated but I prefer an answer from an apple user since they own an apple computer and most likely know that answer.

Well essentially once you buy the hardware its yours and you can do what you want with it without violating the software license agreements. However, the hardware Mac uses is very rarely compatible with other operating systems and finding drivers is a big problem. You may be able to get a Linux OS to load but getting all the system fully functional would be a big challenge.

Even if it has an intel chip?

It would definitely be much easier with an Intel chip as opposed to the Motorola chips that MAC liked to use.

Try and verify as much hardware as possible on the HCLs first

www.linuxquestions.org/hcl
www.linuxhcl.com

A linux liveCD would be a good bet but I doubt they'll would let me do that in the apple store :/

Thanks Kustom42 for the info and fast replies.

If one has no plans to use the mac software, why get one. You can get the equivalent hardware for a fraction of the cost. I used to run ubuntu and Debian on the old new world ppc based g3 macs that I bought for a song. If you have to have a mac, you can certainly get virtual machine software and run linux that way. Mepis linux at one time supported the new mac intel boxes.

Gday mate, i have a macbook pro which i run Opensuse Gnu/Linux on. First i completely agree with the above statement. When i purchased my mac, i hadn't heard of Linux at that time, but if i had have, i wouldn't have got a mac.
The Ubuntu website has great info for installing Ubuntu on a mac, and most of the info is relevant to other distros too.

https://help.ubuntu.com/community/Ma...elInstallation

That should help you heaps.
If you're thinking about one of the mac laptops, like a macbook pro (what i have), i will emphasize the quoted statement. Although i have all the right drivers and stuff, pommed makes the buttons work like a mac, and everything works perfectly; there is one big issue, and that's battery life. OsX is optimized for the drivers and hardware and gets a far better life than any other third part os. This is not only true for Linux, but also mac users who use bootcamp to boot Windows too. If you do a quick search you will find many people who are disappointed with the battery life they get with Windows.

A third thing i'd like to mention. I do not suggest removing OsX. I suggest you shrink the partition instead to a small size and just not use it. This way you can get efi updates from apple.

I decided. If I get a mac, I will keep the OS on it and either use linux in a VM or use a portion of the disk to dual boot mac and linux.

Thanks to all

so...how did it go coder? Do share your experience with us.

Much easier to use VMWare to run Linux in a virtual machine, hosted by OS/X.

(Yeah ... VMWare, the commercial product. Buy a copy. And do be sure that the VMWare you get is appropriate for the OS/X version you run.)

Intel chips have hardware support for virtual machines.

Haven't purchased one yet. I am 50/50 if I should do. But If I do buy one, I will post back if the installation of linux on the mac was seamless or chaotic. :)

Remember, Mac OS X is a *nix systems (in fact, recent versions are actual Unix IIRC, since Apple paid the Open Group for use of the trademark and certification). So you already have bash, sed, awk, etc. easily accessible, and many *nix programs can be installed via MacPorts. So, if you just want to pull up a shell prompt, there's no particular need to install Linux on a VM. However, OS X is based off of BSD, so some of the standard utilities will be slightly different than they would be on Linux.

huge waste of money
Don't Do It

apple computers are the cheapest crap there ever was
priced like a rolls built like a ugo

at one time they were the best computers out there
but
now there just more made in china no quality JUNK

I think you actually have to keep MacOS on there because of ReFIT. I bought a MacBook Pro and didn't like it much. If you want Linux, get a Lenovo ThinkPad instead. Cheaper and better. Only reason to get a Mac is MacOS and if you don't care much for MacOS then getting a Mac is an epic waste of resources.

Apple has a history of dropping support for their existing products soon as they have some new toy to come out. You do not want to get in that revolving door that shrinks your financial resources.

From these recent posts it seems like apple computers are not well built and using them is a different experience from its heydays. I can't argue these points because I never had used an apple computer.

Anyway, I have already decided not to get an apple computer a few weeks ago. I am going to build my own desktop. The last desktop I've build was almost seven years ago.

I will of course try an apple computer someday. Thanks for the replies.

Agreed that putting linux on what essentioally is an over priced pc not a good investment, You are better off with an inexpensive white box pc or a used machine. Will say that I converted my old used g3 new world machines i bought cheap to run osx, but later installed linux to extend their ROI. Ironic part was I was using mostly open source software on them, so why pay for the os. Eventually used the parts for pc's and chumked the rest. As a side note, LTSP had support for netboot on version 4. It was wierd seeing diskless PPC G3's booting from a x86 based ltsp server.