Discussion
(Almost) ready to turn my beloved MacBook Air 2013 - which is gathering dust on a shelf - into a #Linux laptop.
Only problem: multiple people might have swayed me to pick Arch Linux as the distro. #ArchLinux!!! I know NOTHING but from all the Linux memes I've seen over the years, I've always been intimidated by it.
Debating whether to go with it or #Mint or #Ubuntu. Thoughts?
Edit / update: it's now a toss-up between Mint and Fedora. I may try Arch on my Raspi4
@ddiluted1 thank you! I just ordered a Wifi dongle (after watching a video tutorial by @veronica ). Fingers crossed it will all go smoothly...
@_elena @veronica most important thing is just to give it a go! All Linux distributions have pros and cons and the joy is exploring them. (I'm guilty of distro hopping on an old laptop I have just to see what they're like)
If you're interested in what each distro looks and feels like https://distrosea.com/ is worth checking out before you commit to installing something.
@ddiluted1 @veronica oooooog great link, thank you!
I'm super familiar with Ubuntu because I have it on my Raspberry Pi (which I use as a desktop system). But will explore all the distros now!
I had problems with WiFi on my 2013 MBA.
But cachyOS (arch based) works well and the WiFi works netter than on the other distros.
@_elena
In the end it's a philosophical question:
Do you you want a system that you have to conform to and that hides from you what you don't seem to need at the time or do you want to gain an understanding of your system, so you can learn how to properly do things your way?
First one is the Big Tech/Linux Mint-approach, the second one is the Arch way.
Also: If it comes down to Mint or Fedora, have some self-respect and do yourself a favor, get Fedora.
@_elena Re edit: Make that Debian or Fedora. 
@_elena Arch if you want to learn how operating systems are built, but less useful as a work flow platform. Debian is likely best pick if you want rock solid and fully functional and don't want to get fed up with your choice in a few year's time and want the same tools on laptop, desktop and server.
@copsewood great points! I'm used to Debian because it powers my YunoHost instances... I had not considered it as a candidate, but I might now...
@_elena @copsewood Agree with this advice. My personal vote is for #Ubuntu or #Debian. Keeping within the same ecosystem makes it easier to work through things and find documentation later.
@_elena Mint is easy to start!! Move on Mint!! Arch is for people who wants to know every single of code what is of own Os.. You should to be a skilled person.. ok with tutorial online you can install it easily right now, we can also try to have a help with Chat-gpt or Claude. Hahaha.
@_elena Mint
I put it on my mac air 2015, no problems, picked up the printer and more importantly the wifi card!!
@_elena i have an old intel MacBook with a battery that needs changing. Going to be following your adventures.
One aspect that I find is easily glossed over is the look and feel of the various distros. Some people don’t care, tastes vary, but for people (like me) who are (overly) sensitive to design, it’s something that I would factor in as a priority. Couldn’t use a system that makes my eyes bleed 😅
@sknob I'm in the same boat as you. I LOVE good design (which is why I've been drawn to Mint) and my Macbook Air's battery gives a "service needed" warning. I will definitely write about my adventures and document every step :)
@_elena @sknob Perhaps choose your desktop environment first, then the distro. And if you LOVE good design then I suggest GNOME. It is ridiculously polished.
Between Linux Mint and Fedora Linux I say pick Fedora. I get the sense they prioritize GNOME more than Linux Mint does.
Good luck! Let us know how things go! And you can always choose something else later.
@_elena For what it's worth, the difficulty of installing and using Arch is somewhat exaggerated. It does require more effort than many other distros, but it's not rocket science either. And IMO after you've gone through that process once, you are generally way better prepared to troubleshoot your system, because now you know how the individual parts actually go together.
@_elena +1 for fedora. i was a distro-hopper for a long time and a lot have their strengths, but fedora is just solid, compatible and a joy to use.
@_elena
Pick Mint and you'll have an easy time.
Pick Arch as an early distro and you can't complaint when it fails. Also the forums are quite antagonistic to questions from new people.
@_elena I runt Mint from t2linux.org on Macbook Air 2018 and Macbook Pro 2020 or 2019 (don’t remember - last Pro with Intel CPU anyways). Works flawlessly. Only issue would be you have to manually delete old kernels before they fill your boot drive - but it’s a 3 minute task with 3 or 4 terminal commands. And I guess will be resolved with december Mint update. Also sleep/wake not (always) work so I just don’t use it. Everything else is fast/clean/reaponsive/„just works” no problem experience.
@_elena I have a Macbook air with mint on it.
It's great, but...
Two issues I have found...
1)WiFi is a problem until you get it installed and can install the correct drivers.
I use a USB WiFi dongle that is supported during the install.
2)If you close the lid whilst it is running it borks the system, and you need to use an odd multi key combo to recover.
I disable sleep on lid close to avoid this.
Hope that's of some help.
@greenpete good to know, thank you!
@_elena I've installed #Mint on three of our Mac Airs at home successfully and they now work like a dream. There is a known issue with the WiFi driver so when installing Mint have a ethernet cable connected or a WiFi dongle. Once installed you can install the driver for the WiFi card easy enough. I'm not a CLI champion but I've been able to get Mint installed with little fuss.
Enjoy!