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Linux is a family of open source Unix-like operating systems based on the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released on September 17, 1991 by Linus Torvalds. Linux is typically packaged in a Linux distribution (or distro for short).

Distributions include the Linux kernel and supporting system software and libraries, many of which are provided by the GNU Project. Many Linux distributions use the word "Linux" in their name, but the Free Software Foundation uses the name GNU/Linux to emphasize the importance of GNU software, causing some controversy.

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Anybody here use Asahi Linux? (self.linux)

submitted 2 days ago by chagall to c/[email protected]

33 comments fedilink hide all child comments

What do you like about it?

What do you not like about it?

Is it a completely bonkers proposition to buy a refurbished M2 Mac only to wipe it and put Asahi on it?

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[–] [email protected] 8 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago)

Asahi doesn't wipe macos by default (you can do it but it is an extra step) ; the Asahi install splits your system in two, and you can choose how much space to allocate to each.

As an everyday distro, it's pretty much stock fedora with possibly a few missing niche software - think Bitwig if you're into that, you will have Ardour / Pipewire etc but not (yet) Bitwig, which is proprietary and would need them to compile for aarm64. But the amount of stuff available is astounding, and getting better by the day.

Then it depends on your use case. For "general computing" it absolutely works, for more specialised stuff you should check beforehand. I use it as a DAW mostly, with the occasional Kdenlive bout of editing now and then. Oh, and Steam ! We have gaming now it works great. The install process is so smooth, trying it out is a 30 minute affair, tops.

I'd ask the question of why a mac tho : I can't do without because of one macos soft I need IRL (QLab), and the very existence of Asahi allowed me to overcome my repulsion for apple products and buy the thing, heavily discounted. I'm 90% on the Asahi side, only rebooting on macos for live performances.

They are competitively priced for what they are, but I don't trust them to be particularly solid nowadays. I hate the keyboard and the coldness/finish of the case, and find mine weighty. Also real-life use make them feel like a snappy i7, not some crazy fast supercomputer.

So if you don't need a mac, it is not a straightforward proposition unless the price is right in regard to other available stuff. I complement mine with a Thinkpad BTW. I buy them secondhand super cheap, they last 3 or 4 years then I buy another.

Best value ATM is a good specced Air model I believe (Weight, silence, battery life / but quite no outputs, especially no external screen through USB). People in the know says to avoid 8gb ram models, go for 16.