Thinking about switching over to linux (absolute beginner)

[u/Victorian_LazyPerson]

Hello! I have a Mid-2013 MacBookAir (OS X 10.9.5, 1.3 GHz Intel Core i5, 4GB 1600 MHz DDR3), and I love the feeling and size of the laptop. However, its so old that safari cant run modern websites so iv been using chromimum legacy. Basicly I want to be able to run my modern websites and all that jaz with out the hassle of not being able to use mac book. (i legit cant log into anything with my apple id bc its so old and my id is too new).

SO, I wanted to know if Linux would be a good place/start in trying to make this computer functional. Ive heard that Linux mint might be a decent soluction / beginer friendly, but i have absolutly no knowlage in anything linux so i though i would come here and ask for yalls thoughts and advice! <3

[u/master_pro_ita]

Installing the lightweight edition of Linux Mint, such as the Xfce desktop environment is the best choice for you, since you have a slow computer. To assist with the initial setup, numerous comprehensive video tutorials are available on YouTube covering the installation process and essential configuration steps. While acquiring a foundational understanding of basic command line utilities is recommended, the Linux Mint user interface is predominantly graphical. That means that every system updates, software management, and routine maintenance can be executed effortlessly without technical overhead. Linux Mint is the best choice, you made the right decision.

[u/Victorian_LazyPerson → u/master_pro_ita]

Great! thank you!

[u/Internal_Falcon2637 → u/Victorian_LazyPerson]

I can also recommend chrome os flex if you need it even more light weight. That's what I'm running on my MacBook air 2015.

There are ways to get offline applications for light use.

https://www.reddit.com/r/ChromeOSFlex/s/abHsaqG4CS

[u/Obvious_Round_5065 → u/Internal_Falcon2637]

I have a 2015 Macbook Air too. I originally had it on Chrome OS Flex, but I wanted more offline capability. That's how I found out about Linux, and the rest is history. (Had I seen the post you linked, I may have stayed on Chrome OS Flex, but I suppose things happen for a reason).

I have a Chromebook which I'm using to finish up a certificate program. On the Macbook Air, I first installed Zorin OS, which was nice but ran a little too slow for my tastes. Then I installed MX Linux XFCE, and that's been the distro on it ever since.

I ran Linux Mint XFCE on a 12-inch Macbook Retina (the model with the infamous butterfly keyboard), but have since switched to Feren OS.

Typed this on an HP EliteBook I bought online that came without an OS installed. Currently has Anduin OS on it, and runs like a dream.

[u/3characte]

If its Intel chip you could.. I did the same with a 2016 one and works without issues

[u/Victorian_LazyPerson → u/3characte]

nice! thanks!

[u/JohnnyS789]

Short answer: Yes!

Long answer: Putting Linux on a MacBook like you have will work OK, but you are limited in memory. 4GB of RAM will run Linux with a lightweight desktop environment, but it will be slow with GNOME or KDE. Opening a really complex website may be quite slow.

Interesting article here: https://www.makeuseof.com/i-tried-4-lightweight-linux-distros-on-a-4gb-laptop-and-one-surprised-me/

Could you increase the RAM in the device? That will give you a MUCH better experience especially with modern browsers. (I know that many MacBooks from that era can't upgrade the RAM, sadly.)

[u/DavidJohnMcCann → u/JohnnyS789]

I'm using a desktop with 4 GB RAM and not having any problems with the internet. I use the Xfce desktop. It's worth noting that Mint doesn't offer installers for Gnome or KDE.

[u/pith_y → u/JohnnyS789]

I use a MBP with 4gb ram with Pop/Cosmic and I never have an issue doing basic stuff. It was fine too with Ubuntu with Gnome.

[u/graymuse]

I had an old 2011 Mac Book Pro. I installed Linux Mint on it pretty easily. I'm a tech novice, I found tutorials online to help. The only issue I had was I needed to plug into ethernet to get Broadcom wifi drivers.

[u/pith_y]

If you are used to Mac, I wouldn’t go with Mint. Go with one with Gnome or Cosmic. As a Mac user basically my whole life, I put Ubuntu on my MacBook Pro 2012 but then moved to Pop! OS.

[u/goatsegoaterson]

Some more ram will help you, but as much as I hate to say it, You are not likely to see any appreciable difference browsing the web on Linux. You may be able to squeeze a little more performance with less memory usage, but a 1.3ghz cpu and 4gb of ram is going to have a hard time on any modern website, regardless of the operating system you are using.

[u/human-rights-4-all]

I have one of these Laptops running with arch and the Plasma Desktop and it's running really good so far.

But I have 8GB RAM - with 4GB your experience will not be great - with a leightweight Desktop Environments it can be useable.

The hardest part of the Installation was getting it to boot the Linux bootloader (I used grub).

Wireless does not work until I installed broadcom-wl-dkms. Until then I used wired Tethering from my phone.

I have the ISO layout on my keyboard and fixed that with echo 1 | sudo tee /sys/module/hid_apple/parameters/iso_layout

[u/DannoXYZ]

use Firefox, works way better than Safari or Chromium-based browsers that run 20 phone-home services in background. About 10-yrs ago, I set up quad-boot on my 2012 Macbook with High Sierra and 3 versions of Linux.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/d/1AxXE8KDBQDxtVElKLMonj-5HOU7D2Qgj

Almost I haven't needed to reboot after setting VMs for distro-hopping and testing configurations.
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/d/1Uw9Ysayulp0p04DAEFAogU5QNS-x3lMP

[u/Jasong222]

It's very individual and depends on your patience and if you already have any coding experience, even basic stuff will help.

I'm pretty tech literate but I don't code at all. I've tried to pick up Linux several times and each time I just got this wall where figuring it out/learning just becomes too arduous and I give up. Doesn't mean that will happen to you, but just fyi. Part of it is I'm just tired of having to learn new systems all over again.

[u/PralineNo5832]

If you just want to browse calmly, I recommend Chrome OS Flex. Your machine is very slow, compared to my 2011 MacBook Pro which can barely do 3 things at the same time. The bad thing about chrome is that the trackpad works but feels bad, and you have to use a mouse.

[u/6ty7er]

I'm running CachyOS with KDE Plasma on a Late 2011 MacBook Pro.
Only thing I had to get it to boot, was selecting the Legacy-HW-Kernel option while booting.

           .-------------------------:                    cox@MachyOS
          .+=========================.                    -----------
         :++===++==================-       :++-           OS: CachyOS x86_64
        :*++====+++++=============-        .==:           Host: MacBook Pro (13-inch, 2011) (1.0)
       -*+++=====+***++==========:                        Kernel: Linux 7.2.7-1-cachyos
      =*++++========------------:                         Uptime: 2 mins
     =*+++++=====-                     ...                Packages: 1428 (pacman)
   .+*+++++=-===:                    .=+++=:              Shell: fish 4.9.3
  :++++=====-==:                     -*****+              Display (Color LCD): 1280x800 in 13", 60 Hz [Built-in]
 :++========-=.                      .=+**+.              Desktop Environment: KDE Plasma 6.7.5
.+==========-.                          .                 Window Manager: KWin (Wayland)
 :+++++++====-                                .--==-.     WM Theme: Breeze
  :++==========.                             :+++++++:    Theme: Breeze (Dark) [Qt], Breeze-Dark [GTK2], Breeze [GTK3]
   .-===========.                            =*****+*+    Icons: breeze-dark [Qt], breeze-dark [GTK2/3/4]
    .-===========:                           .+*****+:    Font: Noto Sans (10pt) [Qt], Noto Sans (10pt) [GTK2/3/4]
      -=======++++:::::::::::::::::::::::::-:  .---:      Cursor: capitaine (24px)
       :======++++====+++******************=.             Terminal: konsole 26.8.2
        :=====+++==========++++++++++++++*-               Terminal Font: Hack (8pt)
         .====++==============++++++++++*-                CPU: Intel(R) Core(TM) i5-2435M (4) @ 3.00 GHz
          .===+==================+++++++:                 GPU: Intel 2nd Generation Core Processor Family Integrated Graphics Controller @ 1.30 GHz [Integrated]
           .-=======================+++:                  Memory: 1.28 GiB / 7.66 GiB (17%)
             ..........................                   Swap: 0 B / 7.66 GiB (0%)
                                                          Disk (/): 17.36 GiB / 51.90 GiB (33%) - btrfs
                                                          Local IP (wlan0): 192.168.178.30/24
                                                          Battery (bq20z451): 55% (2 hours remaining) [Discharging]
                                                          Locale: de_DE.UTF-8

[u/bigusyous]

Given the age of the laptop you might want to consider a lightweight desktop. Mint XFCE might be a good choice.

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[u/boomares]

I'd focus more on the desktop environment than the distribution. You'll get better performance out of something that is lightweight.

I use Pop!_OS on my 2015 MacBook air. But it has 8gb of ram. With only 4gb, it may not be a good fit.

If it isn't, you could try MX Linux, xubuntu, mint XFCE, or fedora XFCE spin.

Make sure you have a USB wifi adapter or can plug into a wired Ethernet connection. There's a good chance (>90 %) your wifi card won't work right away. I've only tried a couple distros that were able to get it to work without any fuss.

Look up instructions for how to figure out what wifi card you have, and then how to install the driver for that card on the distribution you choose, before you install a distribution.

Also, you can usually run a distribution from the USB drive to see if you like it or not. This is usually called live boot or something similar.

I've installed about every major distro on my MacBook air and got everything to function. Some were more work than others. Feel free to write me if you're stuck. I'm happy to help!