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General Discussion

Posted by tuukka uosukainen
tuukka uosukainen
22,107 Points

Installing Linux on old macbook

I have an old white Macbook 4,1 with:

  • Os 1.6.8
  • Intel core 2 duo
  • 2.1 Ghz
  • 4GB
  • 800Mhz

I would like to install Linux as only operating system for it. What linux works with these specs?

I have no experience on Linux but have heard that Ubuntu would be a good choice.

Thanks for all the possible answers!

Tuukka

6 Answers

Carson Yong
Carson Yong
13,280 Points
Carson Yong
Carson Yong
13,280 Points

Pretty much all Linux distros will be able to run on those specs.

Here are the specs for Ubuntu

  1. 700 MHz processor (about Intel Celeron or better)
  2. 512 MiB RAM (system memory)
  3. 5 GB of hard-drive space (or USB stick, memory card or external drive but see LiveCD for an alternative approach)
  4. VGA capable of 1024x768 screen resolution
  5. Either a CD/DVD drive or a USB port for the installer media
  6. Internet access is helpful

For Linux distros I really like CentOS and Fedora, both based on RHEL. openSUSE and Debian are a couple of great distros. Since they are all free and open source, I would try out a bunch to get a feel of which one you like best.

Carson

tuukka uosukainen
tuukka uosukainen
22,107 Points
tuukka uosukainen
tuukka uosukainen
22,107 Points

Thanks Carson for your reply!

Have you used Linux on Mac?

Are the distros different versions of Linux?

Thanks!

Carson Yong
Carson Yong
13,280 Points
Carson Yong
Carson Yong
13,280 Points

No problem Tuukka!

I don't usually use Linux on my Mac, because I prefer OS X to Linux. Typically I'll use Linux on an older PC, or in VMs and on my VPS.

Yup, distros are different versions of Linux put out by different organizations.

tuukka uosukainen
tuukka uosukainen
22,107 Points
tuukka uosukainen
tuukka uosukainen
22,107 Points

The reason for thinking about Linux is to get more years for my macbook since it can't be updated anymore. Do you think it would be wiser to stick with 10.6.8 Os with mac? I use my laptop for web development mainly.

Is there any cons for choosing Linux over Mac os?

Thanks for helping out and taking the time to answer my questions Carson!

Carson Yong
Carson Yong
13,280 Points
Carson Yong
Carson Yong
13,280 Points

For security concerns it would be best to use a more updated OS than Snow Leopard. I think the last supported OS on your computer is Lion, but there are work arounds using something like MLPostFactor to get it to Mountain Lion to install. I haven't tried this before so your mileage may vary.

Cons to Linux over OS X is that it's not OS X, some things just might not work on the hardware, like maybe the built-in camera. If you're adamant about trying Linux on your Mac, try dual-booting Linux. That's what I would recommend. Maybe even try dual-booting Windows, that's an option as well.

tuukka uosukainen
tuukka uosukainen
22,107 Points
tuukka uosukainen
tuukka uosukainen
22,107 Points

Thanks for your input Jason!

I tried to install ubuntu via usb stick but no success. I have no idea what went wrong. Does anyone have experience on this. I think it's easier to install it from disk?

I did everything on this tutorial but could not get it to work.

http://www.ubuntu.com/download/desktop/create-a-usb-stick-on-mac-osx

I'm not sure which path I should insert for the step 8. The path to img file that is on the usb stick or desktop where I have the file?