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  • 13 Comments
Joined 2 years ago
Cake day: August 8th, 2023
  • HexagonSun@sh.itjust.workstoLinux@lemmy.ml•WiFi issue with iMac
    1·
    2 months ago

    From memory….

    If you open Driver Manager after installation it will say you need to either connect to Ethernet or insert the installation USB. Using the Installation USB is fine.

    It should then automatically detect you have a Broadcom WiFi module and just give you a checkbox you can click next to the correct driver.

    It will install the driver from the USB, say you need to restart and then you should be done! Upon rebooting your Mac should immediately recognise available WiFi networks and let you join them.

  • HexagonSun@sh.itjust.workstoLinux@lemmy.ml•WiFi issue with iMac
    3·
    2 months ago

    I have WiFi problems on most distros with my 2012 Retina MBP. Generally I can’t get it working.

    I didn’t have as many issues in the past, but the only two distros I can get it working on these days are EndeavourOS and Linux Mint.

    Mint requires installing the proprietary drivers after installation, which is easy to do.

    EndeavourOS is actually easier and works “out of the box” for me. But I need to change it to use WPA2 instead of WPA3 for it to work on my Mac, being as old as it is.

  • HexagonSun@sh.itjust.workstoLinux@lemmy.ml•Linux distro recommendations
    1·
    3 months ago

    Wanted to just chip in and agree that EndeavourOS deserves enormous praise for how much it gets up and running for you straight off the bat.

    I run Linux on a 2012 MacBook Pro, more as a hobby than as my main computer.

    It’s about the only distro that actually near-enough just works on that particular Mac at this point, with Linux Mint a close second. If I install it from the live image then change my network settings to use WPA 2 security rather than WPA 3 then I have a fully working computer.

    Most distros fail to even boot to a working live image on that Mac. And if they do, then I can’t for the life of me get the WiFi working after that.

    Being “terminal centric” scared me off at first, but I finally realised how little you actually need to know to install software and keep it updated once you’re up and running.

    It’s an amazing distro.

  • HexagonSun@sh.itjust.workstoLinux@lemmy.ml•Is it possible to install ubuntu or another linux distro on a 2014 macbook pro?
    1·
    1 year ago

    Others here with old Macs seem to have had a much smoother run than me!

    You can absolutely run Linux like a champ on that machine, but for reasons I’m not advanced enough to know/understand I’ve struggled with even booting the live USB for multiple distros on my Mid-2012 15" Retina. Maybe it’s the version of the hybrid Intel/Nvidia graphics on the model, I can’t really say.

    I’m currently writing this from Linux Mint on said Mac, and all is well; but I’ve experienced the following:

    • OpenSuse installer couldn’t even be seen at startup manager
    • MX Linux would freeze during boot to the installer
    • Elementary OS wouldn’t boot following install
    • Pop! OS installed the wrong Nvidia driver for the computer, and with the open source drivers stopped booting after running a few updates
    • Nitrux would freeze during boot to the installer
    • Ubuntu stopped booting a few days in after an update
    • Debian might have worked but wouldn’t detect my trackpad, wifi or USB ethernet adaptor so I couldn’t properly get it installed
    • Manjaro worked for a while but eventually failed after an update
    • ArcoLinux wouldn’t wake from sleep running the live USB

    I totally recommend Linux Mint overall. I’ve decided I like Cinnamon best, “it just works” far more than anything else I’ve tried. I consider it the closest to macOS in terms of being thought about from every angle and set up and ready to go as a beginner or as a more advanced user.