Can someone give me the lowdown on linux for mac

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Posted:
in General Discussion edited January 2014
Ive got a mac pro so i would need something thats 64 bit compatible. I used ubuntu on my windows rig but i dont think its compatible with macs. What can I use?

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  • Reply 1 of 5
    How about OSX?
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  • Reply 2 of 5
    vineavinea Posts: 5,585member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by ThinkingDifferent View Post


    How about OSX?



    That would be thinking too different.



    Why do Linux when OSX will be a fully fledged Unix later this month? I can't think of much I can do on Linux that I can't do on OSX. Heck, there's a KDE port to OSX and there's Fink.



    The converse is not true.
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  • Reply 3 of 5
    jeffdmjeffdm Posts: 12,954member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by vinea View Post


    That would be thinking too different.



    Why do Linux when OSX will be a fully fledged Unix later this month? I can't think of much I can do on Linux that I can't do on OSX. Heck, there's a KDE port to OSX and there's Fink.



    The converse is not true.



    Last I heard, open source software on OS X is often a version behind. That's not been a problem for me though.
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  • Reply 4 of 5
    Most linux distros support apple hardware now that macs are Intel-powered. It's not very hard to check.



    The better question is "why." You can run X11 apps through the X11 system, and basic posix apps run fine, as you'd expect.
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  • Reply 5 of 5
    Because he can.



    For someone new to linux, which your question belies, blackmajik2021, I'd suggest Debian or Ubuntu. Ubuntu is hella popular these days, which means more people will be able to help you out on forums, etc. You will no doubt disregard this advice, but: I'd stay away from 64-bit versions in favor of 32 bit ones, as many crucial drivers (like for your graphics card) do not work at all on 64 bit linux. There's also no speed gain to be had. 32 bit is the standard, and you will have far fewer challenges.



    You will want to use Boot Camp to partition your drive non-destructively. I'd give linux maybe 10 gigs.
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