Any reason to install Linux on my Mac? - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: Veliz
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: June 23, 2012, 06:02:52 am
content: I just got one of the latest iMacs 27 i7 cpu, ssd, 16gb of ram, blah blah, from my school... And im going to use it on my lab...Im equally confortable using OSX and Linux.. I mostly focus in AVR programming, and software development in CIs there a reason to run Linux (probably ubuntu 12.04) on it instead of OSX?

author: PeteInTexas
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: June 23, 2012, 06:09:40 am
content: Quote from: Veliz on June 23, 2012, 06:02:52 amYou already overpaid. Nothing you can install will reverse this.

author: PeterG
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: June 23, 2012, 06:14:49 am
content: Quote from: PeteInTexas on June 23, 2012, 06:09:40 amLOL...I Second this...

author: kripton2035
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 23, 2012, 06:33:22 am
content: stay under os x for everything you canbuy a virtual machine like parallel or vmware fusion (I dont know if the free software virtualbox runs linux but give it a try)and then use linux or windows under the virtual machinethat's totaly transparent and awesome experience.

author: _Sin
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: June 23, 2012, 06:49:02 am
content: Personally I'd keep OSX on there, and run linux inside a VM if I really needed it for something. As you say you're comfortable using OSX, I don't see any compelling reason to *remove* it from the machine, when you could just happily run both.I've never found much need myself, as porting between the two is relatively easy, and so things are usually either already ported, or it is possible to do so.This also works if you need the odd Windows application - a VM is less intrusive than setting up and running bootcamp, especially as most virtualisation software offers some kind of mode that will put windows from all OSs on the native desktop (i.e. I sometimes run Xilinx's Windows IDE on my OSX desktop).The only thing that you didn't mention, is how much HDD space you have available. You mentioned an SSD, but not the size of the traditional HDD. It's good to have plenty of space available if you want to mess with multiple OSs.(edit: beaten to it! never mind...)

author: westfw
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 23, 2012, 07:30:32 am
content: I have linux running inside Virtual Box on my Mac, used mostly for ... testing things that are/were supposed to work on linux (most recently, someone was having troubles with avr-gcc on mint. Turned out to be at least partially due to mint putting together a broken avr-gcc package.) Virtual Box works nicely, and is free. I've got VMs for Unbuntu, DSL, W98, WXP, W8 (preview), and mint, at the moment. For windows, the licensing morality is annoying (if I have one VM for running Atmel code, and one for running Microchip code, and one for running Cypress code, and I only run one at a time, all on the same Mac, how many licenses am I supposed to have needed to buy?)

author: T4P
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 23, 2012, 08:44:28 am
content: Quote from: PeterG on June 23, 2012, 06:14:49 am

author: paf
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: June 23, 2012, 09:07:14 am
content: My comments:For avr and generic C work, I cannot see any need for installing Linux.Reasons to (almost Install ) Linux:HFS is not case sensitive, if you want to use case sensitive software check the partition type or create a HFS+ case sensitive disk.Reasons to use Linux on Virtual Box (or something like it):You want to learn i386 Assembly/C (mixed) programming on Linux. The tutorials on the Net are almost only for Linux, and the passing of arguments on the stack is different on OSX and Linux.You want to check if our code also compiles on Linux.Reasons to install Linux (side by side):You want to run X software that is very heavy and only runs on "brand Y version T" of Linux.Example: Xilinx FPGA software.My best regardspaf

author: amyk
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 23, 2012, 12:17:39 pm
content: Give it a try and see how much you like it.I installed OS X on my PC for the same reason. (Didn't like it in the end, but it was worth the learning experience.)

author: bingo600
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 23, 2012, 12:22:44 pm
content: Quote from: Veliz on June 23, 2012, 06:02:52 amI wouldn't replace OSX with Linux , but i'd try out Linux in a Free "VirtualBox VM" , if that's available on/for OSXI haven't run Vbox on an OSX platform , but i do run several linuxes in a Vbox on a 64-bit linux host (Ubuntu 10.04 LTS)/Bingo

author: PeterG
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: June 23, 2012, 01:05:09 pm
content: Vbox does work on OSX. I used tro use it when i went through a Mac phase. Nobody is perfect.....Regards

author: TradieTrev
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: June 23, 2012, 02:12:00 pm
content: For what your doing couldn't see why you'd change it!If anything I found OSX to be a bit of a resource hogGiven any opportunity I'd totally suggest to use Linux over OSX. On one hand OSX has been good to me for video editing, then on the other hand OSX has been bad for Cisco VPN support.Give it spin I say

author: Veliz
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: June 23, 2012, 03:40:26 pm
content: Well i actually got it for freeAnd i was thinking to run it side by side using rEFIt..But it doesnt seem worth it

author: SeanB
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 23, 2012, 04:14:21 pm
content: Well Apple at least sells the upgrade for a reasonable price for the download. Make sure that you make a copy to reinstall down the line if needed. Then upgrade to the latest version, or keep it as is, install Linux as a VM or as a bootcamp, and if you have a windows legit key install a version as well. The hardware is good enough to use, and will last quite a while as well.

author: Veliz
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: June 23, 2012, 05:23:45 pm
content: Quote from: SeanB on June 23, 2012, 04:14:21 pmYa its brand new iMac so it has the newest OSX

author: Simon
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: June 23, 2012, 06:10:15 pm
content: you want to put ubuntu on something that already has an OS ? cos that is all ubuntu is - another os and to be honest after my latest flirts with linux ubuntu is one of the last I'd use, the performance was shit to put it politely and that will be inherited by any OS that is based on ubuntu (like mint)

author: PeterG
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: June 24, 2012, 07:22:51 am
content: Simon, have a look at xubuntu. It is a lo lighter on resources than ubuntu is. It also hase a much more usable gui.Regards

author: jerry507
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: June 25, 2012, 05:13:16 pm
content: I had linux installed for a while when I had some software that was considerably easier to install on linux than OSX. Now when I need to run Altium or don't want to fart around with macports for some lib, I have VMs for ubuntu and Win7. reFit is really nice, best boot manager I've ever used but rebooting just plain sucks.Virtualbox is free, but if you actually have to do work plop down the cash for Parallels. It's really just a step above everything else. I prefer the VMs simply because I like the interface for OSX better than the other stuff, so it minimizes the time I have to spend outside OSX.