Fwd: New Contact Us Form: Linux Users of Victoria
Hi All, We have had an enquiry from the luv website, it is as follows: ########################################################################### Linda --- Email --- ag.t1@icloud.com --- Comment or Message --- HI, I have been a MacOS user for 12 years (loved it at the beginning) & at 81 yo & health issues, haven't got the time to continue pushed upgrades of software & hardware & total control & continually having to learn new stuff. and cyber security. I accept that it is hard to live in this world without IT, but with little life left, I want to minimise it. Wondering if you have any members who have a lot of experience with MacOS various vintages and hardware, who would like to earn a bit of money installing & maintaining the most suitable Linux distribution on one of my od MacBook Pro & MacBook Airs (all top of the range for their era - 2013-2014 vintage with thunderbolt 2 ports and requiring everything permanently cabled: keyboard, mouse, superdrive, USB-A & USB-C, 2 time machine backup external 4TB drives, Brother & HP Lazer printers, sound system, iPhone sync cable due to my EMF hypersensitivity which prevents me from using bluetooth & wifi). Whatever distribution it is, needs to have the briefest learning curve because although I was an IT expert 50 years ago, I have significant health problems & brain fog now so want something simple safe and reliable which does all the necessary computing to participate in this world, ie. communicate with my home care package provider (SAH now) and my friends, family, health professionals, regular support workers, buy all my food & other needs online, do all my banking & listen to my favourite music. Have also fpiund it difficult to buy a Linux book that doesn't just pay lip service to Mac Users - they are all highly windows user focused. If you know of some that is for the layman, not compute geeks, that woudl help me, I'd love to know. Linda ########################################################################### Linda has about 3 or 4 and are 2013 or 2014 macs If anyone has experience with linux os's on apple macs and would be willing to reach out to her and assist her it would be most welcome. Cheers Phil in Sunny Mildura
On Wednesday, 12 August 2026 10:28:04 AEST Phil Steel-Wilson via luv-main wrote:
money installing & maintaining the most suitable Linux distribution on one of my od MacBook Pro & MacBook Airs (all top of the range for their era - 2013-2014 vintage with thunderbolt 2 ports and requiring
Macbook running Linux will always have more problems than more common hardware. The newer hardware is very nice (Linus has even used them) but for older hardware might as well get a regular PC. I recently gave away for free a Thinkpad that had better specs than 2013 Macbook pro systems because no-one wanted to buy it. She would be better off spending some money on a Thinkpad. The sales sites have Thinkpad X1 Carbon Gen5 laptops (the first one with USB-C) going for less than $300. The Gen4 (which still has better specs than those old Macbooks) goes for as little as $150. -- My Main Blog http://etbe.coker.com.au/ My Documents Blog http://doc.coker.com.au/
Russell Coker via luv-main <luv-main@luv.asn.au> wrote:
I recently gave away for free a Thinkpad that had better specs than 2013 Macbook pro systems because no-one wanted to buy it. She would be better off spending some money on a Thinkpad. The sales sites have Thinkpad X1 Carbon Gen5 laptops (the first one with USB-C) going for less than $300. The Gen4 (which still has better specs than those old Macbooks) goes for as little as $150.
A side question: at some point I'll need a successor to my current ThinkPad P51 machine (it's the version with the Intel Xeon E3-1505M v6 processor, 32GB RAM, 1TB SSD, ECC memory modules, 2017-era technology). It's still running well, but it's probably one of the earliest models with USB-C, and the USB-C port has compatibility issues with a specialized braille device that I've tried to connect, producing low-level errors enumerating device descriptors in the kernel logs. I've been told that some older USB-C ports don't meet the power requirements to connect to this device (internally, it's essentially an Android tablet). Also, this ThinkPad isn't very portable, and I'm sure there are more portable options now that would exceed its performance, e.g., when compiling packages from source. I'm also considering whether buying a new machine and using it for 8-10 years would be the best over-all option, or whether the secondary market (e.g., reputable refurbished hardware suppliers) with more frequent upgrades would offer a better strategy. The purpose is to minimize total cost of ownership over time, rather than to optimize for up-front purchase price. I'm sure there are reputable analyses applicable to my situation. To be clear, I'm not in a hurry for this upgrade, but I'm also aware that I'll need it, whether due to hardware failure or for other practical reasons such as those I've outlined. The current machine runs Arch Linux (with a secondary Microsoft Windows 11 partition due to unfortunate software compatibility needs that I'll avoid elaborating here and which I hope will be eliminated at some point). I'm not necessarily committed to Arch on the next machine, and I've had experience across distributions.
On Wednesday, 12 August 2026 20:10:26 AEST Jason J.G. White via luv-main wrote:
A side question: at some point I'll need a successor to my current ThinkPad P51 machine (it's the version with the Intel Xeon E3-1505M v6 processor, 32GB RAM, 1TB SSD, ECC memory modules, 2017-era technology).
If you are determined to have ECC RAM then your options will be very limited. I like ECC but have given up on the idea of having laptops with it. I just ssh somewhere else to do compiles etc.
It's still running well, but it's probably one of the earliest models with USB-C, and the USB-C port has compatibility issues with a specialized braille device that I've tried to connect, producing low-level errors enumerating device descriptors in the kernel logs. I've been told that some older USB-C ports don't meet the power requirements to connect to this device (internally, it's essentially an Android
If you are using it at a desk you could use a USB-C dock which costs about $15 on AliExpress and takes a USB-C power supply. That should supply enough power to every device you connect.
tablet). Also, this ThinkPad isn't very portable, and I'm sure there are more portable options now that would exceed its performance, e.g., when compiling packages from source.
The X1 Carbon series is great for portability but ECC is not an option. Probably all laptops with ECC will be bulky ones. Would a phone form factor be a better option for you?
I'm also considering whether buying a new machine and using it for 8-10 years would be the best over-all option, or whether the secondary market (e.g., reputable refurbished hardware suppliers) with more frequent upgrades would offer a better strategy. The purpose is to minimize total cost of ownership over time, rather than to optimize for up-front purchase price. I'm sure there are reputable analyses applicable to my situation.
That's what I do. Instead of buying a $2000+ new system I buy a second hand system for around $300. The second hand systems usually last a few years and I get on average better hardware than buying a $2000+ system every 14 to 20 years which would give the same overall cost. Also if I break one I'll be much less unhappy than if I broke a $2000 system.
To be clear, I'm not in a hurry for this upgrade, but I'm also aware that I'll need it, whether due to hardware failure or for other practical reasons such as those I've outlined. The current machine runs Arch Linux (with a secondary Microsoft Windows 11 partition due to unfortunate software compatibility needs that I'll avoid elaborating here and which I hope will be eliminated at some point). I'm not necessarily committed to Arch on the next machine, and I've had experience across distributions.
Windows 10/11 work well under KVM. 32G of RAM is enough to have a small Windows VM running in the background without slowing things down. -- My Main Blog http://etbe.coker.com.au/ My Documents Blog http://doc.coker.com.au/
Russell Coker via luv-main <luv-main@luv.asn.au> wrote:
If you are determined to have ECC RAM then your options will be very limited. I like ECC but have given up on the idea of having laptops with it. I just ssh somewhere else to do compiles etc.
Having a separate machine with ECC RAM for file storage and heavier work would also be a feasible option. I wouldn't need to travel with it as long as it remained on the network.
The X1 Carbon series is great for portability but ECC is not an option. Probably all laptops with ECC will be bulky ones.
Would a phone form factor be a better option for you?
Maybe with Android's Debian environment. Also, some of the newer braille devices on the market run full desktop operating systems - Linux in one case. There may be more interesting products in this category over the next several years, depending on what manufacturers decide to develop with emerging multi-line braille display technologies. The disadvantage is that the way manufacturers combine the (very expensive) electromechanical braille display hardware and the computing capabilities in a single device typically does not allow the latter to be upgraded. Someone needs to build a modular system enabling the board to be replaced easily while retaining the display component.
I'm also considering whether buying a new machine and using it for 8-10 years would be the best over-all option, or whether the secondary market (e.g., reputable refurbished hardware suppliers) with more frequent upgrades would offer a better strategy. The purpose is to minimize total cost of ownership over time, rather than to optimize for up-front purchase price. I'm sure there are reputable analyses applicable to my situation.
That's what I do. Instead of buying a $2000+ new system I buy a second hand system for around $300. The second hand systems usually last a few years and I get on average better hardware than buying a $2000+ system every 14 to 20 years which would give the same overall cost. Also if I break one I'll be much less unhappy than if I broke a $2000 system.
Yes, exactly, and it's inexpensive enough to replace without dealing with warranty claims. If it's certified to run Linux (Fedora and Ubuntu, at least, have certification programs), and it has been in the field for several years or more, the drivers should all be reliable as well. Dell and Lenovo certify systems intended for enterprise use; they and other manufacturers participate in the Linux Vendor Firmware Service as well. So, for anyone who is new to buying Linux-compatible systems (whether in the secondary market or not) to run Linux, I still think it is prudent to undertake the necessary hardware research first. It was true when I bought my first laptop to run Linux in 1998, and it's still good advice today. Reputable refurbishing companies are supposed to test the hardware thoroughly, which should reduce the short-term failure risk of buying a used system from a reliable source.
On Thursday, 13 August 2026 01:48:46 AEST Jason J.G. White via luv-main wrote:
Russell Coker via luv-main <luv-main@luv.asn.au> wrote:
If you are determined to have ECC RAM then your options will be very limited. I like ECC but have given up on the idea of having laptops with it. I just ssh somewhere else to do compiles etc.
Having a separate machine with ECC RAM for file storage and heavier work would also be a feasible option. I wouldn't need to travel with it as long as it remained on the network.
My home workstation is a HP Z640 and I regularly ssh to it for compiles. I also have a Z840 for bigger tasks that I share with friends and a Z4G4 for playing with ML. Contact me off-list if you want access to them.
The X1 Carbon series is great for portability but ECC is not an option. Probably all laptops with ECC will be bulky ones.
Would a phone form factor be a better option for you?
Maybe with Android's Debian environment. Also, some of the newer braille devices on the market run full desktop operating systems - Linux in one
I was thinking of a PinePhonePro or similar. https://wiki.debian.org/MobileApps#Things_We_Need I added voice capabilities to the above page as things we need. If you have some ideas of how to make a phone running Debian into a platform you could use effectively then please add something to the page. If the wiki interface doesn't work with your braille setup then please file a bug report and let me know of your suggested changes and I'll add them. Also if you just don't want to create yet another account on a web site then you could just send a description of what you want and I'll add it to the page.
case. There may be more interesting products in this category over the next several years, depending on what manufacturers decide to develop with emerging multi-line braille display technologies. The disadvantage is that the way manufacturers combine the (very expensive) electromechanical braille display hardware and the computing capabilities in a single device typically does not allow the latter to be upgraded. Someone needs to build a modular system enabling the board to be replaced easily while retaining the display component.
Do braille readers really have to be so expensive? They are all repeated modules in a single unit, the mechanics isn't that complex. Is there scope here for some engineering students to design something better and force the prices down?
That's what I do. Instead of buying a $2000+ new system I buy a second hand system for around $300. The second hand systems usually last a few years and I get on average better hardware than buying a $2000+ system every 14 to 20 years which would give the same overall cost. Also if I break one I'll be much less unhappy than if I broke a $2000 system.
Yes, exactly, and it's inexpensive enough to replace without dealing with warranty claims.
https://etbe.coker.com.au/2022/12/08/thinkpad-x1-carbon-gen5/ It's inexpensive enough that you can stuff up and break the motherboard and still have it be in an acceptable price range.
Reputable refurbishing companies are supposed to test the hardware thoroughly, which should reduce the short-term failure risk of buying a used system from a reliable source.
I don't think that the testing they do will reduce the probability of future failures. I think that the real benefit that refurbishing companies offer is that they take a dozen identical systems from a corporate network and swap parts. So they sell systems with every part fully working and batteries with a good lifetime which suit my use. Then they sell the damaged stuff in separate lots of broken systems. They also accurately describe things. Home users tend to tune out certain types of damage and if one home user has a laptop with a cracked screen and another has one with a broken keyboard trying to match bits is more pain than I'm willing to get involved in. For your use laptops with broken screens may be good options though. -- My Main Blog http://etbe.coker.com.au/ My Documents Blog http://doc.coker.com.au/
participants (3)
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Jason J.G. White -
phil＠philfixit.com.au -
Russell Coker