Hi Everyone, I'm new to the list and this is my first post. I've been given a Macbook 4,1 (2008) from a friend and I would like to install Linux on it. I have never installed Linux on a Macbook before so I'm in unfamiliar waters. I know that it has no bios and I think uses something called EFI for booting. I want to install Gentoo Linux on the Macbook. I'm using the SystemRecueCD usb installer because it's gentoo based and the DVD drive on this Macbook is shot. The main gaps in my knowledge with doing this install surround Grub and partitioning. Is installing and configuring grub different? Do I have to change the way I setup partitions? I don't want to dual boot, I just want a pure Gentoo MacBook. Has anyone on the list done a Macbook before? As I said I've never done this type of install before and know nothing about Macbooks or EFI. thanks, Brett.
brettawiggins@tpg.com.au writes:
[...] I want to install Gentoo Linux on the Macbook. [...] The main gaps in my knowledge with doing this install surround Grub and partitioning. [...] I don't want to dual boot, I just want a pure Gentoo MacBook.
Have you already read http://en.gentoo-wiki.com/wiki/Apple_Macbook ? It was the first hit when searching for "gentoo macbook". One thing there that catches my eye is it says to install refit or bootcamp -- which you may need to do *before* you blow away the working OS X image. I lost interest in macs when they stopped being PowerPC, but $coworker is an Apple weenie and IIRC he had to use refit even when logic suggested that it was not necessary (i.e. single boot Linux). Good luck.
On Fri, Oct 12, 2012, at 01:22 PM, Trent W. Buck wrote:
brettawiggins@tpg.com.au writes:
[...] I want to install Gentoo Linux on the Macbook. [...] The main gaps in my knowledge with doing this install surround Grub and partitioning. [...] I don't want to dual boot, I just want a pure Gentoo MacBook.
Have you already read http://en.gentoo-wiki.com/wiki/Apple_Macbook ? It was the first hit when searching for "gentoo macbook".
One thing there that catches my eye is it says to install refit or bootcamp -- which you may need to do *before* you blow away the working OS X image.
I lost interest in macs when they stopped being PowerPC, but $coworker is an Apple weenie and IIRC he had to use refit even when logic suggested that it was not necessary (i.e. single boot Linux).
Good luck.
I can't comment on Gentoo on a Macbook, but I have installed Debian on Intel Mac Minis. I have always gone with the refit approach, retaining a small Mac OS X partition, as it allows you to easily install Apple firmware updates in the future. Regards Graeme
On 12/10/2012 14:20, Graeme Cross wrote:
I have always gone with the refit approach, retaining a small Mac OS X partition, as it allows you to easily install Apple firmware updates in the future.
It is a common misconception that rEFIt is required -- in fact, it is not required at all. There is a lot of misinformation on this matter. I agree with keeping OS X around. Despite... On 12/10/2012 08:23, brettawiggins@tpg.com.au wrote:
I don't want to dual boot, I just want a pure Gentoo MacBook.
...you will find that being able to bless boot directories, and (as above) perform firmware updates will be some nice* functionality to have. * s/nice/necessary/
Jeremy Visser <jeremy@visser.name> wrote:
...you will find that being able to bless boot directories, and (as above) perform firmware updates will be some nice* functionality to have.
Thus it seems that the Apple hardware hasn't been reverse engineered sufficiently for these functions to be implemented in Linux. I suppose we should be impressed that Linux runs on it at all, since Apple are reputedly not very open about their hardware anymore, and in fact they haven't been open about it for a long time. I remember the days when there were only a few genuinely Apple IIE compatible machines available, such as the Laser 128, as I think it was called. Most of the other supposedly "compatible" machines failed to be truly indistinguishable from the original, and some of the software I used at the time was notoriously effective at uncovering flaws in the less competently designed "clones". I started using Apple II machines soon after learning to type in primary school.
Sun, Oct 14th, 2012 at 1:58 PM, Jason White <jason@jasonjgw.net> wrote:
Thus it seems that the Apple hardware hasn't been reverse engineered sufficiently for these functions to be implemented in Linux.
I've found that Gentoo Linux supports most if not all of my hardware. The only device I wasn't sure about was the Wireless adapter, but I was able to compile the driver into the kernel and the firmware is available in portage
I suppose we should be impressed that Linux runs on it at all, since Apple are reputedly not very open about their hardware anymore, and in fact they haven't been open about it for a long time.
Mac's are pretty much an Apple branded PC nowadays. The only real difference I can see is that the Apple Computers switched to UEFI well before the PC The only trouble, well not trouble but complicated part was installing and using GRUB2 and setting up a system to boot with UEFI. Some pages I found usefull are below. Brett. http://en.gentoo-wiki.com/wiki/Grub2#EFI en.gentoo-wiki.com/wiki/UEFI
participants (5)
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brettawiggins＠tpg.com.au -
Graeme Cross -
Jason White -
Jeremy Visser -
trentbuck＠gmail.com