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For projects like these, I don’t know why Apple doesn’t just step in and help. What have they got to lose?

ogre_codes 6y ago
I agree. At the very least, they should be a corporate sponsor for Marcan's Patreon. Ideally they should just hire him and provide him with internal resources to work on it. Even if Apple doesn't benefit from Linux running on bare metal, many of these efforts will benefit Linux running inside a VM as well.
- monocasa 6y ago
  I don't think hardly anything here will help Linux running in a VM FWIW. The unknowns are mainly the Apple specific IP blocks which aren't exposed to VMs.
  - ogre_codes 6y ago
    Depends if you care about having graphics or audio in your Linux VM. Currently I think Linux VMs are just console only. Also, there is a lot of accelerated hardware which the CPU has which would be nice to get access to inside a VM.
    - monocasa 6y ago
      I still would be extremely surprised if the GPU is designed to be virtualized that way. If the host OS is using those IP blocks, you can't just give them to the guest.
- ksec 6y ago
  Or they could donate anonymously, supporting its development without their official logo.
- INTPenis 6y ago
  It's also bonus points towards sustainability to ensure their devices have a life after obsolescence. Honestly Apple could use some of those points considering how many little plastic parts they force people to buy.
  - ogre_codes 6y ago
    > It's also bonus points towards sustainability to ensure their devices have a life after obsolescence. This is my primary interest in this project. Given Apple's support life for Macs, I don't think I will ever use it, but I'd like to have the option the same way I was able to extend the life of my G4 iMac.
sneak 6y ago
I agree with you in theory; in practice Apple seems to have enough issues just getting their own in-house OS to work right on these things. A lot of macOS internals are really a reflection of Apple's deadlines-over-everything, ship-at-all-costs attitude. Certain parts are great, because those teams seem to be great and are blockers, such as the kernel or the silicon. Other parts closer to the surface that aren't in quite as critical a path, all the way up to documentation... not quite as much. Overall they do a decent job, and are certainly moving in a good direction security-wise (although not privacy-wise). It's just clear that many of their teams are stretched extremely thin.
- deergomoo 6y ago
  My biggest wish for the Mac is to take macOS back off yearly releases. Or at least make every other yearly release minor, just to add compatibility with whatever got added to iOS. What’s the point in having a big release every year if takes six months to sand down all the rough edges?
spurdoman77 6y ago
What they got to win? It is probably quite small userbase.
x87678r 6y ago
What have they got to lose? 30% cut of app store, icloud, apple+ TV, Safari users, Maps users, Incremental Market Share. Realistically lots of people could end up preferring Linux over MacOS, why risk it?
kamalhm 6y ago
It's not what they got to lose, but what they got to gain for doing this? Which is almost nothing. Except they fully support linux on their laptops too

I agree. At the very least, they should be a corporate sponsor for Marcan's Patreon. Ideally they should just hire him and provide him with internal resources to work on it. Even if Apple doesn't benefit from Linux running on bare metal, many of these efforts will benefit Linux running inside a VM as well.

monocasa 6y ago
I don't think hardly anything here will help Linux running in a VM FWIW. The unknowns are mainly the Apple specific IP blocks which aren't exposed to VMs.
- ogre_codes 6y ago
  Depends if you care about having graphics or audio in your Linux VM. Currently I think Linux VMs are just console only. Also, there is a lot of accelerated hardware which the CPU has which would be nice to get access to inside a VM.
  - monocasa 6y ago
    I still would be extremely surprised if the GPU is designed to be virtualized that way. If the host OS is using those IP blocks, you can't just give them to the guest.
ksec 6y ago
Or they could donate anonymously, supporting its development without their official logo.
INTPenis 6y ago
It's also bonus points towards sustainability to ensure their devices have a life after obsolescence. Honestly Apple could use some of those points considering how many little plastic parts they force people to buy.
- ogre_codes 6y ago
  > It's also bonus points towards sustainability to ensure their devices have a life after obsolescence. This is my primary interest in this project. Given Apple's support life for Macs, I don't think I will ever use it, but I'd like to have the option the same way I was able to extend the life of my G4 iMac.

sneak 6y ago

I agree with you in theory; in practice Apple seems to have enough issues just getting their own in-house OS to work right on these things. A lot of macOS internals are really a reflection of Apple's deadlines-over-everything, ship-at-all-costs attitude. Certain parts are great, because those teams seem to be great and are blockers, such as the kernel or the silicon. Other parts closer to the surface that aren't in quite as critical a path, all the way up to documentation... not quite as much. Overall they do a decent job, and are certainly moving in a good direction security-wise (although not privacy-wise). It's just clear that many of their teams are stretched extremely thin.

deergomoo 6y ago
My biggest wish for the Mac is to take macOS back off yearly releases. Or at least make every other yearly release minor, just to add compatibility with whatever got added to iOS. What’s the point in having a big release every year if takes six months to sand down all the rough edges?

spurdoman77 6y ago

What they got to win? It is probably quite small userbase.

x87678r 6y ago

What have they got to lose? 30% cut of app store, icloud, apple+ TV, Safari users, Maps users, Incremental Market Share. Realistically lots of people could end up preferring Linux over MacOS, why risk it?

kamalhm 6y ago

It's not what they got to lose, but what they got to gain for doing this? Which is almost nothing. Except they fully support linux on their laptops too