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> why bother? I wonder the same thing, but from an ideological perspective. Why should the free software community promote Apple hardware by making it more ac

by imiric 4y ago

> why bother? I wonder the same thing, but from an ideological perspective. Why should the free software community promote Apple hardware by making it more accessible to OSS enthusiasts, when Apple only cares about OSS when it directly benefits them? Apple makes great hardware, but they're actively hostile to everything free software stands for. If Apple cared about this user base, they would work on this themselves. That said, from a technical standpoint, this is nothing short of impressive, so kudos to the team. I can't even imagine the dedication and patience required to work on this project.

malermeister 4y ago
Right now, Apple makes arguably the best laptop hardware on the market thanks to its chipset. Why should you be forced to choose between non-free software and subpar hardware? Why not liberate the hardware?
- imiric 4y ago
  Because it will always be an uphill battle, where the biggest beneficiary will be Apple. I'm not saying the OSS community should boycott Apple, but maybe let's not help them sell more machines. I think there are plenty of "good enough" laptops that run Linux just fine, so I'd rather use those than have the relatively "best" hardware, but have to fight it to run the software I want, deal with any incompatibilities, and fear that it might break at any point. Standard Linux on supported hardware has plenty of issues; I can't imagine what the experience is like on completely opaque hardware, as much progress as the Asahi team has made. It's like a reverse Hackintosh project, which has always been a painful experience.
  - malermeister 4y ago
    I think that is all personal preference. I'd rather hack around incompatibilities than settle for "good enough" while macOS gets best of class hardware.
  - winnie_ua 4y ago
    I agree. If you know that you want to use Linux on it. You should support honest vendor with money, not one who is actively against you.

by imiric 4y ago

malermeister 4y ago

Right now, Apple makes arguably the best laptop hardware on the market thanks to its chipset. Why should you be forced to choose between non-free software and subpar hardware? Why not liberate the hardware?

imiric 4y ago
Because it will always be an uphill battle, where the biggest beneficiary will be Apple. I'm not saying the OSS community should boycott Apple, but maybe let's not help them sell more machines. I think there are plenty of "good enough" laptops that run Linux just fine, so I'd rather use those than have the relatively "best" hardware, but have to fight it to run the software I want, deal with any incompatibilities, and fear that it might break at any point. Standard Linux on supported hardware has plenty of issues; I can't imagine what the experience is like on completely opaque hardware, as much progress as the Asahi team has made. It's like a reverse Hackintosh project, which has always been a painful experience.
- malermeister 4y ago
  I think that is all personal preference. I'd rather hack around incompatibilities than settle for "good enough" while macOS gets best of class hardware.
- winnie_ua 4y ago
  I agree. If you know that you want to use Linux on it. You should support honest vendor with money, not one who is actively against you.