4 ms·

Do use a computer that is free (as in freedom) all the way down to the BIOS?

• alberich 14y ago
  No. But considering that I paid almost nothing for it makes a big difference. It's not like paying U$ 1k and being locked in. with my Ibook I couldn't install other OS on working conditions because Apple wouldn't just open the specs, so there wasn't really other OSs to install. It is also not really an option to install other OSs on the IPad. And it costs a lot of money, that makes a big diference. You pay to be locked in to Apple. Then when Samsung comes around and offers almost the same features, people start to worry that their overly priced stuff will not be so special anymore, and act like Samsung's products are just a poorly made ripoff.
  • saryant 14y ago
    Maybe there was something funky about the hardware in the iBook G4 but I remember installing Yellow Dog Linux on my old PowerBook G4 without too much trouble. It was years ago so I don't recall the details but it was definitely possible and not terribly difficult.
    • X-Istence 14y ago
      I had Yellow Dog Linux installed on my iBook G4 without issues ... not sure what OP is going on about.
      • saryant 14y ago
        That's what I figured. If you want a challenge, try installing Arch on an 12" PowerBook G4. I spent three days one winter break in college getting that on there.
  • nirvana 14y ago
    You've been able to run Unix on Macs going back to the 1980s. In the 1990s there were several variations of Linux that ran on Macs, and Apple hired the mklinux guy to make sure that linux kernels ran ok on Macs. The only time in the Mac's history that Apple wasn't working to make sure it could run Unix was 1984-1987ish before they released their flavor of Unix.