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Exactly. If there is any hardware platform that should be a "reference" platform for Linux (or FreeBSD) it should be the mac. It's a very tightly focused hard

by rsync 13y ago

Exactly. If there is any hardware platform that should be a "reference" platform for Linux (or FreeBSD) it should be the mac. It's a very tightly focused hardware ecosystem with broad adoption and of higher quality - inside and out.

mjg59 13y ago
It's a very tightly focused hardware ecosystem with no publicly available documentation for the ways that it differs from the broader hardware ecosystem. Supporting Apple hardware well is hard, and I say that as a person who's done a lot of work on Linux support for Macs.
keeperofdakeys 13y ago
There are a few reasons why a mac wouldn't make a good reference platform. Besides Apple changing hardware/firmware setups between every release, it doesn't have much official documentation and support for developers making an OS for it. Many people go to great pains to make linux run well on a Mac, especially hacking around the UEFI bugs that are present (not that they don't appear on other platforms either). You also don't really want a reference plaform for linux, because as soon as you specify one, you might start making decisions which only benefit that platform. This is bad for the current eco-system, as it could impact linux's ability to run everywhere. PS. Not to mention that Macs ship with broadcom wireless cards these days, which don't have very good linux support.
- reeses 13y ago
  "PS. Not to mention that Macs ship with broadcom wireless cards these days, which don't have very good linux support." You're saying that OS X has better hardware support than Linux? :-)
seabrookmx 13y ago
> and of higher quality That's completely your opinion. I have had much better luck with Thinkpads. Many of the Unibody Macbooks have severe wifi connectivity and overheating issues. As far as broad adoption goes, it may be more broad than the adoption of Thinkpads, but I wouldn't call it "broad" by any stretch. Mac market share is still quite low - less than 10%.
- SiVal 13y ago
  Is the TrackPoint (eraserhead) pointer well supported by Linux? I hope the answer is yes. If so, which flavor of Linux?
  - ygra 13y ago
    It's a normal PS/2 mouse (at least it was on my R60). There are a few pointers here: http://www.thinkwiki.org/wiki/How_to_configure_the_TrackPoint http://www.thinkwiki.org/wiki/How_to_configure_the_TrackPoin...
  - darklajid 13y ago
    Yes. As the GP answered already, it's just another input device. I use it exclusively and turned the touchpad completely off on this T520. The 'flavor of Linux' should be irrelevant.

by rsync 13y ago

mjg59 13y ago

It's a very tightly focused hardware ecosystem with no publicly available documentation for the ways that it differs from the broader hardware ecosystem. Supporting Apple hardware well is hard, and I say that as a person who's done a lot of work on Linux support for Macs.

keeperofdakeys 13y ago

There are a few reasons why a mac wouldn't make a good reference platform. Besides Apple changing hardware/firmware setups between every release, it doesn't have much official documentation and support for developers making an OS for it. Many people go to great pains to make linux run well on a Mac, especially hacking around the UEFI bugs that are present (not that they don't appear on other platforms either). You also don't really want a reference plaform for linux, because as soon as you specify one, you might start making decisions which only benefit that platform. This is bad for the current eco-system, as it could impact linux's ability to run everywhere. PS. Not to mention that Macs ship with broadcom wireless cards these days, which don't have very good linux support.

reeses 13y ago
"PS. Not to mention that Macs ship with broadcom wireless cards these days, which don't have very good linux support." You're saying that OS X has better hardware support than Linux? :-)

seabrookmx 13y ago

> and of higher quality That's completely your opinion. I have had much better luck with Thinkpads. Many of the Unibody Macbooks have severe wifi connectivity and overheating issues. As far as broad adoption goes, it may be more broad than the adoption of Thinkpads, but I wouldn't call it "broad" by any stretch. Mac market share is still quite low - less than 10%.

SiVal 13y ago
Is the TrackPoint (eraserhead) pointer well supported by Linux? I hope the answer is yes. If so, which flavor of Linux?
- ygra 13y ago
  It's a normal PS/2 mouse (at least it was on my R60). There are a few pointers here: http://www.thinkwiki.org/wiki/How_to_configure_the_TrackPoint http://www.thinkwiki.org/wiki/How_to_configure_the_TrackPoin...
- darklajid 13y ago
  Yes. As the GP answered already, it's just another input device. I use it exclusively and turned the touchpad completely off on this T520. The 'flavor of Linux' should be irrelevant.