Best Computer for Linux...

[Sizemore101]

Hi, I didn't know if this should have been posted in the laptop section or not; so my apologies if isn't the right forum. Anyways I own a Macbook and have been trying various distros on it without much success.

First I tried Blag which didn't really work at all; then I tried gNewSense which kind of worked but had a lot of errors; at which point I kind of gave up and starting using Ubuntu, which works fine, but I'm still having errors connecting to the internet - and I don't really wish to use Ubuntu anyways as it's not entirely free.

So my question is if there is any purpose is using a Macbook if one owns a Linux? I understand that Macbooks do work with Linux, but the support for them seems limited if one isn't using a more popular distro like Ubuntu. So my question is if PCs function better on Linux than Macs? And if so which function the best? Thanks.

[jayd512]

I don't really wish to use Ubuntu anyways as it's not entirely free.

I do believe you've gotten hold of some misinformation there, as on the Ubuntu home page it states:

Ubuntu is and always will be free of charge. You do not pay any licensing fees. You can download, use and share Ubuntu with your friends, family, school or business for absolutely nothing.

But as far as using Linux on a Mac, it depends on your processor type. Do you have one of the IntelMac's, or is it a PPC? Just make sure that you check the architecture type of whatever distro you decide to try. You can check them out on Distrowatch, or check out the LiveCD list.

[GNU-Fan]

I don't really wish to use Ubuntu anyways as it's not entirely free.

I do believe you've gotten hold of some misinformation there, as on the Ubuntu home page it states:
Quote: Ubuntu is and always will be free of charge.

Not everybody associates "free" only with "free of charge".
Selling Free Software - GNU Project - Free Software Foundation (FSF)

[Sizemore101]

Not everybody associates "free" only with "free of charge".
Selling Free Software - GNU Project - Free Software Foundation (FSF)

Indeed. It's an intel mac by the way.

[GNU-Fan]

As regards the original question, I think the best laptop to have for GNU/Linux is a Thinkpad. It's said to have the most throughout driver support on Linux.

[techieMoe]

First I tried Blag which didn't really work at all; then I tried gNewSense which kind of worked but had a lot of errors; at which point I kind of gave up and starting using Ubuntu, which works fine, but I'm still having errors connecting to the internet - and I don't really wish to use Ubuntu anyways as it's not entirely free.

If you're dead set on using only an OS that's "free as in speech", you're going to have to get used to things not working. gNewSense is missing several key elements (such as the GL parts of X11, which is essential to any kind of 3D effects in X Windows).

If the worst problem you're having with Ubuntu is getting your wireless working, I'd say you're in good shape. Do you know what wireless chipset you have? It's more than likely a Broadcom (my little brother has a MacBook with this chipset). If that's the case you're probably not going to be able to use your wireless at all unless you install a non-GPL blob (the wireless driver file) using ndiswrapper.

So my question is if there is any purpose is using a Macbook if one owns a Linux? I understand that Macbooks do work with Linux, but the support for them seems limited if one isn't using a more popular distro like Ubuntu. So my question is if PCs function better on Linux than Macs? And if so which function the best? Thanks.

A standard, off-the-shelf PC will generally perform just the same as a MacBook when running Linux. There are some exceptions, however, since Apple makes some odd decisions with a couple of their internal components. One is that Intel Macs all use something called EFI instead of BIOS. This makes creating a bootloader configuration a bit more difficult.

If you're looking for a free-as-in-speech-compatible computer with all GPL-friendly hardware, you might look at the Free Software Foundation's website.

The closest thing you'll find (unless you build it yourself) is the Dell N series that come with Ubuntu. You can install something else and you're at least guaranteed the hardware will work with Linux. I can't guarantee it will work without proprietary drivers though. Thinkpads are also available with several versions of Linux, but I've never used one myself.