Linux on the Mac — state of the union [LWN.net]

Linux on the Mac — state of the union

Posted Dec 1, 2016 11:49 UTC (Thu) by mips (guest, #105013)
In reply to: Linux on the Mac — state of the union by mmeehan
Parent article: Linux on the Mac — state of the union

I wonder whether there is a greater degree of continuity between MacBook Pros, meaning that development effort expended to get Linux working doesn't seem wasted?

A quick look at Wikipedia tells me the XPS 13 has been around since 2012, but I've no familiarity with them, and don't know whether the early XPS 13 was similar to today's.

Either way, design decisions like a non-user-replaceable battery and soldered RAM keep me away from either line.

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Linux on the Mac — state of the union

Posted Dec 1, 2016 17:58 UTC (Thu) by excors (subscriber, #95769) [Link] (1 responses)

I think they've mostly just been incremental changes - newer CPU generations, different wifi cards, etc. And Dell puts effort into officially supporting Linux and upstreaming patches, and can select hardware that's going to work okay, and can fix BIOS bugs properly instead of hacking kernel workarounds for them, so there should be less need for volunteers to waste time on model-specific hardware support than for most other brands.

Also they seem to be using fairly standard components, so any effort spent supporting them is likely to help a lot of other devices that happen to use the same components, whereas it sounds like Apple innovates so much that a lot of the work needed is not just Apple-specific but is specific to a single Apple model.

(I got an XPS 13 recently, partly to support companies that support Linux, partly so I didn't have to worry about compatibility, and partly because it sounds like one of the best small laptops regardless of OS. There are still bugs on Linux (e.g. the official USB-C-to-HDMI adapter is apparently fine on Windows but only appears to work at sub-1080p resolutions on Linux) but generally it seems pretty nice.)

Linux on the Mac — state of the union

Posted Dec 2, 2016 22:56 UTC (Fri) by ibukanov (subscriber, #3942) [Link]

I use xps-13 with a generic usb-c - HDMI dongle (30usd before VAT in Norway). It works with a 4k monitor at 30fps. The only annoyance is that it takes like 6 seconds for the monitor to show a picture after connecting the cable or bringing back it from a sleep mode.

Linux on the Mac — state of the union

Posted Dec 2, 2016 13:59 UTC (Fri) by anton (subscriber, #25547) [Link] (2 responses)

c't has a review of the latest Dell XPS13 Developer edition (german, paywall) under Linux. They found a few warts, e.g., IIRC some clicking when dealing with sound, and less run-time than under Windows (IIRC 11h vs. 22h or so).

Lenovo sells some laptops without OS. I am pretty happy with my E130 (no longer on sale). I have also tested the E31-80 with Ubuntu 16.04, but found it lacking: only 4h battery running time when idle, WLAN needs reinitializing after suspension (possibly fixed with a newer driver; the device is a "Qualcomm Atheros Device 0042"); and for my taste it's simply too big.

Linux on the Mac — state of the union

Posted Dec 3, 2016 0:00 UTC (Sat) by anselm (subscriber, #2796) [Link] (1 responses)

I have a Lenovo X250 from work and it's a sweet machine. The only thing I don't really like is the small display. I just took delivery of a T460 for myself (mostly because it has a bigger screen but uses the same docking station as the X250, which is convenient for working from home) and that is shaping up very nicely, too.

Linux on the Mac — state of the union

Posted Dec 3, 2016 0:27 UTC (Sat) by karkhaz (subscriber, #99844) [Link]

In my experience Lenovo X2?? laptops have excellent Linux support, I'm very happy with my X230 (and yes, the docking station is lovely); and I know lots of folks with later models. I particularly like that the internal 3G modem works flawlessly, as these things often have terrible Free software support, but Sierra modems tend to play well with NetworkManager.

Linux on the Mac — state of the union

Posted Dec 7, 2016 21:29 UTC (Wed) by danjared (guest, #80166) [Link] (4 responses)

The battery on the XPS 13 is user-replaceable. Here's the service manual section for doing that on the current model: http://www.dell.com/support/manuals/us/en/19/xps-13-9360-...

(Necessary notice: I work on Linux at Dell.)

Linux on the Mac — state of the union

Posted Dec 7, 2016 21:45 UTC (Wed) by micka (subscriber, #38720) [Link]

I'm interested. Does this apply to the 9333 ?
Mine won't charge above 75% (well, provided plasma's charge indicator is correct).

Linux on the Mac — state of the union

Posted Dec 8, 2016 0:53 UTC (Thu) by ras (subscriber, #33059) [Link] (1 responses)

I have a new XPS-15. There are lots of places Dell marketing says various bits aren't "user replaceable", and that includes the battery.

The first thing I did after getting the thing was to remove the back. I've pulled apart every Dell laptop I've owned for various reasons. This was *by far* the easiest to disassemble. You only have to remove screws on the back that are easy to find.

Once you do remove the back you are confronted with a sticker on the non-user replaceable battery. It says quote: "Please Disconnect and Remove Battery before Accessing The Rest Parts and Devices".

Linux on the Mac — state of the union

Posted Dec 8, 2016 4:04 UTC (Thu) by mjg59 (subscriber, #23239) [Link]

The battery in the XPS 13 is apparently classified as user replaceable - they were happy to send me a replacement without sending a tech.

Linux on the Mac — state of the union

Posted Dec 12, 2016 8:42 UTC (Mon) by gravious (guest, #7662) [Link]

Good to know! Thanks!