"Best" Linux version for 2.2 i7, 8Gb early 2015 MBA...?

[Rico Muerte]

I know very little (actually nothing really...) about Linux, but I want to set up my early 2015 2.2 i7 8Gb ram with a dual (maybe triple) boot, using Linux as the main/daily driver OS.
Looking for suggestions from people with experience with Linux on older Mac hardware...

Wont be doing anything "professional" on the MBA - just mainly internet browsing, basic word processing (open office), & potentially light photo/video processing.

Ive been wanting to move towards Linux for a looooong time, but there are soooo many distros/versions with pros & cons, it becomes overwhelming for a 1st time user...

Looking for the most user-friendly/accessible experience for a 1st time Linux user, on older hardware...

Thanks

 

[josehill]

2015 MacBook Air, you say? Disk space probably will be tight if you are talking about triple booting it using only the internal drive, but dual booting should be fine, at least if your needs are modest.

From a performance perspective, any current, mainstream Linux distribution will perform well. I'm continually amazed at how well Linux does on 10-15 year old Macs.

I wouldn't sweat too many details about particular distributions. To get started, it's more about what feels right to you. Personally, I find Mint Cinnamon to have an excellent balance between ease of use and functionlity, but Ubuntu, Debian, and Fedora are all well maintained and worth a look.

Most of the major distributions let you download an installer that you can put on a USB stick and boot into a "live" version of Linux that you can explore as a demo before actually installing anything. Running from USB will be slower than actually installing it on the internal drive, but you definitely can get a feeling for the "out-of-box" experience. Take a look in the Windows, Linux, macOS, & Others on the Mac forum for more tips.

 

[Rico Muerte]

Thanks for the response...

Currently my MBA has the standard 128Gb internal drive, but my plan is to upgrade to a 1TB drive for dual boot, or a 2TB drive if I ended up triple booting...

Ideally since Ive pretty much been using Mac OS exclusively for the last nearly 20yrs, Id like to find a distro which is as similar as possible...definitely keep seeing Mint/Ubuntu/Debian names popping up most often...

 

[Bazza1]

Not specific to Macs or Win, but there is a website to virtually try Linux distros before committing to any one of them.
Maybe narrow down which one you feel most comfortable with, then afterwards check its requirements and for any online reviews from other Mac users?

Test Linux distros online - DistroSea

Instantly test run Linux distros online in the cloud for free, right from your web browser. No installation or live boot required.

distrosea.com

 

[maflynn]

Given the old hardware, I recommend downloading the live environments of a number of distros and before installing them onto your computer, try them out. That is boot into the live environment and see if wifi works, keyboard, mouse, sound all work, etc.

CachyOS is a very popular distro, currently, its #1 on distrowatch and its been #1 for quite a while. It offers great performance, easy setup if you play games.

PopOS, Mint, Ubuntu and Fedora, are all solid choices as well. I found for my needs, CachyOS is a great distro that works well, YMMV given the laptop is so old

 

[Rico Muerte]

Not specific to Macs or Win, but there is a website to virtually try Linux distros before committing to any one of them.
Maybe narrow down which one you feel most comfortable with, then afterwards check its requirements and for any online reviews from other Mac users?

Test Linux distros online - DistroSea

Instantly test run Linux distros online in the cloud for free, right from your web browser. No installation or live boot required.

distrosea.com

This is amazing! Thanks!!