The Linux Thread for Early Intels

[bobesch]

After several fruitless trials to approach different distros/flavours of Linux within a virtual machine I dared another try with real Linux.
This time Linux Mint as solely install on a mid2010 mid2009 2,8 c2duo 15" MBP.
In the meantime I've learned to prepare the MBP's drive to have MasterBootRecord(MBP) partition-scheme first (instead of GPT i.e. GUID Partition Table) after some very unpleasant unsuccessfully Win10-BootCamp installation-procedures, where I've missed that initial critical step.
Well, now about Linux (instead of Win10): To be honest, after all my previous and current efforts I still do not have real clue!
After trying some other options I ended with Linux Mint and for the first time I am really impressed about it's 'out-of-the-box' over-all functionality and performance!
So I started my personal "Linux Mint Contest" a few days ago to try getting everthing working the way I need for daily demands.
Desktop performance (virtual desktops) is outstanding. Sound, Touchpad, Graphics, Wifi do work fine.
Same for browsers, video-streaming/DVD, VPN (Cisco IPsec), RDP/VNC (with Remmina), FTP/SFTP, Network-connectivity, LibreOffice, PDF-handling etc., MS Office (through VirtualBox&Win2k/WinXP/Win7)
But there is some stuff I still have to check for my personal needs, like PDF-handling/paperless-office and foto-handling.
Overall performance comes close to OSX/macOS, but @dosdude1 's MojavePatcher is more refined and performance feels more snappy on macOS ... (compared to Win10 Linux Mint feels the same, when it comes to a notchy Touchpad-performance.)

 

[Hughmac]

I've been a Mint user on and off since 2007, and now I have the latest version on all my Intel Macs (even the 2006 iMac runs it perfectly alongside Snow Leo), booted through rEFInd, ready for that inevitable day that Mojave gets left behind security wise.

Cheers

Hugh

 

[bobesch]

I've been a Mint user on and off since 2007, and now I have the latest version on all my Intel Macs (even the 2006 iMac runs it perfectly alongside Snow Leo), booted through rEFInd, ready for that inevitable day that Mojave gets left behind security wise.

Cheers

Hugh

Next think I like to get more familiar with are dual-boot options, since how to handle a mix of MBR and GPT without BootCamp-Assistant is still a mistery to me.
So far I'm quite happy, that I understood the MBP partition table is kind of mandatory for a fully functioning Win10-installation & Apples BootCamp-support and also for a Linux installation to work properly.
For the Win10Pro MBPs at the office I stayed away from a DualBoot-option (macOS+Win) to keep things simple.
Dual-Boot of Linux + 'something else' is also something I am not yet familiar with, so I don't dare to try that, because I fear, that I'm gonna mess things up.
On the Early Intels the deadline is set with Mojave/Catalina for macOS and with Win10 for Windows, so I fully agree, that it's good to become familiar with Linux, whenever macOS and Win are completely left behind. But that day is hopefully still far away ...
Worlds ressources are too precious to make capable hardware and otherwise energy-efficient hardware obsolescent.

 

[Hughmac]

Modern Mint boots fine with an EFI Mac (GPT) as I think does Windows 10.
In my case I just resized my Mojave installation to leave enough blank space at the end for Linux, and Mint did the rest.
I then added rEFInd boot manager to make it easier to pick the OS I want, but hitting the Option key still works as well.
As for Windows, I keep it caged up in VirtualBox

Cheers

Hugh

 

[bobesch]

Modern Mint boots fine with an EFI Mac (GPT) as I think does Windows 10.
In my case I just resized my Mojave installation to leave enough blank space at the end for Linux, and Mint did the rest.
I then added rEFInd boot manager to make it easier to pick the OS I want, but hitting the Option key still works as well.
As for Windows, I keep it caged up in VirtualBox

Cheers

Hugh

I am curious, how the partitions are located on the harddrive (with Mojave, Linux rEFInd-boot-manager).
Would you mind to post a screenshot from a partition manager or from DiskUtility, how it looks like?

Win2k (with Office2k) is my favorite for a VM (I like to use both VMware Fusion and VirtualBox), WinXP is ok and my hub to connect old PalmOS-devices, Win7 kind of struggles on a c2duo (but it's usable with some patience), while IMHO Win10 is only close to proof-of-concept.
A few months ago I've installed Win10Pro onto 4 2008 c2duo 24" iMacs (came at 100€ each) for office-use. Initially Win10Pro's performance looked promising, but after having installed my mandatory office-software everything became really slow and sluggish, so I decided to replace the iMacs with mid-2012 15" MBPs and sell the iMacs (now with MojavePatch, maxed out RAM, SSD and thorougly cleaned inside) ?

 

[Hughmac]

From Disk Utility...

which doesn't acknowledge the 2nd partition as Linux,
and Paragon Hard Disk Manager...

which appears to show GPT and MBR partitions. Maybe Mint somehow sets it's partition to MBR?

What I would did is, install MacOS from install media, partitioning from Disk Utility to leave free space for Linux.
Next install rEFInd in MacOS (it will pick up a Linux install once done), then install Mint to the free space - select the option to install alongside Mac, and it should chainload Grub to the boot manager and end up with a boot screen similar to this...

This was taken from my 2012 MBP which has native Mojave on an APFS partition, hence the PreBoot option.
On my other Intel machines Mojave is dosdude patched on HFS.
The only difference seems that Mint cannot access or mount the APFS partition - something to think about.

As for Windows, my C2D iMac just about runs XP through Fusion, Win2K much better of course.
I have Win10 on my MBA through VirtualBox but it's too sluggish to be of much use; it runs much better on the 2010 iMac and the 2012 MBP, but apart from speed they have plenty of RAM to spare.

Cheers

Hugh

 

[bobesch]

Next step: Snow Leopard in a virtual machine.
I followed these instructions: How to install Snow Leopard in Virtualbox



Edit: ... unfortunately with no success. ?

 

[Hughmac]

I have Snow Leo VirtualBox VM running on my MacOS s, but I could never get it to boot in Mint.
Now I know why - just copying my SL VM over won't work - I need to hackintosh it

Cheers

Hugh

 

[bobesch]

I have Snow Leo VirtualBox VM running on my MacOS s, but I could never get it to boot in Mint.
Now I know why - just copying my SL VM over won't work - I need to hackintosh it

Cheers

Hugh

Tried installation twice ... after 4/5 of installation progress the VM broke down with kernel-panic.
Maybe you may try with better luck !?
I'm gonna give Leopard a try now - don't want to let the idea of virtual OSX on Linux go ...

Edit: Leopard installation unfortunately started with kernel-panic right from the beginning ...

 

[Hughmac]

Ah, you've added the kernel panic photo after my above reply

I really don't think it's possible in Linux, but since I am dual booting I'm happy to use my SL VM through Mojave.

Cheers

Hugh

 

[Amethyst1]

Next step: Snow Leopard in a virtual machine.

10.6.0 hates the Nehalem CPU in the 2010 MBP. Try a 10.6.3 DVD. (Same goes for Leopard.) If that doesn't work, try faking an older CPU.

 

[bobesch]

10.6.0 hates the Nehalem CPU in the 2010 MBP. Try a 10.6.3 DVD. (Same goes for Leopard.)

Oh, I've already used a 10.6.3 DVD. Too bad ...
What about SL-Server? (VMware fusion requires the Sever-versions of Leopard/SL to build a VM).

Edit: tried SL-Server too. Kernel-Panic close to the end of the installation.
Edit: switching of all additional components (Rosetta, X, Printer, Language) helped to finish installation, but the system froze at the moment, when the mandatory reboot was to start SL from the harddrive.

 

[Amethyst1]

What about SL-Server?

It's the same OS (and VirtualBox doesn't care about server vs client anyway). Did you try faking an older CPU?

 

[bobesch]

It's the same OS (and VirtualBox doesn't care about server vs client anyway). Did you try faking an older CPU?

Naah, that's tough stuff - to much for my limited knowledge about Linux and command-line.
My MBP is from mid2008 mid2009 with a Penryn CPU.
Well, I do quit spending any more effort to get SL running in a VM ...

 

[Amethyst1]

My MBP is from mid-2008 with a Penryn CPU.

I see! I thought you used a 2010 MBP (per your first post). If SL crashes on a Penryn too something else is wrong with VirtualBox on Linux.

 

[bobesch]

I see! I thought you used a 2010 MBP (per your first post). If SL crashes on a Penryn too something else is wrong with VirtualBox on Linux.

Stupid me! It's a mid2009 ... a 2duo Penryn.
Sorry for the confusion.

Anyway - macOS on Linux is currently only experimental. The option indeed seemed to be too good to be(come) true.
It would have been pretty cool to have access to my DEVONthink databases through macOS in virtual machine.
I'm gonna give MojoavePatch another try - just for the hell of it and because I have a bootstick ready at hand anyway

Edit: nope, not Mojave but El Capitan. Flashing the bootstick is underway ...

 

[redheeler]

I put a cheap low-capacity SSD into and then installed Ubuntu Server on an old 2010 Mac mini Server (4,1) - I guess this would be considered "early Intel" now. It has been very useful as a web server, with several sites running inside Docker containers including a real-time Java application I wrote. It handles everything perfectly fine in terms of performance, not bad for an 11-year-old Core 2 Duo computer. Always feels good to find a way to repurpose older hardware.

I wonder if it'll be possible to repurpose the M1 machines like this, or if Apple dropping support will be the end of the road for them in terms of usefulness.

 

[Amethyst1]

I wonder if it'll be possible to repurpose the M1 machines like this

Linux is already running natively on M1.

 

[MacFoxG4]

I have Ubuntu 20 running on my 2009 Mini. It runs really well on here and I like the UI better than the lightweight Linux distros that I have tried in the past. I also have some familiarity with Ubuntu in the past, having used it on an i3 IdeaPad a few years ago. I got interested in running Linux on here partly just to see if it would run and partly to see how new of an OS I could put on here. I like that Ubuntu 20 will still be getting updates for the next few years, longer than what Catalina and Big Sur will most likely get. I tried the patched versions of recent Mac OSs, and while I liked some of them, the fact that they won't get updates as long as Ubuntu will or in some cases already stopped receiving updates makes me less interested in keeping them around when I have limited space on this SSD. If I ever get a bigger SSD, I would love to add one or two of the patched Mac OSs to my multi-boot setup.

To me, the biggest downside to using Ubnuntu is that it is not OS X. I often feel like I'm using a PC rather than a Mac. That's why I currently multi-boot Ubuntu with Snow Leopard and Mavericks.

 

[Amethyst1]

To me, the biggest downside to using Ubnuntu is that it is not OS X. I often feel like I'm using a PC rather than a Mac.

A Mac not running OS X is a PC.

 

[bobesch]

Today I was able to connect my Mint-MBP with the OfficeServer (Win10pro) via VPN (CiscoIPsec) and RDP (Remmina). Feels nearly as easily being done as with macOS ...
(A thing I desperately whished for my PowerBooks but never succeded ... ?)



So a OSX in a virtual machine (to run DEVONthing) is the last thing on my whish list ...

 

[kencu]

I run 64 bit Ubuntu 2104 on my 2006 white MacBook 2,1 all day long. Works just brilliantly, rock solid, runs great. I bumped the ram up to 4GB for $15 and slipped in a $50 SSD 240GB to help it along.

 

[bobesch]

After two weeks now of nearly exclusively using Linux Mate on a 2009 15" MBP I am impressed about how good Linux' over all performance copes with my daily tasks ...
But I am also still impressed about the smooth handling of MojavePatch on my early-2008 17" MBP, which does indeed still feels a little bit better.

 

[mortlocli]

Hmmm..after reading thru here, maybe I'll have another look at Mint.

I've an 2009 iMac 10,1 (with unsupported Cat) and a 2007 iMac 5,1 17 inch..(with unsupported Mavericks.)

 

[Hughmac]

My iMac 7,1 (20" C2D 2.4 from mid-2007, 6GB RAM and 256GB SSD) refused to boot any version of Mint + other distros except MX-21 Wildflower 32 bit XFCE, which I now have dual booted with Snow Leopard.
So I now have my favourite Mac OS complete with support for PPC apps and games, plus a modern secure OS for internet use.

Cheers

Hugh