Powerbook 12" running Debian Linux

Viro · #1 March 15th, 2005, 11:19 AM

My Powerbook has been running Mac OS X with Debian for a while now, and two weeks ago, I got rid of OS X and am now running Debian only with GNOME as my GUI.

The reasons I run Linux on my Powerbook instead of OS X:

Most of the applications I use are running in X11. Since I spent more time in Fink than I did in OS X, I figured I should just run Linux. X11 is still quite poorly integrated into OS X.
Virtual Desktops are tightly integrated into GNOME. I've begun to need this more than I need expose. Strange, but that's how it goes.
My work machine runs Debian as well. It makes things like synchronizing data much easier.
I get Spotlight before any mac user does . Install Beagle and you've got something similar to Spotlight.
It's free. Loads of utilities are free, and aren't available on OS X, or are a pain to set up under OS X.
Mono works under Linux far better than it does under OS X. You can actually get a working GUI(!!).
X11 renders fonts better than OS X. Seriously, OS X fonts look blurry after you run GNOME which has crisp anti-aliased fonts. It defies all explanation as to why Apple has worse looking fonts than GNOME. Just browse the web for screenshots.

What I miss about running OS X:

Sleep functionality. My Powerbook doesn't sleep now. I need to shut it down and start it up whenever I travel. It's a pain initially, but you get used to it after a while. The 1m 34s boot time isn't that bad and allow you time to go brew some tea.
3D acceleration. No more 3D games for me . nVidia is evil*.
Wireless. I've got to buy a DWL-122 wireless dongle since Airport Extreme isn't supported. Broadcom is evil*.
Laptop runs slightly hotter under Linux. Good in winter, bad in summer.
VGA-out works when you disable the LCD. Bit of a pain when doing presentations but hey, nVidia needs to release the specifications to their hardware before anything can happen.
Lack of multimedia plugins. Flash doesn't work (this can be a good thing). No proprietary video codecs like WMV/Quicktime/Real. DVD playback works good though.

All in all, Debian looks like it will stay for quite a while on my Powerbook. Tiger might make me switch back, but from the looks of things, it may not.

*these companies aren't evil per se. I just thought I'd be a stereotypical Linux user and call them evil

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rubicon · #2 March 30th, 2005, 09:35 PM

If I was going to run Linux on my Mac, I'd just get a PC laptop and call it a day. If you're going to deal with hardware driver issues, it may as be on the Intel platform.

Viro · #3 March 31st, 2005, 05:47 PM

Why?

PC laptops are huge, and no where near as well built as Mac laptops.

drunkmac · #4 March 31st, 2005, 10:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Viro

Why?

PC laptops are huge, and no where near as well built as Mac laptops.

Think again Viro. Go look at Sony's line of Vaios or some Fujitsus out there. Very thin. Thinner than the powerbook..but I must agree, getting a Powerbook and throwing linux on there is just a waste.

Viro · #5 April 1st, 2005, 04:37 AM

How much more do they cost than the Powerbook? They don't have proper vector processing either. No, SSE2/3 doesn't count.

The Powerbook is very good, for people who want a *nix laptop that has integrated X11. Perhaps if Tiger integrated X11 better into the OS, this would make running Linux a moot point.

That said, running Linux on Mac hardware isn't for everyone, of course.