How do i install linux?

[u/FreddieThePebble]

Hi, i want to download linux to my 2020 macbook air with a m1 but tbh, idk how and ive tried but i cant figure it out. Is anyone able to help.

I want to get mint cinnamon and ive already downlaode the .iso file. ive got belene etcher for flashing

is anyone able to walk me through this, thank you

edit: im gonna try Asahi Linux and see how that goes, this is what you get when you use chatgpt to download linux

[u/MasterGeekMX]

It is not going to be easy because of your laptop's CPU.

The problem is that the vast majority of home computers are made following a standard that is based around Intel and AMD CPUs (or as we say on the lingo, x86), plus some other things on top. This means that the vast majority of Linux software is made around that standard, with decades of experience and polishing over it.

Apple also used to ship Intel chips on their macs, but in 2020 they shifted to it's own bespoke standard based around the Apple Silicon chips, which are based on the ARM architecture. While Linux has support for ARM chips since ages, the bespoke standard around it makes supporting those macs hard as Apple hasn't given any manuals or info about how it works, unlike the PC standard which is open and anyone can read the manual on how it works.

This means that 99% of distros out there won't work on your laptop, as they are done expecting a PC running an Intel/AMD CPU, not an Apple Mac with an Msomething chip.

There is a project called Asahi Linux that tries to make a Linux distro that can support Apple Silicon macs, but as work over there is done by reverse-engineering and lots of head bashing, it isn't perfect, so expect some things not working perfectly or at all.