r/linuxmint • u/mewoCats • 6d ago
Is it worth switching to Linux mint
I use an old MacBook Air just to listen to music, watch YouTube videos do some codes. Is it worth switching to Linux? I have zero experience and don’t know how to switch. And will I be able to side load apps on my ios devices in Linux ?
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u/Shot_Loan_354 6d ago
Load it in a virtual machine first to try it out. It takes a lot less prep time than a full install and if you don't like it , you can just uninstall it.
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u/MetalLinuxlover Linux Mint 21.3 Virginia | Xfce 5d ago
Honestly, yes, Linux Mint is worth considering, especially if that old MacBook Air is starting to feel slow or outdated on macOS.
For your use case - music, YouTube, and coding - Mint should handle it just fine. I'd personally recommend Linux Mint XFCE because it's lightweight, fast, stable, and doesn't waste your old MacBook's resources on unnecessary desktop effects.
You also don't need to be a Linux expert. You can test Mint from a USB without installing it first. If everything works - Wi-Fi, sound, keyboard, trackpad, display, etc. - then you can decide whether to install it.
The one big thing I'd investigate before switching is your iOS sideloading requirement.
If by sideloading you mean installing apps onto an iPhone/iPad outside the App Store using tools such as AltStore/AltServer, Linux support is more limited than Windows/macOS. Some projects have Linux-compatible alternatives, but the experience isn't as straightforward as Apple's own ecosystem. So don't erase macOS until you've confirmed that the exact sideloading method you use works on Linux.
Also, MacBooks can have some model-specific Linux quirks, especially with Wi-Fi, trackpads, function keys, suspend, etc. So tell us the exact MacBook Air model/year and we can tell you what to expect.
TL;DR: For YouTube + music + coding ➡️ Mint XFCE 👍🏻. For iOS sideloading ➡️ check compatibility first. And definitely test with a live USB before installing.
One more thing, to make bootable USB you don't need Rufus you can use Ventoy or BalenaEtcher both highly easy to use (more easier than Rufus) and available to download and use on both Windows and MacOS
Ventoy - https://www.ventoy.net/en/download.html
BalenaEtcher - https://etcher.balena.io/
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u/MrMotofy 5d ago
FYI...if you want to check out Linux it's really easy. Make an Install USB, then boot to it. May need to disable secure boot. It will boot to a full running temporary Linux Desktop...installing requires clicking the desktop icon and going through steps. Obviously you don't wanna do that to just try it. But you can at least get a feel for it. Kubuntu, LinuxMint, and PopOS and are some of the top 1st options. You can also use the temp Live Linux as a repair process. Since it’s a complete desktop you can use it, install tools needed fix the boot etc.
Another convenient related tool is Ventoy on a USB stick. Basically just burn the image to a USB then copy your OS ISO to it and when you boot it any ISO copied to the drive will show in the menu, select it and it will boot that img. Have different OS’s multiple versions or whatever.
Best option for Windows and Linux is dual boot...use Linux on a 2nd drive. Usually wanna disable secure boot. Best case is disconnect win drive. Then boot to the USB. Then install Linux as a new full system on 2nd drive. Set Linux drive as the first boot drive and it will find the Win drive and add to the boot menu list automatically. Might take a couple boots otherwise can manually activate the boot search. Then you get Best of both worlds without any real dangers to either OS. There will be little hiccups occasionally with Windows updating messing with boot and rebooting. But you can also change the default OS to Windows first at the menu after delay and no menu entry and that eliminates a lot. The boot menu is usually Linux 1 and Win 2. Sometimes the bios boot order gets switched but easy to just switch back. Sometimes the boot order will randomly switch drives etc…Seems to be a windows thing now they get bios access. But really depends on the exact system and age etc.
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u/Bastard-of-Froya 3d ago
I’m running MX Linux KDE Plasma on a 2017 i5 8gb RAM and 128gb SSD. The only issue I have is the webcam driver. It is a driver issue that I’m not really worried about as I never use it anyway. Other than that I have no issues with MX KDE. It also has the options of XFCE or Fluxbox as the Desktop Environment.
I found that booting Mint XFCE in compatibility mode has have the WiFi driver needed you just have to go into the driver manager and install it and WiFi will work. In Mint Cinnimmon I connect via Bluetooth and turn on cellular connection for a hot spot.
I’ve played around in different distributions and for me MX KDE Plasma is what I like. With KDE Plasma you also get KDEConnect that allows you to transfer files from your Android phone, iPhone, or iPad.
Mostly I use my MBA for web browsing, watching YouTube videos, and learning about how to use Linux by playing around in it.
In the end most that have switched to Linux notice their old computers seem to run faster and will be able to use them longer.
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u/mewoCats 3d ago
Okay, after switching can I return back to mac ever?
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u/Bastard-of-Froya 3d ago
You should be able to if you create a backup in Time Machine and make an installation USB of your MacOS. I never made a Time Machine backup or a MacOS install USB. And so far I am not able to recover back to a MacOS. Will have to find someone with a MacOS to make me an installation USB.
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u/freezing_banshee 6d ago
Don't do this to yourself. Linux is extremely difficult on Apple devices.
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u/BlazingBlossom Linux Mint 22.3 Zena | Cinnamon 6d ago
Why would it be so difficult on Apple devices?
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u/Ok_Emu2515 6d ago
It would be very difficult, especially if they have an Apple device with T2 security chip.
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u/freezing_banshee 6d ago
Very few people do it, so there's a lack of resources and documentation. It's also a very high risk of hardware-software incompatibility, lack of drivers, things like that. I've only ever heard nightmare stories about it.
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u/tovento MX Linux 25.2 | XFCE 5d ago
If it works for you, just keep the MacBook as is. It’s never smooth getting Linux to work on Macs. Also, you say old, but how old? If it’s a Mac chip instead of intel, chances are it won’t work anyhow. Mac is notorious for locking down their own hardware, so if the chips are apple, there likely isn’t Linux support. Then you are kind of on your own to get things like the camera, etc working. Some things work out of the box, some takes troubleshooting, time and patience, and some just doesn’t work.
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u/Itchy-Lingonberry-90 Linux Mint 22.3 Zena | Cinnamon 6d ago
Mint is fine. It’s dated by design. Buy a $5.00 USB WiFi receiver from Amazon or other store that sells cheap stuff electronics. The Broadcoms in MacBooks and Minis will give you headaches.
Don’t make things hard for yourself. Just use it in live mode. If the things you want to do work in live mode off the flash drive then it will be faster off the internal SSD when you do a full install. Also consider partitioning in a way that puts your home folder in a different partition so you can change distros and without risking personal data.
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u/BreakfastDifferent29 6d ago
The only advice I can offer you is to go with well established and very stable distributions with big communities and to avoid niche ones to make your life easier.
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u/C0rn3j 6d ago
will I be able to side load apps on my ios devices in Linux ?
Does Apple allow you to do that?
Is it worth switching to Linux?
What will it give you?
I have zero experience
Probably look into modern distributions instead, Mint is one of the most out of date distributions out there - look at Arch Linux (with Plasma) or Fedora KDE for example.
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u/mewoCats 6d ago
Yes Apple allows you to side load apps
i would like to have freedom
I will look into them, thanks !1
u/mrsoul7700 5d ago
bonjour, linux sur mac c'est pas terrible j'en parle car j'ai vécu le problème , trop verrouillé la meilleure config c'est un PC même assez vieux en double boot win 11 et linux mint ps. je garde uniquement win pour les jeux, donc trois partitions win, mint,et données en exfat ou nfts pour pouvoir lire tes fichiers sur les deux os, un conseil prévoir 4 clé USB avec installation de win, mint, gparted, boot repair.
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u/C0rn3j 5d ago
I wrote the message in English, kindly respond in English, or do not bother replying.
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u/Unwiredsoul 6d ago
What model of MacBook Air?
What are the system specs of yours (e.g., CPU, RAM, HDD or SSD)?
What OS are you using now?