[sf-lug] Hello

[Bobbie Sellers]

On 07/06/2012 09:13 AM, Aaron Borden wrote:
> On Wed, 2012-07-04 at 21:45 -0700, Andrew Udvare wrote:
>> I actually had to use a dd'd copy of the ISO to USB drive for the latest
>> Ubuntu to boot up the MacBook Air I got from work into a state from which I
>> could install Gentoo (another cool feature of Gentoo installation). Nothing
>> else, even if properly converted, would boot without freezing (that
>> includes Arch Linux on USB).
>>
>> Still I run into issues I'm not sure about regarding the Air, like if it
>> stays on for more than 24 hours it seems to either freeze or the mouse is
>> moving extremely slowly. Linus according to one interview not too long ago
>> uses an Air as his laptop (because it is quiet), so I am actually quite
>> surprised at this issue.
> +1 Gentoo. At work I have Ubuntu 12.04 running on a macbook pro. For
> each hardware release Apple makes, it gets harder and harder to get a
> stable Linux install running and in the near future with UEFI secure
> boot, it won't be possible at all. They already have a custom
> implementation of UEFI and it is not compatible with the nvidia card on
> this HW rev, so no hardware acceleration if booting through UEFI.
The UEFI issue will be resolved eventually and if you check the
older messages you will see that this is receiving some intense
scrutiny from the knowledgeable parties.
     Fedora 18 for example will include a key to allow it to
boot on a machine with Secure Boot enabled according to my information.

<http://www.geek.com/articles/news/redhat-will-pay-microsoft-to-ensure-fedora-18-runs-on-windows-8-pcs-2012061/>

     I found that by Googling Fedora 18 but plenty of other stories, 
some incorrect, are
out there regarding using Linux on x86 machines and disabling Secure Boot.
     So you might have to buy an Ultrabook with Windows 7/8 on it to get 
the lightweight
machine you seem to want(as do I) but Fedora should allow Linux to get a 
toe hold on
the hardwares.

>
> I've got it running well now when booting with "legacy" grub,
> suspend/resume works, wifi works (although with 11.10 I had to compile
> the staging drivers manually), bluetooth, printing, etc. Ultimately I
> don't recommend using mac hardware with Linux. Unfortunately even
> ZaReason doesn't have a great selection of laptops. Their lightest model
> is still 4.5 lbs!!! Something I've been meaning to write to them
> about :/
>
> -Aaron
>
     Bobbie Sellers