Linux Is Still A Lemon On The 2013 MacBook Air

[phoronix]

Phoronix: Linux Is Still A Lemon On The 2013 MacBook Air

While the 2013 Haswell-based Apple MacBook Air has been on the market for the better part of two months, the Linux kernel still isn't playing nicely with this very light laptop that under OS X boasts a long battery life...

http://www.phoronix.com/vr.php?view=MTQyNDk

[garegin]

interestingly, this has nothing to do with Apple's machinations and everything to do with the shitty drivers. it may seem nefarious that Linux doesn't boot on MacBook airs, but it actually doesn't boot on many laptops. shoot, we still don't have drivers (closed or open) for some Intel (yes Intel) and Via GPUs.
the truth is a kick in the chicklets. the good luck with drivers is a largesse by enthusiastic developers in hardware companies. Broadcom wouldn't bat an eye if abysmal Linux drivers drove users away to Atheros. The user base is, how shall I put it, financially insignificant.

[AdamW]

interestingly, this has nothing to do with Apple's machinations and everything to do with the shitty drivers. it may seem nefarious that Linux doesn't boot on MacBook airs, but it actually doesn't boot on many laptops. shoot, we still don't have drivers (closed or open) for some Intel (yes Intel) and Via GPUs.
the truth is a kick in the chicklets. the good luck with drivers is a largesse by enthusiastic developers in hardware companies. Broadcom wouldn't bat an eye if abysmal Linux drivers drove users away to Atheros. The user base is, how shall I put it, financially insignificant.

Well, no, the error in question doesn't look to have anything much to do with a 'driver'.

The only Intel hardware 'we' are lacking a driver for is the odd fish GMA500/600 (which is hardly an Intel part, it's more a PowerVR chip) that is found on almost no hardware these days. VIA graphics adapters are incredibly rare. Linux has perfectly decent video drivers for 97+% of PC hardware.

[garegin]

so it's powervr's fault. either way. they don't care about our money. if they did, they would make better drivers to not piss off their users.

[tecknurd]

Macs these days already have some kind of parts of Unix. The main reason why I use Linux is that it is cheaper than buying Windows. The cost of Mac OS X is about $30 versus $300 for Windows. Of course excluding the cost of parts to build the computer or hackintosh. I despise using Windows. I do not mind using either Mac OS X or Linux. In this case, I do not see the point of putting Linux on any Mac that is 80x86 based.

Really, Why does it matter to put Linux on a Mac?

[genstorm]

http://www.phoronix.com/vr.php?view=MTQyNDk

So, in essence, what you're saying is that the MacBook currently is a Lemon because it fails to comply with standards that are otherwise working.

Same with Thunderbolt - will never work with Apple hardware because they did not implement it according to specifications.

[Cyborg16]

Macs these days already have some kind of parts of Unix. The main reason why I use Linux is that it is cheaper than buying Windows. The cost of Mac OS X is about $30 versus $300 for Windows. Of course excluding the cost of parts to build the computer or hackintosh. I despise using Windows. I do not mind using either Mac OS X or Linux. In this case, I do not see the point of putting Linux on any Mac that is 80x86 based.

Really, Why does it matter to put Linux on a Mac?

So really you're saying that no-one likes Linux, it's just that some people dislike Windows more? Not true.

Will be interesting to see whether this is uniquely an Apple problem or common to other Haswell laptops (when they arrive).

[grantek]

I was planning to get an ultrabook from this generation, and considering the MBP. Thanks to Michael's earlier review, I spent a bit more and got a Sony Vaio Pro 13 (it cost more but the higher specs meant the value was about the same).

It was still finicky to get working nicely with Linux, but with a kernel from Intel's git branch and some massaging of the UEFI boot process it's all working now

[Guest]

Macs these days already have some kind of parts of Unix. The main reason why I use Linux is that it is cheaper than buying Windows. The cost of Mac OS X is about $30 versus $300 for Windows. Of course excluding the cost of parts to build the computer or hackintosh. I despise using Windows. I do not mind using either Mac OS X or Linux. In this case, I do not see the point of putting Linux on any Mac that is 80x86 based.

Really, Why does it matter to put Linux on a Mac?

It matters, because people who already bought a mac may want to use it instead of os x. Linux is way faster than os x.

[brosis]

interestingly, this has nothing to do with Apple's machinations and everything to do with the shitty drivers. it may seem nefarious that Linux doesn't boot on MacBook airs, but it actually doesn't boot on many laptops. shoot, we still don't have drivers (closed or open) for some Intel (yes Intel) and Via GPUs.
the truth is a kick in the chicklets. the good luck with drivers is a largesse by enthusiastic developers in hardware companies. Broadcom wouldn't bat an eye if abysmal Linux drivers drove users away to Atheros. The user base is, how shall I put it, financially insignificant.

The truth is - I don't get it, are you sadomasochist or troll? Most of laptop problems is due to buggy ACPI that works on other OSes only due to driver workarounds and other ACPI branches are simply shipped with errors. And driver problem you are talking about is only a problem if drivers are closed source, which Via and PowerVR are.

It matters, because people who already bought a mac may want to use it instead of os x. Linux is way faster than os x.

These people have no difficulties purchasing Linux laptop so nobody cares.