Linux Is A Lemon On The Retina MacBook Pro

[Rigaldo]

It appears someone else also tried Linux on Retina MBP.

http://mjg59.dreamwidth.org/15948.html

[phoronixxx]

I'm writing this text on a MBPr with Funtoo Linux and KDE 4.9. For people who can read german (maybe Google translate helps for other languages) I've written a detailed blog how I installed Funtoo. Its still heavy work in progress but maybe someone finds some hints trying to install Gentoo/Funtoo: http://www.tauceti.net/roller/cetixx...ook_pro_retina
Yes Linux has currently some problems with this laptop but it will get better support. For me it's mainly the touchpad (have to get of my finger before click the left button otherwise I get the context menu like clicking the right button), ALT+F2 doesn't work (krunner), some applications show the wrong font in the menu and I haven't managed to make the Intel graphics work (using Nvida binary blob currently). Using the Nvidia card I need more power of course. But the hardware is great. The weight is small, it's thin, it's fast (compling kernel makes really fun :-) ) and of course the display for programming tasks is great. Because the hardware is brand new Gentoo/Funtoo Linux helps a lot, because you always have the latest and greatest software. A brunch of kernel hackers seems to use this laptop to and if the development progress continues so fast as it is currently I expect for Gentoo/Funtoo users that most problems will disappear in 2-3 months.

[genstorm]

The battery life is very close to the same as the MBP (6 hours vs 7 hours). You also forgot to point out that it has no discrete GPU, while the MBP has an NVIDIA 650m, which is a fairly beefy GPU for a non-gaming notebook.

That's because personally I don't care about a discrete GPU on a notebook as long as there exists good OpenSource support for it - I was focussing on the main points going for a laptop: Mobility (mine lasts twice the time), size and weight (half), matte(!!) screen glory (mine has an even higher resolution at 12"). Those ZaReason books fall short on any of them.

So really, even if I'm not a big fan of Apple policies, I still acknowledge their talent in packaging the right stuff into high-quality casings. Comparing them with the above mentioned ZaReason books is an insult.

[liam]

While those are nice features, there are many other features that ZaReason beats the Mac on, like more RAM, faster processors, room for dual SSDs and/or HDs, removable battery, included optical drive, and best of all a much lower price. Oh, and out of the box support for just about any Linux distro.

As someone who has spent way too much time researching my laptop purchases, I can say with complete confidence that Apple makes extraordinarily well rounded lappys.
Yes, you can get faster ones, or ones with larger batteries, or better screens, better keyboards (the later isn't too hard, though, imho), but try and find one that has all those at once and is still under 5.5lbs.
Lenovo offered the w520 last year that was damn close. Very strong battery life (upwards of nine hours), great screen, keyboard, and absurdly fast but it was also around seven lbs, iirc. Likewise, their x220 was also really close but they only offer a single resolution 1366*768, but, for the price and performance, it was still worth it.
BTW, like others here, I refuse to buy Apple products. I will not support their practices despite their fantastic hardware, nor does it make sense to me to have to bend over backwards to get linux working on a device where it will always, more than likely, remain the second best option (only in the sense that the system is built with the intent to support a specific os and doesn't seem to rely heavily on open standards).

[madbiologist]

We're getting off-topic here, but I hear that the Sony VAIO Z is a very nice laptop that runs Linux well.

[elanthis]

Pathetic screens, pathetic battery time, pathetic weight.

The battery life is very close to the same as the MBP (6 hours vs 7 hours). You also forgot to point out that it has no discrete GPU, while the MBP has an NVIDIA 650m, which is a fairly beefy GPU for a non-gaming notebook.

Personally I'm quite happy with the new Samsung Series 7 (15") I picked up. ~$1200, NVIDIA 640m GPU w/ Optimus, Ivy Bridge i7, 8GB of DDR3-1600 RAM, DVD drive, USB3, mini-DP and HDMI ports, Bluetooth, 7-8 hour battery life, and quite respectably low weight and bulk. Only downside was that it still had a spinning disk (and getting the case open to replace said disk is not as easy as I'd like), but I picked up a 240GB Crucial M4 for $220 (the prices have since dropped to under $200) and the thing freakin' screams now. My only complaint is that the screen is not stellar (it's not even 1080p), but at this price I don't feel like the machine has to last forever and I can just buy a whole new laptop as soon as some other manufacturers have hiDPI screens available (or Apple does a 180 and makes the "old style" user-serviceable MBPs available again but with the Retina display).

[genstorm]

Check out the Strata. http://zareason.com/shop/Strata-7330.html It's very much a proper laptop. Or check out the thin UltraLap. http://zareason.com/shop/UltraLap-430.html

Pathetic screens, pathetic battery time, pathetic weight.

[houkouonchi]

And can't you provide an screenshot of the desktop with some application running like firefox and/or terminal + scaling factor instead of a blurry picture taken with a camera?

Edit: and with full resolution?

Sorry another camera pic but here is one of linux running on my macbook at 2880x1800 with X windows set at 75 DPI:






These were taking on Jul 7th 2012 so over a month ago.

[houkouonchi]

Meh. Running linux on the macbook pro retina is fine for those who are Advanced/Expert linux users. I had a few issues getting stuff working initially but now everything I need works perfectly.

FYI noapic is only needed on some kernels for some distro's.

Using the NVIDIA binary driver will work for the GeForce GT 650M on the Retina MacBook Pro, but switching to the discrete NVIDIA GPU requires booting OS X and using a utility for manually switching that GPU to drive the display.

I have never had to boot into OS X and enabled the discrete graphics card to get the gt 650m working for me.

I used an external monitor via thunderbolt -> dual link DVI adapter (2560x1440) with no problems.

Thunderbolt ethernet support problem is only no hotplug but otherwise performance is great.

My only real bitches are wifi performance is not that great and the backlight but otherwise its a very workable system.

Also I am not 100% sure the intel/nvidia switching stuff is working properly on windows either but I haven't tested with a meter to be sure.

Why would you recommend a VM just to run at lower resolution? Just run the thing at 1440x900 then LOL. Honestly I like as much desktop real-estate as I can get and some people actually have good eyes.

I have no problems with 2880x1800 on this display with X set at 75 DPI which is smaller than most people already use on 100 ppi screens.

[Syke]

Please stop making bogus comparisons. What you are describing is a desktop replacement. No one in the market for a proper laptop wants to carry such weight every day.

Check out the Strata. http://zareason.com/shop/Strata-7330.html It's very much a proper laptop. Or check out the thin UltraLap. http://zareason.com/shop/UltraLap-430.html