A friend wants to gift me an old macbook pro he no longer uses. Specs follow:

MacBook Pro, Core i5, 2.8 GHz (I5-4308U), model A1502 (EMC 2875), Retina Mid-2014 13", MacBookPro11,1, RAM 8 GB, VRAM 1.5 GB, Storage 512 GB SSD

Out of principle I don’t use anything made by that brand and the only way I see myself using the hardware is if I can nuke the software and install any linux distro, ubuntu is the distro I know best.

Can it be done?

Any drawbacks?

It’s a model with a screwed aluminum case, meaning I cannot unplug the battery when I don’t need it. How long does it last?

Alternatively, what could I use this notebook for? Is there anything apple does better than linux that deserves I don’t nuke it?

  • @HexagonSun
    1•3 months ago

    Others here with old Macs seem to have had a much smoother run than me!

    You can absolutely run Linux like a champ on that machine, but for reasons I’m not advanced enough to know/understand I’ve struggled with even booting the live USB for multiple distros on my Mid-2012 15" Retina. Maybe it’s the version of the hybrid Intel/Nvidia graphics on the model, I can’t really say.

    I’m currently writing this from Linux Mint on said Mac, and all is well; but I’ve experienced the following:

    • OpenSuse installer couldn’t even be seen at startup manager
    • MX Linux would freeze during boot to the installer
    • Elementary OS wouldn’t boot following install
    • Pop! OS installed the wrong Nvidia driver for the computer, and with the open source drivers stopped booting after running a few updates
    • Nitrux would freeze during boot to the installer
    • Ubuntu stopped booting a few days in after an update
    • Debian might have worked but wouldn’t detect my trackpad, wifi or USB ethernet adaptor so I couldn’t properly get it installed
    • Manjaro worked for a while but eventually failed after an update
    • ArcoLinux wouldn’t wake from sleep running the live USB

    I totally recommend Linux Mint overall. I’ve decided I like Cinnamon best, “it just works” far more than anything else I’ve tried. I consider it the closest to macOS in terms of being thought about from every angle and set up and ready to go as a beginner or as a more advanced user.