[NBLUG/talk] Concerning Linux compatibility with the new MacBook Pro

[Lincoln Peters]

On Monday 16 January 2006 10:50, Aaron Grattafiori wrote:
> They looked and felt much like the regular PowerPC ibooks and
> powerbooks. Macworld was too full of ipod stuff anyways, so don't feel
> you missed tooo much.

There were a few gems there that weren't iPod-related.  I got an ergonomic, 
ultra-durable backpack with a padded laptop sleeve and enormous capacity for 
other things, and only paid $35 for it.

>
> As many will see, this was just posted to /. "Intel Macs May Boot
> Windows XP After All"
> http://apple.slashdot.org/apple/06/01/16/150239.shtml

It's apparently an EFI BIOS.  I'm pretty sure that Linux will support it with 
ease, but I'm not sure about Windows XP.

>
> Part of what I liked about mac's is that they were still non-x86, esp
> the G5 processor. If I was going to run linux on a mac (other than my
> 330Mhz ibook clamshell), i'd be a non-intel one. (unless they were
> significatly cheaper... (which they're not)).

Why?  I'm not an expert on either the PowerPC or the Intel CPU's, but from 
what I've heard, it sounds like the Yonah chip in the Intel Macs is superior 
to the G4 and G5 chips in every way.

>
> I think apple should spend a lot of money adding a bizillion (technical
> term) drivers to its OS (on some kinda CD maybe) and releaseing OS X for
> non-apple hardware...

I've been trying to stay up with the Slashdot discussions on the new Intel 
Macs.  The general consensus is that Apple will not do this, as their last 
venture into supporting non-Apple hardware was a complete disaster.  Since 
most of their profit is in hardware sales, this move would make *us* happy, 
at least for a while, but it would probably destroy Apple in the process by 
killing their hardware sales.

Of course, if the majority of their profit comes from hardware sales, would it 
kill them to GPL MacOS X and its applications?


-- 
Lincoln Peters
<sampln at sbcglobal.net>

Tell a man there are 300 billion stars in the universe and he'll believe you.
Tell him a bench has wet paint on it and he'll have to touch to be sure.

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