First of all, Desktop linux barely works on the hardware it is designed to work on.
Let's say that because of some miracle, Linux becomes usable on M1 macs... and people start buying M1 macs to run Linux, Apple will have incentive to lock the bootloader (which they don't currently do) so that people are forced to run macOS only... because their profits does not come from the hardware itself but the "ecosystem" (a.k.a. vendor-lock-in) they have built around it.
> First of all, Desktop linux barely works on the hardware it is designed to work on.
Huh. I have been running linux on laptops for years and I don't even pick my laptops to run linux spefically. My last laptop was a surface pro and Linux ran with 0 issues and that is pretty esotoric hardware in the laptop space.
> Let's say that because of some miracle, Linux becomes usable on M1 macs...
The release of the first version of Linux on M1 mac is weeks away. With the only major things not working beeing the GPU and bluetooth.
> and people start buying M1 macs to run Linux, Apple will have incentive to lock the bootloader (which they don't currently do) so that people are forced to run macOS only... because their profits does not come from the hardware itself but the "ecosystem" (a.k.a. vendor-lock-in) they have built around it.
I don't follow this logic. Why would Apple first create more work for them to unlock the bootloader and build ways to load other Operating Systems to then take it back? Like do you think Apple likes to pay their engineers to play a prank on the Linux community? Or how do you envision this happened.
> I have been running linux on laptops for years and I don't even pick my laptops to run linux spefically.
That is very surprising to me because I have owned 8 computers in the last 18 years; I have tried to run desktop Linux on all of them and I have yet to have an experience where I haven't had wide variety of issues with all of them. I have also yet to meet anyone who is happy with running Linux on their computers, even those whose preferred desktop operating system is Linux (as is mine). The people I know were the happiest are those who ran it under Virtualbox as their main OS for work (while running the Virtualbox itself on macOS or Windows obviously) because then they only have to worry about it working on Virtualbox and even then they encounter issues all the time.
> My last laptop was a surface pro and Linux ran with 0 issues and that is pretty esotoric hardware in the laptop space.
Then, you are probably the luckiest desktop linux user to ever exist. Cherish it while it lasts.
>The release of the first version of Linux on M1 mac is weeks away.
I assume it is just like how the year of the linux desktop has been every year forever.
>With the only major things not working beeing the GPU and bluetooth.
These have been issues on desktop Linux forever throughout all these years. If you think it will be suddenly fixed on a completely new platform that came out last year, I can only tell you that you will need to be prepared for disappointment. I wouldn't be surprised if it didn't work without major problems in any platform in 2042.
>Why would Apple first create more work for them to unlock the bootloader
It doesn't take more work to unlock the bootloader. They don't lock it because they don't expect anyone to be able to make anything else work... so having it locked would make them look bad without the benefits. If people do manage to make other operating systems work, their cost/benefit equation will change significantly and they will take steps to block it.
>play a prank on the Linux community?
Why do you think people working at Apple would even consider that Linux community is somehow remotely relevant to their business?
> I have also yet to meet anyone who is happy with running Linux on their computers, even those whose preferred desktop operating system is Linux (as is mine). The people I know were the happiest are those who ran it under Virtualbox as their main OS for work (while running the Virtualbox itself on macOS or Windows obviously) because then they only have to worry about it working on Virtualbox and even then they encounter issues all the time.
And yet there are millions of people that do run linux and like it (using virtual box to run linux is like licking lolipos covered with plastic).
Sure there are sometimes issues, but in 90% of time it is for new hardware (and that is reduced nowadays - e.g. intel sends patches to kernel ahead of time) and my play with compiling new kernel versions :)
It is not a system for grannies (unless it was setup by someone else at the beginning - then it can be, I saw it used like one) - it is mostly system for powerusers, those that don't need to push alt/opt to show a hidden menu option.
it doesn't matter, it has a native unix environment
i live in the terminal most of the time for my dev tasks, i even have a tilling window manager
for everything else, i am glad macOS exists, applications are great, i get to use iOS apps too and everything is consistent and snappy, it stays cool, quiet, it never throttle on battery, things compiler super quick, and battery lasts super long
laptop? apple won, i wouldn't put anything else on the podium
