DEV Community

[Comment from a deleted post]
Collapse
 
_garybell profile image
Gary Bell

I'm not a Mac user, but I am a Ubuntu user, so it's not really aimed at me, but I would say maybe. That's a bit of a cheat, but here's each side:

No

Not for a new(ish) Mac.

They are expensive devices, and have a whole host of software available to them to allow most people to do their work. There's far more cost-friendly hardware which you can get to have the same overall spec as a Mac, but at a lower cost point. I don't see the point of having a £1300 minimum cost device to run Ubuntu. Especially when I managed to get a very similarly specced Asus Zenbook for half of that (based on the 13" MacBook Pro).

Yes

For older devices, this could be viable.

I've heard great things about the longevity of the hardware for MacBooks. It's one of the reasons I do consider them when my hardware renew cycle comes around. If I had a device 4 years or older which was still working fine, but wasn't getting updates, or I was tired of the ecosystem, I could be tempted to change OS.

Similarly, if I had just refreshed my hardware to a newer MacBook, but wanted to play around with Linux, then using the old device makes sense. I know they can be sold for good money even at a few years old (testament to their status and hardware lifespan). But if the money wasn't really needed, then using a solid old device as a platform for experimenting makes sense.