Hey everyone! I'm looking to replace the old Mac OS X on my 2011 iMac with either Linux Mint or Lubuntu. I'm curious about the driver compatibility. Will everything like WiFi and Ethernet work straight away, or do I need to preload specific drivers on my USB? Also, will my Ventoy USB stick created on Windows 11 boot properly on the iMac, or should I use BalenaEtcher instead? With an old HDD and just 4GB of RAM, I'm hoping Linux will run smoothly. Which one do you think is better, Mint or Lubuntu?
2 Answers
When it comes to Macs, the main concern with Linux distros is proprietary drivers and Apple's secure boot. First, you'll want to disable SIP. If you can, consider adding 4GB or 8GB DDR3 RAM. iMacs from 2009 onwards can support up to 32GB of RAM. I suggest trying out BigLinux, LMDE, EndeavourOS, or Zorin, making sure to select the proprietary drivers option if it's available. Optionally, you could partition your drive and install MacOS Mavericks too, just to keep your options open at boot.
I installed Linux Mint on my 2011 iMac and named it MintiMac. It all worked perfectly right out of the box! I can't speak for Lubuntu since I’ve never tried it, but Mint has been running really well for me.
I thought secure boot wasn't an issue on older iMacs?