I'm looking for a lightweight Linux distribution suitable for my MacBook with an M1 chip. My device is getting a bit slow, and I want to experiment with Linux for some apps, but I only have about 40GB of free storage. I'm hoping to find something that runs well on Apple Silicon, is fast, and doesn't take up much space. I've heard about Asahi Linux, but I'm curious if there are other lighter options. Should I go for a dual boot installation or use a virtual machine? Any advice would be appreciated!
4 Answers
I'd suggest just running a VM. It'll keep things simple and you won't have to fiddle with dual booting which can be a hassle.
Asahi Linux is specifically designed for Apple Silicon and has a straightforward, user-friendly installation process. I've been using it on my M2 Mac, and it really works like a charm. If you only need access to a few apps, a VM is a reasonable way to go, especially if you want to keep all your Mac files handy.
Watch out though; it requires about 60GB of free space!
With the M1, using a virtual machine is probably your best bet since it doesn't have hardware support yet. You can easily run Linux in a VM, and honestly, 40GB is plenty for lightweight distributions like Mint or Fedora Workstation. Just keep in mind that performance will be slower compared to a dual boot setup.
I think you're mixing up chips though, right? M1 not M3? Anyway, Asahi Linux is definitely a solid choice!
I can't speak for the M1 specifically, but I've used Lubuntu on an older x86 machine and found it to be very efficient. If your M1 has decent specs, you should be fine with the space you've got! Just remember that performance will hinge a lot on the other hardware aspects as well.
Thanks for the insight! I'll consider Asahi for sure.