Hey folks! I have a really old MacBook Air (model A1370) that's about 15 years old. It's out of support and I'm looking for ways to keep it useful, especially for tinkering and coding. I'm curious if it's worthwhile to install a Linux distribution on this outdated hardware. Will it run efficiently, or could it end up being more trouble than it's worth? I'm not attached to the Apple ecosystem, and I'm fairly comfortable with Linux. Any recommendations would be greatly appreciated!
5 Answers
I actually have the same model as you and it works fine for basic tasks with Mint. The Wi-Fi driver comes included in the install image, and post-install, just run the Update Manager to get everything sorted. It's definitely not for heavy lifting, but it’s great for web surfing and emails.
You should definitely check out this resource: [T2Linux Wiki](https://wiki.t2linux.org/). I'm currently working through a similar process on a newer MacBook Pro and it's been really helpful.
You might want to check out the migration page on our wiki for useful info. From my experience, your MacBook should handle Mint pretty well for basic tasks. Just remember to only use root when necessary, avoid third-party repo installations, and verify ISOs after downloading.
I have a 2011 MacBook Air (i7 with 4GB RAM) and I'm running Mint 22 on it. All the hardware works great, including the camera, audio, and Wi-Fi. It's still capable enough for tasks like Office work, browsing, and email.
Honestly, even a lightweight Linux distro might not feel super responsive compared to older macOS versions like High Sierra or Catalina. That's mainly because the modern web is built for newer machines, so expect some lag on sites like YouTube. However, if you want to give it a shot, Linux Mint is a good choice. Just hold down the Alt key while booting, install it, and if you need Wi-Fi drivers, you can connect via Ethernet or USB tethering. Also, keep in mind, the last model you can easily upgrade with more RAM and storage was the 2011 version, so you're a bit limited there.
Absolutely! Just make sure to go for the XFCE version of Mint if you can. It's specifically designed for older hardware and runs like a charm.