NEWS

Patreon Project Looks to Bring Linux to Apple Silicon

Developer Hector Martin believes Linux is capable of running on Apple hardware powered by M1 chips. In fact, he believes so much in this goal, that he's created a Patreon project to help fund his efforts.

This is quite a major task for a single developer, but Martin believes he's able to pull it off. The project, however, will require a full-time effort, which is why the developer has created the Patreon page.

Martin's developer experience includes Linux ports of the Nintendo Wii, PlayStation 3, and PlayStation 4.

About this project, Martin says, "Apple just released a new range of ARM-based Apple Silicon Macs that blow every other ARM machine in the same class out of the water. Wouldn't it be nice if they could run Linux too?" As for whether or not the M1-powered Mac hardware can run Linux, Martin makes the claim, "As it turns out, they can, but someone needs to do the work."

As of this moment, Martin has reached his Patreon kick-off goal and the project will start in earnest in January 2021. He plans on documenting his progress and doing the occasional livestreams.

In an interview with ZDNet (https://www.zdnet.com/article/linus-torvalds-would-like-to-use-an-m1-mac-for-linux-but/), Linux Torvalds (the creator of Linux) said this of porting Linux to the M1 chip, "The main problem with the M1 for me is the GPU and other devices around it, because that's likely what would hold me off using it because it wouldn't have any Linux support unless Apple opens up… [that] seems unlikely, but hey, you can always hope."

Find out more about Hector Martin's efforts on his official Patreon page (https://www.patreon.com/marcan).

A New Chrome OS-Like Ubuntu Remix Is Now Available

If you've used Chrome OS, you know there's a beauty in its simplicity. Over the years, there have been a few attempts at recreating that same simplicity for Linux, but many of those distributions have vanished. From the creator of Ubuntu Unity (https://ubuntuunity.org/), comes yet another attempt to create that user-friendly magic. The new distribution, called Ubuntu Web, is based on Ubuntu 20.04 and offers an open source take on Chrome OS.

The developer, Rudy Saraswat, has employed the Gnome desktop (version 3.36, https://www.gnome.org/) to pull this off and includes plenty of preinstalled apps to make Ubuntu Web a distribution anyone can use. Included in the app listing you'll find web apps for Mastodon, Twitter, SoundCloud, and a number of others from the /e/ Foundation.

In order to really get the most out of Ubuntu Web, you'll need to have an /e/ account (apply for an invitation at https://e.foundation/e-email-invite/). With a free account (which is supported via donations), you gain access to what looks very much like a hosted instance of Nextcloud (which includes an entire suite of tools, similar to that of Google).

Of course, with Ubuntu Web, you can also install any software from the standard repositories, so the distribution isn't limited to web-only.

For more information about Ubuntu Web, check out the channel on the official Ubuntu Community Discourse page (https://discourse.ubuntu.com/t/ubuntu-web-remix/19394).

System76 Refreshes the Galago Pro Laptop

System76 (https://system76.com/laptops/galago) is known to push the envelope of form and function. But when something works, why reinvent the wheel? That is precisely why the Denver, CO company has given their most popular laptop a bit of a refresh.

The Galago Pro now supports the latest 11th Gen Intel Core i5 and i7 processors and can top out at 64GB of RAM. And although the base model ships with Intel Iris Xe graphics, the laptop can be specified with an optional NVidia GTX 1650 GPU.

Carl Richell, founder and CEO of System76, says of the updates to the laptop, "The Galago Pro has always been a fan favorite of our laptop offerings. The extremely light chassis and well balanced mix of components, all for a very good price, make the Galago an all around excellent computer choice for gamers and engineers alike."

The new take on the Galago Pro will have the same chassis as always (sporting a 14" display), which weighs in at 3.1 pounds and includes an Li-ion 49 Wh battery, 1 x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C/Thunderbolt 4, 1 x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C, 2 x USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A, and a microSD card reader.

You can purchase the new Galago Pro, starting at $949 for the base configuration, at System76 (https://system76.com/laptops/galago).