What have you done with an early Intel recently?

[rin67630]

The 2010 MacBook Pro 15inch I got for $67 dollars, combine with 8GB RAM + SSD upgrade, probably net around $120.

That's clearly too expensive. Pre-2012 Macs have USB2.0 only, that's dinosaur technology. On top of it they are prone to graphic controller failures.

Both Windows 11 and newer macOS requires some short of software hacks.

MacOS require OCLP and patches, which you need to reinstall on every update.
Win11 just requires a prepared installation stick* and no other trick.
I went the easier way: Win11.

* which is done at a breeze with Rufus.

 

[lepidotós]

computers that requires some hack to get newer OS installed.

But it doesn't. It does for macOS but the aforementioned Win11 install is just the normal old installer on a USB drive. A 12 year old could make one of those with one YouTube video for a guide. Same for a Linux or BSD.​

 

[DCBassman]

WHIDWAEIMR?
This:

It took rather a long time, due to not enough RAM and the fact it's running from a 7200rpm spinner. Once I'd had my fun, I repeated the process with a Crucial BX500 SSD, and that improved things quite a bit. There's a 4GB RAM stick incoming, that should help a good deal. If I can get the other RAM slot functioning, then 6GB should run it well enough.

Edit: scrubbed but mis-sized!

 

[rin67630]

It took rather a long time, due to not enough RAM and the fact it's running from a 7200rpm spinner. Once I'd had my fun, I repeated the process with a Crucial BX500 SSD, and that improved things quite a bit. There's a 4GB RAM stick incoming, that should help a good deal. If I can get the other RAM slot functioning, then 6GB should run it well enough.

It does not make sense, nor provide fun at usage to put lot of effort to crack an obsolete OS on a completely outdated Macbook. Using the current Ubuntu Mate Cupertino gives you a a much better experience:

Even on an old Macbook 2007 it is fully operational with up-to-date software and a nice snappy feeling.
Beside that, you will begin enjoying an OS that does not infantilize you, compelling you to permanently buy more new stuff or run into pay schemes.

 

[Project Alice]

There's a 4GB RAM stick incoming, that should help a good deal. If I can get the other RAM slot functioning, then 6GB should run it well enough.

That appears to be a MacBook5,2.
It will take 8GB (unless you only have one working RAM slot, obviously).
The 6GB limit was only the older Intel chipset limitation, that one has a Nvidia MCP79 chipset.

 

[Aoligei]

It does not make sense, nor provide fun at usage to put lot of effort to crack an obsolete OS on a completely outdated Macbook. Using the current Ubuntu Mate Cupertino gives you a a much better experience:
View attachment 2470991
Even on an old Macbook 2007 it is fully operational with up-to-date software and a nice snappy feeling.
Beside that, you will begin enjoying an OS that does not infantilize you, compelling you to permanently buy more new stuff or run into pay schemes.

Cool. But I will give Linux a hard pass.

 

[DCBassman]

That appears to be a MacBook5,2.
It will take 8GB (unless you only have one working RAM slot, obviously).
The 6GB limit was only the older Intel chipset limitation, that one has a Nvidia MCP79 chipset.

Ah, my bad, for some reason my brain insisted 6 was the limit. However, not enough cash for two, and one slot still refuses to play ball!

 

[DCBassman]

It does not make sense, nor provide fun at usage to put lot of effort to crack an obsolete OS on a completely outdated Macbook. Using the current Ubuntu Mate Cupertino gives you a a much better experience:
View attachment 2470991
Even on an old Macbook 2007 it is fully operational with up-to-date software and a nice snappy feeling.
Beside that, you will begin enjoying an OS that does not infantilize you, compelling you to permanently buy more new stuff or run into pay schemes.

Oh, it does make sense, in a "because it's there" context. But otherwise, you are correct, and my choice is MX Xfce, which runs very well on every A1181 model, even the fully 32-bit Core Duos.

 

[DouglasCarroll]

It does not make sense, nor provide fun at usage to put lot of effort to crack an obsolete OS on a completely outdated Macbook. Using the current Ubuntu Mate Cupertino gives you a a much better experience:
View attachment 2470991
Even on an old Macbook 2007 it is fully operational with up-to-date software and a nice snappy feeling.
Beside that, you will begin enjoying an OS that does not infantilize you, compelling you to permanently buy more new stuff or run into pay schemes.

I’ve tried so many different versions of linux and was never able to get a single version to ever work with the built in webcam in any portable Mac I’ve ever tried. That’s a deal killer for me. Until Linux actually easily supports that I’ll continue to avoid it. I’ve tried all the weird hacks and supposed tricks to get the isight working and they never, ever work. I really don’t care about the reason why it doesn’t work, only that it doesn’t. I’m also not interested in spending hours and hours learning bizarre Linux terminal commands to get anything done, computers are supposed to make your life easier not harder. To me using Linux as it currently is is like buying a car that you have to learn to steer using your feet and viewing the road ahead of you while looking up through a periscope and the climate controls are counterintuitive and written in an unknown language. No thanks.

Oh well.

My 2 cents.

😀

 

[Aoligei]

I’ve tried so many different versions of linux and was never able to get a single version to ever work with the built in webcam in any portable Mac I’ve ever tried. That’s a deal killer for me. Until Linux actually easily supports that I’ll continue to avoid it. I’ve tried all the weird hacks and supposed tricks to get the isight working and they never, ever work. I really don’t care about the reason why it doesn’t work, only that it doesn’t. I’m also not interested in spending hours and hours learning bizarre Linux terminal commands to get anything done, computers are supposed to make your life easier not harder. To me using Linux as it currently is is like buying a car that you have to learn to steer using your feet and viewing the road ahead of you while looking up through a periscope and the climate controls are counterintuitive and written in an unknown language. No thanks.

Oh well.

My 2 cents.

😀

Maybe this is why I am not programmer, but I tried countless Linux distributions, I have never managed to get Wi-Fi working. Followed the countless post, with bunch of terminal command, and the Wi-Fi drivers just isn’t installing.

 

[Aoligei]

But it doesn't. It does for macOS but the aforementioned Win11 install is just the normal old installer on a USB drive. A 12 year old could make one of those with one YouTube video for a guide. Same for a Linux or BSD.​

If you have to modify installation to get Windows 11 installed, then it is hack. Windows 11 just isn’t going to be compatible with 12 years old MacBook Pro. Plus Microsoft has repeatedly indicated that computer that doesn’t meet requirements will not receive updates.

 

[rin67630]

I’ve tried so many different versions of linux and was never able to get a single version to ever work with the built in webcam in any portable Mac I’ve ever tried. That’s a deal killer for me. Until Linux actually easily supports that I’ll continue to avoid it.

Don't blame Linux, blame Apple. Every other USB-Webcam will work out of the box.

 

[wicknix]

Correct. Don’t blame Linux. Apples iSight cameras are proprietary and need a “work-a-round” to enable them. Super simple. Always worked for me. Follow these links. The archive.org link has the extracted firmware. Download it. Install isight-firmware-tools and run it. Shut down computer (not reboot). Done.

https://archive.org/download/AppleUSBVideoSupport/AppleUSBVideoSupport

Installing the Apple iSight

www.unix-ninja.com

 

[rin67630]

Correct. Don’t blame Linux. Apples iSight cameras are proprietary and need a “work-a-round” to enable them. Super simple. Always worked for me. Follow these links. The archive.org link has the extracted firmware. Download it. Install isight-firmware-tools and run it. Shut down computer (not reboot). Done.

https://archive.org/download/AppleUSBVideoSupport/AppleUSBVideoSupport

Installing the Apple iSight

www.unix-ninja.com

Thank you, done.
Now my iSight cam is working too. But my other USB cam for 7$ has a ways better quality.

 

[DCBassman]

Plus Microsoft has repeatedly indicated that computer that doesn’t meet requirements will not receive updates.

Except they do receive those updates. If you like Win 11, it's easy to make it work, as has been said. My Windows machine has a Haswell-based 4th gen CPU, 4 generations below spec. It's more than capable, and is, as always, fully updated.

 

[DCBassman]

Today is 'gut the cMP 3,1 day'. I'm going to tear it down all the way, in order to learn how, to give it the deep clean it needs, and hopefully discover what is causing the problem. In any case, there's a spare logic board incoming, so one way or another, I'll get it running again. The incoming board includes a pair of X5472 Xeons, I'm ending up with several spare sets of these processors!

 

[ToniCH]

Correct. Don’t blame Linux. Apples iSight cameras are proprietary and need a “work-a-round” to enable them. Super simple. Always worked for me. Follow these links. The archive.org link has the extracted firmware. Download it. Install isight-firmware-tools and run it. Shut down computer (not reboot). Done.

https://archive.org/download/AppleUSBVideoSupport/AppleUSBVideoSupport

Installing the Apple iSight

www.unix-ninja.com

Thanks for that, saved. I've very rarely use the iSight-camera for anything and never tried it in Linux, but its nice if it works. 👍

Someone mentioned problems with wifi? I don't remember ever having trouble with wifi. I think it has worked out of the box every time. I haven't tried all Linuxes in Macs but Mint, Manjaro, Kali, POP, Lubuntu, Ubuntu, antiX and several more. No problems this far with wifi. 👍👍

Win11 not installing to old machines? Its mostly just a synthetic limitation. Just like MacOS limits. The manufacturers want people to upgrade their computers (to sell more computers or make sure their bloated crappy os runs even semi-properly) and limits the versions you can install with a version check and removing drivers needed for those old machines. Luckily there are people who develope the various versions of OpenCore and Rufus etc. which make it possible for us to install newer versions to older machines.

 

[DouglasCarroll]

Correct. Don’t blame Linux. Apples iSight cameras are proprietary and need a “work-a-round” to enable them. Super simple. Always worked for me. Follow these links. The archive.org link has the extracted firmware. Download it. Install isight-firmware-tools and run it. Shut down computer (not reboot). Done.

https://archive.org/download/AppleUSBVideoSupport/AppleUSBVideoSupport

Installing the Apple iSight

www.unix-ninja.com

Thank you for the link!

Good point about the camera however Apple sure doesn't make the WiFi card in their Macs, those are generic as hell...I wonder why that also doesn't always work "out of the box" when you install Linux half the time (Yep, had that problem also). If Linux was so savvy why can't the installer see the "run of the mill generic widely used Broadcom wi-fi card" and automatically install the correct drivers every time? Can't blame Apple for that. EVERYTHING isn't Apples fault, some of it is "Dudes who program Linux don't care enough about Apples machines to make it very easy for non Linux users to get their stuff working", but that's fine they don't need to, it just gives Linux a bad name when there are problems. It would certainly be cool if someone somewhere wrote a program to automate all of this though for people who don't want to use the terminal, I would definitely download and use that!! I've completely screwed up my computer in the past by accidentally typing in a terminal command incorrectly and it sucked big time...had to do a re-install of everything. So, yeah I realize that I'm stupid about some things like this but I hate the terminal. I also don't want to tear into my car and work on the engine since I can't afford to be stranded with a non working vehicle so I don't do that either. Sometimes people just don't want to screw up their stuff. Doesn't make me a bad person.

However...

Thanks for the link, I appreciate it. and I will give it a try!

 

[DCBassman]

Today is 'gut the cMP 3,1 day'. I'm going to tear it down all the way, in order to learn how, to give it the deep clean it needs, and hopefully discover what is causing the problem. In any case, there's a spare logic board incoming, so one way or another, I'll get it running again. The incoming board includes a pair of X5472 Xeons, I'm ending up with several spare sets of these processors!

Well, it worked for about 40 minutes just idling, then, as before, black screen and fans to full. Rats.
While I was performing all this surgery and revival, I'd also got the Mac Mini Server OCLPing from Monterey to Sequoia 15.2. Went without a hitch, and I'm typing this on it.

 

[ToniCH]

I'd also got the Mac Mini Server OCLPing from Monterey to Sequoia 15.2. Went without a hitch, and I'm typing this on it.

Serial....

 

[wicknix]

"run of the mill generic widely used Broadcom wi-fi card"

Ultimately, it is not. The broadcom chipset used in Macs is also proprietary. No source code released to the public. All that’s available is a binary blob, that again needs a “work-a-round” to get working. So yeah, you CAN blame Apple again.

These chipsets are proprietary:

BCM4311, BCM4312, BCM4321, BCM4322, BCM43227, BCM43228, BCM43142, BCM4331, BCM4352, BCM4360​

These have source code: BCM4313, BCM43224, BCM43225 and should work out of the box on Linux.

 

[DCBassman]

Serial....

D'oh!
Edit: edited.

 

[Amethyst1]

EVERYTHING isn't Apples fault, some of it is "Dudes who program Linux don't care enough about Apples machines to make it very easy for non Linux users to get their stuff working", but that's fine they don't need to, it just gives Linux a bad name when there are problems.

Why don't you tell the "Dudes" to care more instead of complaining here where they're quite unlikely to notice it? And sorry to disagree, but problems that can't be attributed to Linux itself can't give it a bad name:

If Linux was so savvy why can't the installer see the "run of the mill generic widely used Broadcom wi-fi card" and automatically install the correct drivers every time?

The issue is the proprietary firmware the chipset needs to work. Distros include the tools to get it, some may even include it.

I hate the terminal.

You want everything to automatically work OOTB on your Macs without ever using the terminal? There is one distro that suits your needs perfectly. It's called macOS.

 

[Grumpus]

If Linux was so savvy why can't the installer see the "run of the mill generic widely used Broadcom wi-fi card" and automatically install the correct drivers every time? Can't blame Apple for that. EVERYTHING isn't Apples fault, some of it is "Dudes who program Linux don't care enough about Apples machines to make it very easy for non Linux users to get their stuff working", but that's fine they don't need to, it just gives Linux a bad name when there are problems.

Broadcom doesn't allow 3rd parties to distribute firmware for many (any?) of their wireless chipsets. Because of this, the various Linux distros can't include that firmware on their installation ISOs. Most Linux distros include wireless driver installers which can download firmware directly from Broadcom, but this obviously has to be done after the distro has been installed, usually via ethernet.

 

[rin67630]

You want everything to automatically work OOTB on your Macs without ever using the terminal? There is one distro that suits your needs perfectly. It's called macOS.

macOS will not "give you everything automatically working OOTB" on your older Macs, far from that.