Install GNU/Linux on an Apple Silicon Mac? Good luck ! A team of enthusiasts have been working on the project for three years. They have made significant progress recently.
The Asahi project is an exciting adventure for GNU/Linux enthusiasts. The goal ? Run Linux, the free and open source operating system, on Macs equipped with the latest generation of Apple ARM chips, called Apple Silicon. Before, you could use Windows and Linux on Macs thanks to Intel chips and tools like Boot Camp, but since Apple changed its chips to ARM models, that’s over.
For three years, a team of enthusiasts have been working on this project. They even managed a big coup: making a special version of Linux, called Fedora Asahi Linux, work with the KDE Plasma desktop environment, on these Macs. And it works. But it’s not easy. Apple hasn’t given much information about its new chips, almost no documentation, so the team has to scramble to understand how it all works. How ? Through reverse engineering.
Reverse engineering is a bit like deciphering a puzzle without having the reference image. Let’s say you have an object or software, but you don’t have the blueprints or source code that explains how it was made. With reverse engineering, you take apart that thing or analyze that software piece by piece to understand how it works. This is a method often used when technical information is not available or is protected. Basically, you play technology detective.
Important recent advances
Among the recent advances, shared on the official blog, the optimization of autonomy is one of the major subjects. Asahi developers reveal that they have significantly improved the autonomy of their system on Mac, now comparable with that of macOS on the same devices. Through the use ofEnergy-Aware Scheduling (EAS)the system can now choose the most energy-efficient processor core for each task.
HDMI compatibility for Apple M1 and M2 chips is another impressive advancement, making it much easier to use external displays (in 4K @ 60 Hz). The team also made significant progress in graphics support, including implementing OpenGL ES 3.1 and supporting OpenGL 3.2 with its geometry shaders. This latest feat is particularly impressive given the native non-compatibility of Apple’s M chips with geometry shaders.
However, development is not yet complete, especially when it comes to HDMI on M2 Macs and support for 4K displays above 60Hz. Other important work is underway, ranging from optimization from WLAN and Bluetooth connections to trackpad and Touch Bar improvements.
For the more adventurous, it is already possible to test Fedora Asahi Remix on Mac M1 or M2. Be careful, there are still some issues, like the lack of microphone or TouchID, but overall it works well for everyday use. In short, an exciting technical challenge that shows the strength of the Linux community, and exciting to follow.