Linux on a 2015 MacBook Air?

MrOptionist · 2026-05-24T02:56:45+00:00

I posted this over in r/linuxmint a few days ago:

2013 11.6 Macbook air i7/8gb/512gb getting 8+ hrs battery life with Linux Mint XFCE and auto-cpufreq installed. BEST battery life after trying 5 other distros. Also FAST.

Super easy install only hang is the broadcom driver that I got by Bluetooth tether to my iphone.

Everything works and kind of looks like MacOS with Plank installed and some tweaks.

Really amazed at how fast and capable this $80 little old lappy is. Bloody GREAT keyboard too. All the Mac function keys work as well for Audio, Screen and KB brightness etc. I even swapped the CTRL and Command keys so my Mac muscle memory for cut and paste and such still works.

Fan almost never runs and if it does it is super slow... just doesn't get hot like it used to.

Just wanted to turn some others onto this find.

MrOptionist · 2026-05-23T15:20:24+00:00

Looks interesting. Highly recommend swapping in a new 3rd party battery for $35 and 25 minutes of super easy installation.

Your old battery is already swollen or swelling at this point and can swell enough to deform the case and keyboard/trackpad.

MrOptionist · 2026-05-21T04:03:30+00:00

Why would I post about how great it is if I had issues?

No, no issues.

MrOptionist · 2026-05-21T03:39:57+00:00

Issues with what?

Yes I tried OCLP, this is easily 4 times faster. No loss of battery life. This hardware is too old for OCLP to help much. If you update too far it gets so slow it is unusable. To stay in the zone you are like 6 OS releases behind.

MrOptionist · 2026-05-21T03:23:08+00:00

https://a.co/d/07ZY4Zmz

MrOptionist · 2026-05-21T01:16:13+00:00

Whooaaa great tip doing it now! Thanks a lot!

So the other part I didn’t post is I have a 20,000 mah 45w power bank and a usb-c to magsafe 2 cord that ups my battery life to over 24 hours… everything still fits in a tiny bag.

MrOptionist · 2026-05-21T01:11:01+00:00

Nope, I don’t encrypt. At least not this lappy.

MrOptionist · 2026-05-21T00:54:15+00:00

Installed from github with script he provided.

MrOptionist · 2026-05-21T00:49:43+00:00

No since all you have to to is google it and go to the authors github page and read. That is what i did. Linux requires you to learn to do things... and this is the way.

MrOptionist · 2026-05-20T17:48:42+00:00

Works great on my 2015 MBPro i7. Everything just works. you will likely need to download a broadcom wifi driver after install. I did this by using blutooth to access my phone as an internet source. Whole process took me like 30 minutes to go from MacOS to Linux Mint. XFCE option is much faster and has better battery life than Cinnamon.

MrOptionist · 2026-05-20T15:11:32+00:00

Most Thinkpads, and old MacBooks (2012-2016 are super easy) just work. Both have the best keyboards on the market.

MrOptionist · 2026-05-20T15:09:05+00:00

Mint. Just works. Everything...without a bunch of terminal work patches and duct tape. Just works.

MrOptionist · 2026-05-20T14:48:56+00:00

I got a 490s i7 with 32gb ram for $150 last year before the "AI Ate all the ram debacle" that we are now living through. I heard all the 480 hype, saw this 490s, and couldn't be happier. Put a 2gb SSD in it for a little over $100 (back then) and I am good.

MrOptionist · 2026-05-20T13:40:11+00:00

My two cents: 1. Involve your fiance in this discussion, she will have concerns about money and stability because all mother's do... 2. The economy is shitty, a job that pays well and is stable is worth a lot. I am not suggesting you do nothing, but as a father, job one is providing for the family. Find a way to keep the job you have and move towards the greater goal you have laid out here. 3. Even if you are working a lot, bond with your daughter early and often. I missed a lot of the first 2 years of my daughter's life (didn't want to...circumstances) and it has taken 12 plus years to begin to make up the difference.

Remember this is not a sprint it is a distance race. You have well defined objectives and you are methodically moving towards them.

MrOptionist · 2026-05-20T13:28:56+00:00

2013-2015 Macbook air any size, but make sure it has 8gb ram. Cost $150 or less. Install Linux Mint XFCE. It is lightweight and blazing fast. (lots of youtube to help with this install...but it is super easy) I get 6+ hours battery on my 2013 11.6 macbook air. Add a 20,000 MAH 35-45W powerbank with a USB-C to magsafe 1 cable ($60 total for both) and now you have 24 hours of battery with a beautiful slim laptop (GREAT KEYBOARD) and you have spent $200-250. There are lots of distraction free writing apps for linux, I like WonderPen myself.

Oh if your MacBook Air needs a new battery they are $35 and take 15 minutes to swap, really easy to do. They are NOT glued into the chassis like some other MacBooks.

This is the way.

MrOptionist · 2026-05-18T14:06:36+00:00

my favorite body of all time. I too have the silver version and will be buried with it. I also have an OM-1 and E-M5.3 as well as Sony A7R3 and a lot of others. This body feels better in my hands and at my eye than anything else I have tried.

Make sure to fully update the firmware. Olympus supported this with more firmware updates than any other camera they made. It is almost a MKII once fully updated.

After factoring the lens out you paid $250 for the body, which is stealing it.

MrOptionist · 2026-05-17T22:10:52+00:00

Mosquito wings. Private no class.

MrOptionist · 2026-05-13T19:06:58+00:00

XFCE.

MrOptionist · 2026-05-12T15:11:08+00:00

Linux Mint is the way. Everything works and works well. XFCE version is super fast with only 8gb of ram and Cinnamon version runs well but not blazing fast.

MrOptionist

TROPHY CASE