Linux 5.19 is out, and Linus Torvalds released it from an M2 MacBook Air

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Linux 5.19 is out, and Linus Torvalds released it from an M2 MacBook Air running the Asahi Linux kernel!

https://lore.kernel.org/lkml/CAHk-=wgrz5BBk=rCz7W28Fj_o02s0Xi0OEQ3H1uQgOdFvHgx0w@mail.gmail.com/T/#u

…On a personal note, the most interesting part here is that I did the
release (and am writing this) on an arm64 laptop. It’s something I’ve
been waiting for for a _loong_ time, and it’s finally reality, thanks
to the Asahi team. We’ve had arm64 hardware around running Linux for a
long time, but none of it has really been usable as a development
platform until now.

It’s the third time I’m using Apple hardware for Linux development – I
did it many years ago for powerpc development on a ppc970 machine.
And then a decade+ ago when the Macbook Air was the only real
thin-and-lite around. And now as an arm64 platform.

Not that I’ve used it for any real work, I literally have only been
doing test builds and boots and now the actual release tagging. But
I’m trying to make sure that the next time I travel, I can travel with
this as a laptop and finally dogfooding the arm64 side too…

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After reading the text quoted above by Alex, my three-part comment is:

(1) Hahahaha!

(2) Way to go, Linus!

(3) I wonder if this kernel would be used in distros that could run in double-boot in “Mx” ARM-CPU Macs as well?

And the partial answer (I think) to my own question No. 3, based on this article about a “Silicon” Macs-compatible version of Linux under development — plus some unexpected information on Apple allowing other OS to run on bare metal on its Macs:

https://asahilinux.org/about/

“Asahi Linux is a project and community with the goal of porting Linux to Apple Silicon Macs, starting with the 2020 M1 Mac Mini, MacBook Air, and MacBook Pro.

Our goal is not just to make Linux run on these machines but to polish it to the point where it can be used as a daily OS. Doing this requires a tremendous amount of work, as Apple Silicon is an entirely undocumented platform. In particular, we will be reverse engineering the Apple GPU architecture and developing an open-source driver for it.

Asahi Linux is developed by a thriving community of free and open source software developers.

“Is this a Linux distribution?

Asahi Linux is an overall project to develop support for these Macs. We will eventually release a remix of Arch Linux ARM, packaged for installation by end-users, as a distribution of the same name. The majority of the work resides in hardware support, drivers, and tools, and it will be upstreamed to the relevant projects. The distribution will be a convenient package for easy installation by end-users and give them access to bleeding-edge versions of the software we develop.

We expect that support will eventually trickle up and back down to other distributions. Advanced users will always be free to use the distribution of their choice and add the necessary patches/software themselves before this happens.”

…..

“Does Apple allow this? Don’t you need a jailbreak?

Apple allows booting unsigned/custom kernels on Apple Silicon Macs without a jailbreak! This isn’t a hack or an omission, but an actual feature that Apple built into these devices. That means that, unlike iOS devices, Apple does not intend to lock down what OS you can use on Macs (though they probably won’t help with the development).”

“Will this make Apple Silicon Macs a fully open platform?

No, Apple still controls the boot process and, for example, the firmware that runs on the Secure Enclave Processor. However, no modern device is “fully open” – no usable computer exists today with completely open software and hardware (as much as some companies want to market themselves as such). What ends up changing is where you draw the line between closed parts and open parts. The line on Apple Silicon Macs is when the alternate kernel image is booted, while SEP firmware remains closed – which is quite similar to the line on standard PCs, where the UEFI firmware boots the OS loader, while the ME/PSP firmware remains closed. In fact, mainstream x86 platforms are arguably more intrusive because the proprietary UEFI firmware is allowed to steal the main CPU from the OS at any time via SMM interrupts, which is not the case on Apple Silicon Macs. This has real performance/stability implications; it’s not just a philosophical issue.“

Ex-Windows user (Win. 98, XP, 7); since mid-2017 using also macOS. Presently on Monterey 12.15 & sometimes running also Linux (Mint).

MacBook Pro circa mid-2015, 15" display, with 16GB 1600 GHz DDR3 RAM, 1 TB SSD, a Haswell architecture Intel CPU with 4 Cores and 8 Threads model i7-4870HQ @ 2.50GHz.
Intel Iris Pro GPU with Built-in Bus, VRAM 1.5 GB, Display 2880 x 1800 Retina, 24-Bit color.
macOS Monterey; browsers: Waterfox "Current", Vivaldi and (now and then) Chrome; security apps. Intego AV

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Alex5723

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More information, confirming one important point: YES, it is possible to install Linux in dual boot with macOS, at least up to the current version, Monterey:

https://www.makeuseof.com/tag/install-linux-macbook-pro/

A DIY video showing how to do this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lcmmwugTF3U

Ex-Windows user (Win. 98, XP, 7); since mid-2017 using also macOS. Presently on Monterey 12.15 & sometimes running also Linux (Mint).

MacBook Pro circa mid-2015, 15" display, with 16GB 1600 GHz DDR3 RAM, 1 TB SSD, a Haswell architecture Intel CPU with 4 Cores and 8 Threads model i7-4870HQ @ 2.50GHz.
Intel Iris Pro GPU with Built-in Bus, VRAM 1.5 GB, Display 2880 x 1800 Retina, 24-Bit color.
macOS Monterey; browsers: Waterfox "Current", Vivaldi and (now and then) Chrome; security apps. Intego AV

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Alex5723

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OscarCP wrote:

possible to install Linux in dual boot with macOS, at least up to the current version, Monterey

That installing Linux on the dying Intel, not M1.

https://seekingalpha.com/article/4527357-intel-q2-earnings-shares-crash-after-poor-quarter

You can install Linux on M1 Macs using VM.

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The Asahi Linux’s articles and the related video I have linked in my two successive comments just about Alex’s, are about a version of Linux that runs on M1 and M2 “Silicon” Macs. As far as I now, this version is not meant to run on Intel Macs.

I also understand that it is also possible to install Linux on a VM regardless of CPU, Intel or M”x”.

Ex-Windows user (Win. 98, XP, 7); since mid-2017 using also macOS. Presently on Monterey 12.15 & sometimes running also Linux (Mint).

MacBook Pro circa mid-2015, 15" display, with 16GB 1600 GHz DDR3 RAM, 1 TB SSD, a Haswell architecture Intel CPU with 4 Cores and 8 Threads model i7-4870HQ @ 2.50GHz.
Intel Iris Pro GPU with Built-in Bus, VRAM 1.5 GB, Display 2880 x 1800 Retina, 24-Bit color.
macOS Monterey; browsers: Waterfox "Current", Vivaldi and (now and then) Chrome; security apps. Intego AV

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Alex5723

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