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diff --git a/content/post/manjaro-with-kde-on-a-macbook-pro.md b/content/post/manjaro-with-kde-on-a-macbook-pro.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..2e9c15e --- /dev/null +++ b/content/post/manjaro-with-kde-on-a-macbook-pro.md @@ -0,0 +1,76 @@ +--- +title: "Manjaro with KDE on a MacBook Pro" +date: 2020-01-14T21:22:00+02:00 +draft: false +categories: [KDE, Kate, macOS] +tags: [KDE, Kate, macOS] +url: /posts/manjaro-with-kde-on-a-macbook-pro.md/ +author: "Christoph Cullmann" +--- + +I bought a MacBook end of 2014. +My initial reason to buy it was to [improve the Kate port](https://kate-editor.org/2015/01/03/kate5-on-mac/) for macOS. +Beside that, I wanted to try if the Apple ecosystem and macOS are really that great and will solve all my issues in life (short answer: no, they aren't, at least not for me). +The HiDPI screen looked nice, too :=) + +After some initial "not a lot works", if you don't go the [Homebrew](https://brew.sh/) or [MacPorts](https://www.macports.org/) way, the Kate port improved over the following years. + +I learned a lot about standalone non-Linux deployment of applications and macOS specifics in the process. + +As a side-effect of my porting efforts, with the help of others, I was able to improve the deployment of [KDE Frameworks](https://api.kde.org/frameworks/index.html) in some ways, e.g. by allowing to bundle more stuff inside [Qt resources](https://doc.qt.io/qt-5/resources.html). + +For example the [KSyntaxHighlighting](https://api.kde.org/frameworks/syntax-highlighting/html/index.html) or [KTextEditor](https://api.kde.org/frameworks/ktexteditor/html/index.html) frameworks are now just a library you link, you don't need to deploy any extra data files. +This is a huge improvement, if you want to bundle them with your standalone application. + +Unfortunately, my initial hope, that we would get more people contributing to the macOS port (and with this to KTextEditor/Kate/...) didn't really take off. + +Beside some minimal help, not a lot happened. + +I think my last self-provided bundle update for macOS was in [2016](https://kate-editor.org/2016/06/16/new-katekwrite-bundles-for-mac/). + +The binary factory still churns out new builds, you can grab them via the links on our [download page](https://kate-editor.org/get-it/). + +I occasionally tried them, but they never got polished in a way like our Windows variants that we now even ship via the [Windows Store](https://www.microsoft.com/store/apps/9NWMW7BB59HW). + +Apple doesn't make the world a better place with each update of macOS, see for example the now necessary notarized builds and the effort the cause for e.g. [Krita](https://krita.org/en/item/first-notarized-macos-build-of-krita/) +(and with necessary I mean: you shall do it, otherwise your users are nagged with "do you really want to execute this..." stuff that makes a very bad impression). + +In the last years, I used my MacBook more or less just to either grab some stuff from iTunes or do stuff inside my Linux VirtualBox there. + +Given I anyways have a proper Windows 10 VM to take care of the Windows development for Kate (yes, Apple, Microsoft allows that officially, you can just buy a license, you can even get some 'free' developer VM images for a fixed time...), I just migrated my seldom used iTunes account to that machine. + +With that away, I just installed purely [Manjaro Linux](https://manjaro.org/) on my MacBook last evening, who cares, I anyways don't use macOS at all beside as VirtualBox startup environment. + +I searched for some pointers in the internet, in the past I already had some parallel install. +If you search a bit, you will find various hints how to do it. + +If people want to do the same as me, a pure Manjaro install without keeping any macOS around, here a minimal how-to for a MacBook Pro Retina 13" (model number MGX82**/A, model id MacBookPro11,1): + +* Get the USB installer from their [Manjaro Linux](https://manjaro.org/) homepage, I used the KDE variant ;=) + +* Get it on a stick and plug it into your MacBook + +* Boot up your MacBook (pressing the ALT key) + +* Select the EFI boot option. + +* Start the live system, like on any other machine + +* If you want to have internet, which is a good idea to e.g. later easily install the Broadcom driver, use your mobile phone with USB-tethering + +* Install it normally, I used the "erase my full drive and encrypt it" variant. Be careful, your data is gone afterwards, you got warned! + +* Reboot your MacBook, you will boot into your fresh installed Manjaro + +* Install the matching Broadcom driver for your kernel, something like "linux54-broadcom-wl" + +* Install some fan control like "mbpfan-git" and enable it afterwards with "sudo systemctl enable mbpfan" + "sudo systemctl start mbpfan" + +For me this did the job and the stuff is running well enough. +The webcam won't work without additional effort, not that I use it. +No idea if Bluetooth or other stuff like the Thunderbolt ports work, but I never used that even on macOS. + +Fortunately the HiDPI support on Linux & Qt & KDE has gone a long way since my initial try 2015 and now, with some scaling of 1.5 or 2, it is all nicely usable ;=) + +Given I still have some macOS machines available at work, I might still try out some Kate bundles there from time to time, but my personal life is now macOS free. + |