Bye, macOS

Just like Windows, macOS is a proprietary operating system where no one can truly tell what exactly it is doing.

Thankfully, there are privacy-conscious, easy-to-use, Linux-based operating systems which are free and can be installed on your existing Apple hardware (as long as they are using Intel CPUs, support for Apple’s M1/M2 chips is lacking). If you prefer a ready-to-use computer rather than installing an operating system yourself, head over to our hardware recommendations.

Because Linux is “only” a kernel, the piece of software which “speaks” to the hardware in a computer, it is in and of itself not a complete operating system yet. That’s why Linux comes in so called distributions which add the remaining components of a complete operating system to the kernel.

You can test most Linux distributions from a USB drive before installing it. If you can’t or don’t want to fully replace macOS, you can install the Linux distribution of your choice alongside macOS in a so called dual-boot setup.

Distrochooser

Distrochooser is a questionnaire to help you choose a suitable Linux variant. The name is derived from “Linux distributions”, the term for such variants.

Website:
- Distrochooser.de
- Beta Version

Ubuntu

Ubuntu is the most well-known Linux operating system variant. It became popular by its universal usability, as it doesn’t require technical knowledge to use it.

Website:
- Ubuntu.com
Download:
- Ubuntu Desktop
- Different variants

Linux Mint

Linux Mint is an Ubuntu-based distribution which is very popular with Linux beginners. It’s easy-to-use and privides a graphical user interface for many tasks out of the box.