Maclin - Linux on a Mac

Why are there no good distributions of Linux for Macs? I have a MacBook with Mac OSX Tiger, Windows XP, Windows Vista, and OpenSuSE 11.0 on it. I wrote a post here on how to accomplish this. However, OpenSuSE works horribly on Mac. Is it completely Mac's proprietary fault, or is it just that most Linux users in their right minds would never pay for a Mac when they could build a Linux-friendly machine for pennies in comparison?

I use a Mac for many reasons. First of all, I love it. Secondly, I have a website that I like to check with a variety of environments. Thirdly, it was a gift. Fourthly, it is extremely nice. ETC.

I have tried Ubuntu. Don't like it. I have tried SimplyMEPIS. Like it, but it is developed slowly. Also, they never update their website. That's a big deal to me. When their latest version came out a while back, I was disappointed to have to search for a while to download it. I have also tried a few other distros, but I like OpenSuSE currently. I want it to work, but the hardware and software conflicts are just too much for a college student to work on. I have no time. I need something that JUST WORKS. Oh yeah, and that's another reason I like my Mac.

I would love to get some suggestions on what some good distributions are for a MacBook. I'd like to mention that I want KDE 4 (it's awesome, and so is Gnome; I just have my own preference, thank you) and Compiz-Fusion (what better way to market Linux to friends?). At least the latter can be installed easily on just about anything. I also want the distro to work with a popular package type: RPM or Deb. This way it can have almost any program made for Linux. I don't want Ubuntu-based because it really isn't compatible with .deb files.

I know there is a distro out there specifically for Mac, but it was last updated a couple of decades ago (maybe an exaggeration, but the point stands). Maybe I should just switch my major to computer science with an emphasis in Linux distribution coding....

Thanks for any help you can offer.

 

 

 

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I suppose the main point to your frustrastion is simply MAC OS is, underneath, Linux; it is the ultimate distro on its own so why bother producing one for it?????

They do produce open source variants of much of their core parts such as the media server etc. and no doubt the OS as well. It would be worth digging on the website and see what you can find. Its been a few years since I last developed server systems for Linux so can't give you the precise site address, but hey, look on the upside, you may just have as much fun using apple opensource on a pc running a different version of Linux/Unix....

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