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Should I get ubuntu on my mac? Is it good for programming? Does DirectX support linux?

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Short answer: Ubuntu is a solid choice for programming on a Mac, but the best path depends on your hardware and how much tinkering you want to do. Several people here (for example , and ) rightly pointed out that Ubuntu is friendly for developers — it gives you apt/snap, compilers, interpreters and container tooling out of the box — but the install method matters: Intel Macs and Apple‑Silicon Macs have different tradeoffs. (en.wikipedia.org)

About DirectX: and are correct that DirectX is not a native Linux API. Today the practical route for many Windows games is a compatibility stack (Wine + Proton) and translation layers (DXVK / vkd3d) that convert Direct3D calls to Vulkan; that lets a large number of DirectX 9–12 titles run on Linux, but results vary by game and GPU. Wine/Proton/DXVK are mature options worth trying if gaming is your goal. (github.com)

Which install path to pick

  • Want to try without risk? Run Ubuntu in a VM (fast to revert). On Apple Silicon, Parallels and tools like UTM/QEMU are the common choices; Parallels provides a polished VM experience for M‑series Macs.
  • Want full performance? Dual‑booting (Intel Macs) with a boot manager such as rEFInd is common, but it requires care (backups, leaving macOS for firmware updates). If you own an Apple‑Silicon Mac, check the Asahi project before attempting to replace macOS — native support is improving but is hardware‑specific. (kb.parallels.com)

Quick setup tips for programming (apply after you test or in a VM)

  • Use an LTS release for stability.
  • Install common toolchain in one go:
    sudo apt update && sudo apt install build-essential git python3-pip
  • Install an editor/IDE (VS Code available as a snap) and Docker for containers. Test live USB first to check Wi‑Fi/trackpad drivers; if something breaks, search model‑specific compatibility or try a flavour like Mint if you prefer a different desktop. (forum.snapcraft.io)

If the goal is learning and development, Ubuntu is a good pick. If it’s primarily running macOS apps or macOS‑only hardware features, keep macOS and use a VM or dual‑boot rather than wiping the drive.

Recommended Answers

All 12 Replies

Member Avatar for Greg_z

No, just stick with MacOS. And no Linux does not support DirectX. DirectX is a Microsoft only thing.

Member Avatar for phorce

Yes. Of course you should get Ubuntu. I was a mac user, now have completely gone with Ubuntu/Gnome. Go for it!

Member Avatar for ZixCo

I recomend it to. It is realy great and it has a lot of futures that windows or Mac doesn't but you need to get used to it. I have an uncle and he helped me a lot. Also you can get DirectX on linux but you need to install wine first. Here is link http://www.dedoimedo.com/games/wine-directx.html
It's great for programming and you can learn a lot from it. If you can't decide you can make dual boot too.

Edited by ZixCo
Member Avatar for Assembly Guy

Should I get ubuntu on my mac?

I've never been so unfortunate as to own a Mac, but I'm sure it's possible. Should you? If you want to, go for it.

Is it good for programming?

As good as any other distribution of linux.

Does DirectX support linux?

As Greg_z highlighted, Linux has no direct support for DirectX.

Whatever you do, remember that there are other distributions (read 'twists' or 'flavours') of linux, and if you do try Ubuntu, don't judge linux as a whole on your Ubuntu experience :)

Good luck, linux has its perks and flaws just like any other OS, so don't expect a million percent.

Member Avatar for ZixCo

Assembly Guy.
You can install DirectX with wine program. It is a little bit tricky but it is possible. You need ubuntu and a good tutorial.

Member Avatar for Assembly Guy

You can install DirectX with wine program.

That's correct, and I was fully aware of it, hence I said there's no direct support for it :)

Member Avatar for Member #46692

That's correct, and I was fully aware of it, hence I said there's no direct support for it :)

Corrected ... (joke)

That's correct, and I was fully aware of it, hence I said there's no directX support for it :)

Why would you want to put ubuntu on your mac? Are we talking wiping the Mac and installing Ubuntu or a virtual machine?

Edited by Member #46692
Member Avatar for mike_2000_17

Why would you want to put ubuntu on your mac?

Because you are ready to grow up. You bought an expansive toy, and now you want to have a useful computer. ;)

Are we talking wiping the Mac and installing Ubuntu or a virtual machine?

I don't think the OP is talking about wiping out Mac OSX, or at least, I would not recommend doing so. Installing Ubuntu as either a dual-boot or in a virtual machine is the way to go. It depends on how much the OP wants to use Ubuntu. He could probably start by trying it out in a VirtualBox.

Member Avatar for phorce

@Mike, I kind of disagree with your last post, slightly. I don't think installing Ubuntu on a Virtual box is more effective, since it will be more slower. And, usually, when you have a Mac you tend to have a wireless keyboard + mouse, which can be an issue.

That being said, you can duel boot and select which partition you want at start up!

Member Avatar for Erno_1

Why just Ubuntu? Why not Linux Mint - it's much more user friendly and respect privacy better than Canonical's Ubuntu. Mint is the better "Ubuntu" and that's why i have moved from Ubuntu to Mint.

Member Avatar for Tumlee

Should I get ubuntu on my mac?

Is there a particular task that you want to accomplish on Ubuntu that you can't do on your current OS? It may not be worth the effort if you can do everything perfectly fine on your Mac as it is.

when you have a Mac you tend to have a wireless keyboard + mouse, which can be an issue.

I've used several different flavors of Ubuntu and all of my wireless keyboards and mice have worked completely out of the box with no issues.

Why not Linux Mint - it's much more user friendly and respect privacy better than Canonical's Ubuntu.

I've personally had many performance issues with Linux Mint. Specifically, turning the LCD brightness up and down causes the computer to completely freeze for a few seconds.

Member Avatar for Violet_82

To all these valuable comments I will add that I have used ubuntu for a few years now, although I don't really do any scripting so I use ubuntu as I would use any other OS. I have a dual boot machine, WIndows7 and Ubuntu 12.04, and I can say that I rarely use windows now, except for cases in which I couldn't find a way to do something with Ubuntu (like I still can't connect my tv to my laptop the same way I do with windows, or when I use photoshop - I am bit lazy and don't really want to learn how to use Gimp but it's a minor thing). Generally speaking I am very happy I decided to use ubuntu as my main OS, it is much faster than wndows and the only thing is that you have to be willing to thinker with it a little: if something doesn't work it can be fixed but - unless you are a unix wizard - you have to find out how to do it, then do it and probably do it again.

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