Should I get ubuntu on my mac? Is it good for programming? Does DirectX support linux?
Recommended Answers
Jump to PostNo, just stick with MacOS. And no Linux does not support DirectX. DirectX is a Microsoft only thing.
Jump to PostYes. Of course you should get Ubuntu. I was a mac user, now have completely gone with Ubuntu/Gnome. Go for it!
Jump to PostThat'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 …
All 12 Replies
Greg_z
2
Junior Poster in Training
No, just stick with MacOS. And no Linux does not support DirectX. DirectX is a Microsoft only thing.
phorce
131
Posting Whiz in Training
Featured Poster
Yes. Of course you should get Ubuntu. I was a mac user, now have completely gone with Ubuntu/Gnome. Go for it!
ZixCo
0
Newbie Poster
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.
Assembly Guy
72
Posting Whiz
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.
ZixCo
0
Newbie Poster
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.
Assembly Guy
72
Posting Whiz
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 :)
iamthwee
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?
mike_2000_17
2,669
21st Century Viking
Team Colleague
Featured Poster
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.
phorce
131
Posting Whiz in Training
Featured Poster
@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!
Erno_1
0
Newbie Poster
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.
Tumlee
42
Junior Poster in Training
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.
Violet_82
89
Posting Whiz in Training
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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