Hacker News Reader

Comment by ofrzeta | Hacker News Reader

Why run macOS on a non-Mac? For me, as a long time Linux user, the point over several generations of Mac machines was always to have a usable desktop Unix with flawless hardware support (i.e. macOS).

View on HN

Because there isn't a Mac laptop that fits my bill that I can afford, and I'd rather DIY one. I mean technically I can afford a macbook pro, but at the time the keyboard was absolute trash (still sort of is from a typing stand point, my work supplied me with a 2016 Macbook Pro non touch bar).

Yeah, but why run macOS on the Dell? Obviously if you need it as a platform for a specific software it makes sense. On the other hand if you want a generic software development or sysadmin machine or something why not run Linux – that should support all of the Dell XPS hardware, I guess (on the other hand every time that topic turns up on HN there are mixed reviews. Some people say that Ubuntu runs flawless while others complain, so I don't know what to make of it).

EDIT: Ok, I remember now: iOS development :)

I have bought and paid for software for MacOS. My workflow is designed with it in mind. I can inception style fire up VMware and run anything I need on the OS. I generally like the OS. Things just work like printers, iMessage, Facetime, I edit video using Final Cut Pro. For me linux is for my raspberry pi's.

Makes sense. So how is the Hackintosh hardware support for the Dell? What about updates to the OS?

I have installed Hackintosh on a netbook some years ago and as far as I remember you needed to take care not to agree to an OS update.

Everything works with the exception of the SD card reader and microphone.

It's vanilla so I can update it for the most part no problem. Just gotta make sure my kexts are updated to support the OS. It's not as simple as an actual mac, but it's close.

It's pretty amazing. It boots up, shows the Dell logo, then the Apple logo, then it's up. Brightness, sound, thunderbolt, usb 3, wifi card had to swap but that was $20. Bluetooth, it all works. Keyboard backlight, multitouch trackpad, sleep.

Are you aware that you are using MacOS outside of the boundaries stated in the user agreement? For personal use that is probably okay/defendable but I can hardly imagine a business would like taking that risk.

As an Apple Mac user and Hackintosh builder: Apple has gotten thousands from me over the years, so care factor zero :)

I am aware. So far no one has been prosecuted for violating a user agreement this way. Back in the day for hackintosh you would literally buy the OS and install it on the hardware. Apple still gets my money through the app store, iPhones, iPads I buy.

Other than if Apple try and track him down via HN, how would they ever know?

By keeping track of the serial numbers they put in the motherboards and the ones that are reported when you add your iCloud account for example.

If they cared, they would have made a move.

They do actually ban users of iMessage on hackintoshes, according to a few forum users of tonymacx86

Non-iOS developer and Hackintosh user here:

I feel that sometimes Linux can be a hobby, more than a productive machine. I realize that there are distros out there that cater to people like me (Elementary comes to mind) but there just some things that work better on MacOS.

MacOS is the only thing keeping me on Apple hardware. There are so many laptops of great build that I’ve been ogling in the past few years. I’d prefer to not go back to windows, though.

Linux user here. I had to use MacOS at work, I felt like it was a penance more than anything else. However Apple hardware is quite good.

I was arch linux user for years. First time I tried osx I also did not like it, all the things are slightly different in some small ways. But, given enough time to learn how the osx desktop environment works, shortucts, etc. I would now not change it for anything else.

Just run a vm with linux in it and do most of your work from there? Can do the same thing if you were stuck in windows too.

I've been running Ubuntu Gnome for years at work, and it's great, and I think maybe the next machine I buy will just run Linux. Then randomly after some recommended update the headers are hosed, and I can't not my machine. And if I could, I wouldn't know how to fix it. Linux is 97% there for me, and every day it gets a bit better. I still worry about those updates though.

Maybe they need to use macOS/Windows only software and don't want to deal with Windows.

Some software is only available on OSX (like Sketch)

Bcos Adobe on Apple environment.

You can now run macOS in Linux KVM (https://github.com/kholia/OSX-KVM), although I guess you'd need a beefy machine to have Indesign run fluently in a VM. Also I don't know if and how the license manager works in a virtualized environment. I guess overall it's not more hacky than Hackintosh :)

But adobe runs terriblely on OS X?!? OS X has some awesome apps like sketch. But adobe really sucks on OS X.

Adobe runs better on macOS than Linux :P

Reply on news.ycombinator.com