Lightweight Distro for 2007 Macbook help

Still very new to the whole Linux world and I am looking for some help.

I just acquired an old 2007 MacBook, it's in great shape & runs osx lion perfectly - but I want to put Linux on it so I can turn it to an extremely light casual gaming / pico-8 practice / media machine

I know that it is 64 bit

I have tried to boot both Elementary OS and Zorin OS Lite - but both just don't progress after selecting install from the boot screen.

I did manage to get PuppyLinux to run... however - I am not quite experienced enough yet to know my way around that yet... and I am a vain man who comes from a Ux design background and it's difficult for me to get past how PuppyLinux looks.

I have not tried Xubuntu yet, I think that will be next on my list of stuff to try tonight, but I was curious if anyone else has had any success reviving old 2007 MacBooks and just wondering what you used.

Thanks in advance 🙏

Edit: Model is MacBook A1181

9 points · 6 comments · view on lemmy.world

6 Comments

ipacialsection@startrek.website · 5 pts · 2y (4 replies)

I haven't tried this myself, but do you happen to know exactly which model of MacBook you have?

I did some searching and found a (very old) Debian Wiki article saying that the MacBook 1,1 and 2,1 require 32-bit UEFI, and in the case of the 2,1, this is despite the CPU being 64-bit. Though that's unlikely to be the case here given that those Ubuntu variants reach the boot screen.

citrusface@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 2y (2 replies)

It is a MacBook A1181

Thanks for the help! I'll check this Wiki.

entropicdrift@lemmy.sdf.org · 5 pts · 2y (1 reply)

Having looked it up, you have a Macbook 2,1 in the parlance of that Debian wiki article, so you do need to follow those instructions

citrusface@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 2y

Yeah - looks that way! Thank you so much.

mectx02@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 2y

Oh man. This nightmare again…

ColdWater@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 2y

Lubuntu should work