Try booting a Linux install USB on a Mac sometime

tekacs · on Jan 26, 2014

Running Linux installed by this method on a (2008) Mac right now. Have done the same on recent (2012, 2013) models, too.

Macs have been using EFI boot for a few years, so the problem most have probably faced is trying to boot in BIOS emulation mode (which I've found to be iffy on pretty much every EFI motherboard I've come across).

Arch Linux has particularly good support. :P

btgeekboy · on Jan 26, 2014

I did, a few months ago. Booted both Fedora 19 and 20 Beta on a 2012 13" rMBP. Worked decently well, especially with how the version of Gnome included in F20 knows how to properly deal with high DPI displays.

joshuapants · on Jan 26, 2014

Hasn't worked for me at all no matter how I create the USB, working with a 2011 MBP. Tried literally every method, and several distros.

abrowne · on Jan 27, 2014

I've had good luck booting Fedora (at least 19 and 20, and I think 18) on Macs.

Other distros don't seem to work with Apple's EFI implementation. To boot other distros, I've had good luck with the refind[1] bootloader. Granted, I have only been booting live USBs, not installing on the internal drive.

1: http://www.rodsbooks.com/refind/