Linux on the M1: progress report for September 2021

It's been a busy month! We've had a lot of movement in kernel land, as well as some tooling improvements and reverse engineering sessions. At this point, Asahi Linux is usable as a basic Linux desktop (without GPU acceleration)! The ground had been shifting until now, but we're seeing drivers settle down. Let's take a look at what's been going on.

Linux on Apple's M1 Macs is making progress, but I would never buy an Apple computer to run Linux on it. It's always going to be a moving target without any documentation or support - official or tacit - meaning you're basically running a perpetual reverse-engineering effort. To make matters worse, Apple can flip the switch and block any non-macOS operating system at any time.

The M1 is impressive, but only if you're into macOS.