Mint should be fine, you might try the debian 12 based version they offer
I was hoping to stick with Mint. Maybe the non Cinnamon ones would run better I was thinking.
His advice for a Debian 12-based version is still Linux Mint.
There's a version of Mint called Linux Mint Debian Edition (LMDE).
Mint is normally based on Ubuntu, and Ubuntu is based on Debian. Linux Mint Debian Edition is based directly on Debian, skipping Ubuntu. I think it's running Cinnamon.
I have no advice, I'm running Linux Mint 21.2 Cinnamon Ed., but I'm on a 2019 Dell PC so I can't guess at your results. Only been on LInux since June myself.
Ah thanks. So I should research whether LMDE is less resource intensive than the other versions of Mint. Or just go for it.
Don't do this. Stick with Ubuntu or Ubuntu based Mint. They're fan boi'ing you into disaster
I have installed LMDE in a 2013 iMac. This distro rocks. I am expecting it to run just as smoothly on your iMac, even if a bit older. Whatever you decide to do, install an SSD on it and then… enjoy!
tl:dr use Ubuntu/Mint
We have a 2009 iMac here, not identical to you but very similar vintage. After running through a battery of Linux distros on it (I'm a bit of an operating system nerd) I found that Ubuntu/Mint have the best hardware support for old Mac's.
Being told to try Debian on Mac's of this vintage is not helpful in my experience. No disrespect to Debian.
Your spinning rust will run Linux better than MacOS in terms of performance and resource use.
Installing an SSD running Linux will do wonders with old Mac hardware with the caveat that Apple's firmware will maliciously set the system fans to full blast for the sin of using a non Apple SSD.
The fan issue is easily fixed with a small bit of software which over rides Apple's firmware to set the fans back to normal speeds.
As a bonus, if you'd like to get rid of the loud Apple 'bong' at startup there is a way to do it in Linux.
Reply for links. Cheers 🎄
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