In today's open source roundup: Which distro is best to run on a Macbook Pro? Plus: Open source and the user experience, and five grep tools for Linux Linux on the Macbook Pro Some users love Apple’s hardware and have substituted Linux for OS X on the Macbook Pro. Amazon even sells used Macbook Pros for those who want an Apple laptop without paying top dollar. But which distribution works best on the Macbook Pro? Hackint0sh96 asked about Linux and Macbook Pros on Reddit: “I have Linux Mint 17.1 on my 15″ rMBP with a GT 750M. It’s alright on here but the experience is better than a normal PC (e.g. battery life, HiDPI support, mousepad, it heats up faster than it would on OS X which I suspect to be because it uses the dedicated GPU). From what I can find, Mint is the best option when it comes to MBP due to the support for the HiDPI display. What is the best option you have found?” More at Reddit Fellow redditors shared their experience running Linux on Macbook Pro laptops: Sir_Vyvin: “Install Arch Linux. Play around with every DE/WM imaginable.” Eren_Jeager: “I can’t offer any experience about the resolution, as I was using the last 1280×800 13″ uMacbook Pro model. However, I really recommend getting the package macfanctld, as it allows you to customize the fan speeds. Although my case doesn’t sound as severe as yours (it would shut off from overheating in the summer, even at full fan speed while not playing any games, if I didn’t have a normal fan blowing on it).” Zenolijo: “You might want to install bumblebee then, i havn’t tried it myself but i have heard so many praising that project. If you didn’t already know, it allows multiple GPUs to work at the same time and is known to often being used in nvidia optimus setups.” Stealer0517: “Honestly I’d keep mint on there for now and just play around with other des until you find one that you like, then install something a bit more advanced.” Pikachew_likes_nuts: “I have Fedora on my MBP 15″ 8,2 late 2011. Works like a charm! Best distro I have tried. Did netinst Debian and Crunchbang in the past, but didn’t work as well, and never got arch working. No screen issues so far, but haven’t tried anything graphic intensive.” More at Reddit MakeUseOf has a tutorial about how to install Linux on a Macbook Pro: MacBook Pros come with some very nice hardware, but some people want more. Some people want Linux. Whether you’d like a more open and customizable operating system or simply need to dual-boot in order to access certain software, you might want Linux on your MacBook. The thing is, MacBook Pros are also pretty closed-down pieces of hardware that make installing other operating systems difficult – Linux more so than Windows. Boot Camp won’t help you with Linux, even though it doesn’t mean it’s impossible. Here’s how to do it. More at MakeUseOf Open source and the user experience The user experience is critical to the success of any kind of software. A writer at Opensource.com examines open source software and the user experience. How can open source provide a better user experience? Nick Yeates reports for Opensource.com: End user eXperiences and the interfaces they touch are pivotal to successful information technology. This has played out in the consumer space by the likes of Apple, a closed ecosystem, that has shown users will accept closed if it has a velvety smooth feel and integration. In the enterprise software world user experiences at Google, Salesforce, Dropbox, and Atlassian are edging out entrenched legacy experiences. In my opinion, and one supported by others, open source as a majority has not excelled let alone mastered UX. We know this. We know many of the reasons for this. Yet it is still out there. Pockets of open source do it right (Ubuntu, Chromium), however the vast majority are only semi skilled at it. Therefore, the bulk of super successful open source software has been limited to IT backend infrastructure and software development. It’s why the year of the Linux desktop never came. It’s why Microsoft Office still exists and flourishes. Open source has to migrate from scratching an itch, to an integrated culture that includes everyone from business-ideation to users to operations and developers. That future of open source will take on the world. More at Opensource.com Five grep tools for Linux Grep can be an extremely useful tool to find files on your Linux system. Make Tech Easier has a helpful roundup of five grep tools for Linux. Ivana Isadora Devcic reports for Make Tech Easier: As every Linux user surely knows, grep is a reliable command-line tool for in-depth file searching. Still, many beginners avoid it because they dislike the terminal. The apps presented in this article aren’t exactly alternatives to grep because in some usage scenarios grep is truly irreplaceable. Instead, let’s call them visual upgrades for grep because they extend grep’s functionality and wrap it in a full-fledged graphical interface. Regexxer Searchmonkey DocFetcher Regain PDFgrep More at Make Tech Easier Did you miss a roundup? Check the Eye On Open home page to get caught up with the latest news about open source and Linux. Software DevelopmentOpen Source