installing linux on a 2017 macbook

[violetfarnsworth]

Hello, I want to install Linux on my aging Macbook. I've used Linux before, but it's been a few years, and I installed it on PCs. I've done a few internet searches, but with search engines becoming increasingly useless, I don't know sites to trust and which ones are full of AI slop. I've also looked at forums, but quite a few of the threads are several years old and some of the links don't work anymore.

Here are the basic specs for my device. The good news is, it's too old to have the T2 chip I've seen threads about.

MacBook Pro (13-inch, 2017, Two Thunderbolt 3 ports)
2.3 GHz Dual-Core Intel Core i5
8 GB 2133 MHz LPDDR3
Intel Iris Plus Graphics 640 1536 MB

One of the sites I looked at recommended Budgie, so I downloaded it. I know that I need to use Balena Etcher to install it on my USB drive and then I should be able to boot from that. Is there anything I should be aware of that I might have missed? Is there a distro that might be more compatible with my device's specs?

I guess one of my big questions is about software. I have Scrivener installed on this Macbook (not that I've used it in a while), and a few things like LibreOffice, Signal (which no longer works on my Mac's desktop) and my VPN (Mullvad). Nothing too exotic. Is there a guide somewhere that indicates which Linux distros are compatible with which software? Or what the Linux equivalent would be?

 

[dos2unix]

Generally on the intel based Macs any standard (x86_64) distro will work. Nothing special about it.
For the Arm (M1, M2, M3, M4, etc..) its whole nother story... These usually prefer an asahi distro.
(not the only option, but the most popular and easiest to install).

 

[Brickwizard]

All Macs will present some difficulties installing Linux as @dos2unix has said those with the M series chips are harder
I recommend you read the following article if you have not done so.

How to install Linux and breathe new life into an older Mac

Linux is a powerful operating system beloved by coders and capable of breathing life into old Macs. In this feature we look at how to install Linux on a Mac - including how to completely replace macOS or Mac OS X with Linux

www.macworld.com

 

[deb_user]

There are other methods than Etcher, but it supposedly works. I've never tried it, preferring Ventoy, but whatever you prefer.

Linux is Linux, and any Linux software will run under any distro. I prefer vanilla Debian, because it has a large user base and installers for the widest selection of hardware. But any of the hundreds of Linux distros should work for you, at least on AMD-64 Intel CPUs.