Dear Fediverse, what is the proper guide to get a modern 2026 Linux distribution easily installed on a 2016 x86 Macbook Pro (A1706) with a touchbar?
I'm helping the local Willkommensladen to install a current OS on donated computers. We were given several old x86 Macbooks (the A1706 above is an example) in fine shape that are EOLed by Apple.
As I'm familiar with Windows hardware, but not with Apple, I'm struggling to find a full guide to get some of the stranger components like the touchbar supported. (No ESC key? Come on.) Most information I find seems to be out of date, discussing kernel releases and distributions from several years ago.
Our target audience are poor people and newly arrived refugees who need a proper computer as a daily driver to survive in today's digital world.
These people don't want to tinker with it, the device needs to be prepared so that they can use it right away and can then rely on automatic software upgrades that don't break the machine for a few years.
We usually install LMDE as it's easy to use for generic office and web browsing, when it runs it's stable and the included GUI update manager allows non-experts to do release upgrades. But I'm open to any Linux distribution that comes with better x86-Apple support if that makes installation and later use easier.
(Retoots appreciated. Thx.)
https://willkommensladen.de/ihr-alter-computer-kann-noch-gutes-tun/