# Porting freeBSD to macbook pro 2015



## kxyd (Dec 9, 2020)

Hello all,

I am a new user to FreeBSD and I decided that I wanted to move from MacOS to FreeBSD. I am currently using a Macbook pro from 2015 and I want to do the transition from MacOS to FreeBSD for both privacy reasons and familiarize with another operating system. I am currently studying computer science so I have a basic background on operating systems but as concepts and ideas, not a lot of practical work. As I understand, the main issue with FreeBSD is that it is probably working on devices with specific drivers(?) eg a specific network adapter or a specific bluetooth version, so I am guessing I have to work around with trying to "port" FreeBSD with my laptop's hardware. Is there a general guideline I should follow or is there a "guide" or a how-to tutorial to help me through? If there is not, could you suggest me some websites or hints or even tell me (I hope I am not sparing anyone's time) how to do that?

I searched google around but I can see that there are some attempts for previous models but some of them are not completed yet (is it an issue with the absence of drivers on FreeBSD or is it just too difficult to do?).

Thank you very much for your time,

With kind regards,
//Kostas


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## SirDice (Dec 9, 2020)

kxyd said:


> As I understand, the main issue with FreeBSD is that it is probably working on devices with specific drivers(?) eg a specific network adapter or a specific bluetooth version


Whatever gave you that idea? FreeBSD supports plenty of hardware. Including lots of hardware commonly found in MacBooks and other Apple laptops.



kxyd said:


> so I am guessing I have to work around with trying to "port" FreeBSD with my laptop's hardware.


I'm fairly certain the hardware from a 2015 Macbook Pro is already supported. I don't own a 2015 Macbook (or any other model) so I'm not 100% sure. But I know there are quite a few users here that do. 



kxyd said:


> is it an issue with the absence of drivers on FreeBSD or is it just too difficult to do?


We can always use more people writing drivers of course. But this isn't something you should take lightly, it requires quite a good understanding of C for starters. Since you don't mention any programming experience I'm going to assume you have none. 

But for the most part, you're basically looking for installation instructions. I'm fairly certain you don't need to "port" anything and most hardware is already supported.


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## a6h (Dec 9, 2020)

1. Get a copy of FreeBSD image, write it on a USB or DVD and test your machine. That's the best way to evaluate your machine.

2. In the meantime check the list of working laptops and their current compatibility status on:
https://wiki.freebsd.org/Laptops

3. Manual pages are the primary source of information on FreeBSD system:
`man -a man`

4. There's also The Handbook. many of new users start with that one:
FreeBSD Handbook

5. Reading and posting to mailing list is as important as man pages:
lists.freebsd.org Mailing Lists

6. These three articles will show you how to get the most out of mailing lists:
I... How to get Best Results from the FreeBSD-questions Mailing List
II.. Frequently Asked Questions About The FreeBSD Mailing Lists
III. Mailing Lists


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## kxyd (Dec 9, 2020)

vigole said:


> 1. Get a copy of FreeBSD image, write it on a USB or DVD and test your machine. That's the best way to evaluate your machine.
> 
> 2. In the meantime check the list of working laptops and their current compatibility status on:
> https://wiki.freebsd.org/Laptops
> ...


Hello vigole ,

Thanks for your response.

After checking the list of working laptops, i can see that the laptop i have has a "does not work" label on WIFI. Does this mean that i cannot configure it because of lack of drivers or it is not pre-configured and i need to configure it?

Thanks


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## msplsh (Dec 9, 2020)

People on linux report it as using BCM43602, which seemed like it had support in HEAD a year or two ago, meaning it _probably_ is supported now and the wiki page needs to be updated? Not clear. Want to try?


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## trev (Dec 9, 2020)

The Wiki has this https://wiki.freebsd.org/AppleMacbook which needs updating, but may have some hints.


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## kxyd (Dec 9, 2020)

SirDice said:


> Whatever gave you that idea? FreeBSD supports plenty of hardware. Including lots of hardware commonly found in MacBooks and other Apple laptops.
> 
> 
> I'm fairly certain the hardware from a 2015 Macbook Pro is already supported. I don't own a 2015 Macbook (or any other model) so I'm not 100% sure. But I know there are quite a few users here that do.
> ...


thanks for your response SirDice , i was thinking about that because i am guessing that freeBSD is not so popular on desktop(and in this case laptop) usage for beginners in developing.

I have some knowledge in both c and c++ on what concerns OSless environments and i would love to participate but i think i am too beginner to contribute to drivers and/or optimisation.


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## kxyd (Dec 9, 2020)

msplsh said:


> People on linux report it as using BCM43602, which seemed like it had support in HEAD a year or two ago, meaning it _probably_ is supported now and the wiki page needs to be updated? Not clear. Want to try?


msplsh thanks for your response, i just tried that and i am getting an error upon installation: "No root partition was found. The root FreeBSD partition must have a mountpoint of /" although i partitioned a part of my ssd for freeBSD as an exFAT file system(the only one other than APFS and FAT). I tried to install it as a UFS partition and it failed, though. Hopefully i can resolve it somehow.


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## msplsh (Dec 10, 2020)

If you're trying to dual boot the system, that's going to be a little difficult.  You need to be using UFS2.  When you say it failed, what was "the deal?"


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## ramib (Dec 11, 2020)

kxyd said:


> Hello all,
> 
> I am a new user to FreeBSD and I decided that I wanted to move from MacOS to FreeBSD. I am currently using a Macbook pro from 2015 and I want to do the transition from MacOS to FreeBSD for both privacy reasons and familiarize with another operating system. I am currently studying computer science so I have a basic background on operating systems but as concepts and ideas, not a lot of practical work. As I understand, the main issue with FreeBSD is that it is probably working on devices with specific drivers(?) eg a specific network adapter or a specific bluetooth version, so I am guessing I have to work around with trying to "port" FreeBSD with my laptop's hardware. Is there a general guideline I should follow or is there a "guide" or a how-to tutorial to help me through? If there is not, could you suggest me some websites or hints or even tell me (I hope I am not sparing anyone's time) how to do that?
> 
> ...


Make Sure you can go back to OSX , it wont take long


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