linux to mac migration

August 9, 2005 7:07 AM

Help in making the switch from linux to Mac.

I've been running linux for several years. It's about time to buy a new computer, and this time, I'm seriously thinking about a Mac mini. Some questions:

1) I have about 30GB of music on an /ext3 partition. What are my options for copying it over? I understand OSX doesn't read ext3.

2) Is it necessary to buy the wireless keyboard and mouse? There are only 2 USB slots, so if I use them for the keyboard and mouse, presumably I won't be able to plug my digital camera or music player in.

3) What are the options for attaching an external hard drive? Is it feasable to buy a disk cradle and reformat one of the existing disks in my linux box?

posted by salmacis to Computers & Internet (12 answers total)

2) That's why they make USB hubs. Wireless is an option but definitely not required.

3) Mini has Firewire. You can buy a Firewire enclosure for $35 at NewEgg. It will be much faster than the Mini's drive.
posted by smackfu at 7:17 AM on August 9, 2005

Best answer: 1. There is an Ext2/3 driver that works on non-Tiger versions of OS X. Support will happen eventually. Meantime, if you still have your Linux box, ftp them over.
2. The mouse can plug into the keyboard, so the pair only use 1 USB port. Get a powered USB hub if you need more ports. They're cheap.
3. Pretty much any USB or FireWire external hard drive will work on your system. Plug and go. You may want to reformat the drive since they can show up FAT32 from the factory.
posted by plinth at 7:18 AM on August 9, 2005

2) Necessary? Of course not. The Apple keyboard has a 2-port USB hub built-in, so you can plug the mouse into the keyboard, the keyboard into the computer, and still have 2 free USB ports.

3) An external USB or FireWire enclosure would work.

Sorry, I don't have an answer for #1.
posted by ijoshua at 7:18 AM on August 9, 2005

1. Assuming you'll keep your linux box up for a while, copy the music over via the network via SMB/Samba sharing. Or, install an ext2/3 driver and copy the data over by putting the drive in an external enclosure (see #3).

2. Get a USB 2.0 Hub. Lots of keyboards have hubs in them, but a lot aren't USB 2.0 high speed.

3. Just about any USB 2.0 / Firewire disk enclosure will work. Ones with Oxford chipsets are the most reliable.

On preview, what everybody else said.
posted by zsazsa at 7:19 AM on August 9, 2005

(Also, don't buy the Apple keyboard without trying it. I didn't care for it personally.)
posted by smackfu at 7:22 AM on August 9, 2005

Best answer: 1) when i've transferred stuff in the past, i've used ftp. it might seem a little daunting, but it's really not bad. set up an ftp server on your linux box, bound to an internal ip address, and then connect to it from your mac. it might be good to tar+gzip or tar+bzip2 the music files if you're using the cmdline ftp program, so you don't have to say "yes" every time mget asks you if you really want this other file.

alternatively, you can set up a samba network share, which os x can connect to just fine. that's a little less straightforward than setting up a proftpd, though.

2) typically, the mac keyboard doubles as a usb hub, and the cord for the mac mouse is typically made short as it is intended that you plug the mouse into the keyboard. so if the mac you're looking at only has two usb ports, but you're getting the standard keyboard/mouse package, then you should figure you'll have two usb ports left.

3) mac's pretty good about external media, such as hard drives, flash drives, etc. if you can get the hd to talk in usb2 or firewire, things should be fine.
posted by moz at 7:24 AM on August 9, 2005

1) Can the Linux box read HFS (or whatever OSX uses these days)? Just copy them from the Linux side. Or, as plinth said, FTP. Actually, SFTP is probably easier, as it requires less fiddling to set your directories properly on the Mac side.
posted by mkultra at 7:26 AM on August 9, 2005

Response by poster: Thanks for the answers so far. My wireless router only arrived today, so I've no experience in setting up LANs at all. I'm sure I can work out how to set up ftpd or a Samba share though.

2) Yes, the Mac keyboard might act as a USB hub, but my existing USB keyboard doesn't. So even if I don't go wireless, I still need either a hub or the Mac wired keyboard, yes?

3) Is it possible to buy disk cradles and USB hubs that complement the Mac Mini? (ie, aren't bigger than the computer itself!)
posted by salmacis at 7:32 AM on August 9, 2005

There are custom enclusures that match the aesthetics of the Mac Mini. Be prepared to pay a premium for the good looks.
posted by ijoshua at 7:36 AM on August 9, 2005

i had pretty bad luck with that ext2 driver under 10.3. it kernel panic'd my powerbook just reading a file from the external firewire ext2 disk... just FYI.
posted by joeblough at 8:50 AM on August 9, 2005

Re. 1) Network. scp, ftp, samba, etc, will all work. scp may be something you are more comfortable with as a Linux user.

Regarding the external drive, please note that you cannot boot to OS X over USB 2, but you can over FireWire. At least, this is the latest I've heard.
posted by wackybrit at 9:45 AM on August 9, 2005

Yes, definetly go with Firewire or Firewire&USB2 for the external hard drive enclosure.

Buy the Matias OS X Keyboard. $30, USB Hub, has all the special keys in the right places and the shortcuts printed on the keycaps.
posted by blasdelf at 8:12 PM on August 9, 2005