
Dell E7440 and E7240 Hackintosh - j0hann
https://github.com/ameeno/Dell-E7440-Hackintosh
======
yumraj
The one issue I've always had with Hackintosh, is that while the main OS is
from Apple it invariably requires using some 3rd party bootloaders, kexts and
other files. And, this to me always raises the issue of security and whether
they contain, or can contain, any backdoors/malwares.

Part of it could be my paranioa, but I never got a good answer to satisfy me.

~~~
the8472
How is that all that different from any other software you download? With 100s
of dependencies any one of them could be malicious and just wait for the next
privilege escalation attack and achieve the same persistence level as a
malicious kernel module.

~~~
rwmj
The major Linux distros have processes in place to both filter what goes in
and handle security issues when they happen. If you have specific concerns
then name them, but downloading a Fedora or Debian install is in no way
comparable to installing binaries from random filesharing websites.

~~~
la_barba
>but downloading a Fedora or Debian install is in no way comparable to
installing binaries from random filesharing websites.

What if you download binaries from non-random, trusted websites? Seem to me
that is the same as trusting a repo maintainer.

~~~
rwmj
You omitted where I said distros "have processes in place". We can discuss
whether the processes are adequate, but the situation itself is completely
different from downloading binaries from websites, trusted or otherwise.

~~~
la_barba
I don't think its "completely different". Its only a minor difference in my
view. We'll just have to agree to disagree. IMO repository maintainers are not
going to code review every patch in every package, and logistically they can't
anyway. The only 'process' here AFAICT, is to take down the patch once news
spreads of a bad patch.

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hbcondo714
When I was developing my first iOS app and was required by Apple to use a Mac
to publish it to the Apple App Store, I resorted to installing macOS on a
VM[1] rather than using a physical Mac. There is minimal configuration and it
ran smoothly on my Windows PC laptop that had 16GB ram where 8GB was allocated
to the macOS VM.

[1] [https://techsviewer.com/how-to-create-a-macos-catalina-
virtu...](https://techsviewer.com/how-to-create-a-macos-catalina-virtual-
image-for-virtualbox-and-vmware)

------
mlevental
hubris

[https://i.imgur.com/z3E3rLY.png](https://i.imgur.com/z3E3rLY.png)

The problem with all of these builds is you're damning yourself to working on
top shifting sands and either committing yourself to rooting around in Mac OS
plumbing (which I'm sure isn't documented well or even wholly exposed) or
hoping the community patches things.

~~~
ultrarunner
This used to be the case, and still is for laptop builds. For desktops, things
are far more standardized now and Apple's hardware isn't much different than
what is commercially available. A Z370/390 chipset with 7th-9th generation i5
or i7 processor coupled with AMD graphics and Broadcom wireless is pretty
vanilla. The 7700k iMacs will be supported for a long time, so I have pretty
high confidence that something with nearly identical hardware will similarly
not break.

~~~
xenospn
I'm actually somewhat surprised macOS does not check for the existence of a T2
chip as a precondition.

~~~
daenney
How would that work for all the hardware Apple has released and still supports
that predate the T2?

For reference, the upcoming macOS Catalina still supports the following
hardware:

    
    
        MacBook Pro (mid 2012 and newer)
        MacBook Air (mid 2012 and newer)
        MacBook (early 2015 and later)
        iMac (late 2012 or newer)
        iMac Pro (2017 or newer)
        Mac Pro (late 2013 or newer)
        Mac Mini (late 2012 or newer)
    

Apple T1 was introduced in 2016, T2 started showing up with the iMac Pro in
2017, the rest of the lineup got it in the 2018 refresh.

~~~
damnyou
You're right, but at some point support will be dropped for the older Macs and
an Apple proprietary security chip will be made mandatory.

DRM will kill the Hackintosh dream. How sad.

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yborg
Nice packaged solution, if your problem is that you need to run macOS on a
five year old midrange Dell notebook. If you are just looking for a cheap
macOS solution, 2012 Minis seems to go for around $250 on eBay ...

~~~
t34543
The next macOS release will probably be incompatible with 2012 minis.

~~~
tinus_hn
All MacOS releases are incompatible with all Dell laptops.

~~~
diffeomorphism
Dumb question, but can you force the install of newer than supported macOS
versions on unsupported apple hardware? Otherwise, these laptops seem more
compatible, just not officially blessed to be so.

~~~
liquid9
Yup you can, just need to make an installer drive. There's a tool for macOS
that does this for you.

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brightball
Honestly, after 2 years on Ubuntu following a decade on OSX...all I want is to
be able to run OmniGraffle on Ubuntu.

Literally the only thing I miss.

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scblock
Interesting, but as a daily user of one of these Dell laptops, I would never
do this. Its some of the worst hardware I've ever had the misfortune to use.

~~~
wolph
You've obviously never tried an apple laptop. Over the years nearly all of the
components of my 2012 mbp retina have been replaced several times. The only
things that are still original are the ssd and the bottom plate. Motherboard
issues within a year, weak hinges, battery failing within 2 years, power
cables failing every 9 months.

In all my years of using laptops (15 years before I got the apple) I've never
had a failing power cable, until I tried Apple cables.

~~~
McAtNite
For sake of comparison I also have a retina 2012 MPB, and it’s been rock
solid. Aside from one OS reinstall for AFS I’ve never had any issues.

~~~
wolph
Glad to hear that there are people not plagued with the issues I've had.
Perhaps I've been very unlucky but even though I've loved using the laptop,
the amount of hardware issues I've had made me want to go back to my thinkpads
before.

Not saying thinkpads are perfect, but at least they mostly favor quality over
design.

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sys_64738
The finicky bits of a Hackintosh were always the trackpad support, wifi card,
and longevity of the battery. I tried a hackintosh for a year but it felt like
I was always tinkering with the config like you do/did with Linux installs.

~~~
GordonS
I have Windows running on a MVP with Bootcamp - the track pad is _horrible_ to
the point of being unusable! When you tap/click, nothing happens until you
move the cursor!

I swear Apple have done this on purpose...

If anyone has any tips on how to stop carrying a USB mouse and USB-C adapter
around by actually making the track pad bearable, please do share.

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lelf
btw there’s quite good subreddit
[https://www.reddit.com/r/hackintosh](https://www.reddit.com/r/hackintosh)

