Asahi Linux progress report
The Asahi Linux project, which is working to build a distribution for
M1-based Apple systems, has published a
progress report for January and February. "Apple Silicon Macs
boot in a completely different way from PCs. The way they work is more akin
to embedded platforms (like Android phones, or, of course, iOS devices),
but with quite a few bespoke mechanisms thrown in. However, Apple has taken
a few steps to make this boot process feel closer to that of an Intel Mac,
so there has been a lot of confusion around how things actually work. For
example, did you know that Apple Silicon Macs cannot boot from external
storage at all, in the traditional sense? Or that the bootloader on Apple
Silicon Macs cannot show a graphical user interface at all, and that the
“Boot Picker” is in fact a full-screen macOS app, not part of the
bootloader?"