Can we reopen this question as a special case?

Question

This question is about installing Ubuntu on a mac with M1 processor, and it was marked as a duplicate of Will my device work with Ubuntu?. The answer to that question is open ended, and says "try it out".

Unfortunately, most of us don't know how to even "Try Ubuntu" on the new mac due to its new (and closed) architecture. A lot of people may be interested in running Ubuntu on it. That's why I suggest we reopen this question until someone finds a solution.

Why I want to reopen this despite the current answer being "no, you can't": people are working on it, and the answer may change in near future.

Answer 1

This question was reopened by the community and a moderator, but I'm going to put my two cents into this with my mod hat on.

The question of "Can I install Ubuntu on X" remains answered at the core duplicate question of Will my device work with Ubuntu? and should probably still be closed as a duplicate of that. The accepted answer and community wiki there can be amended with the content of my answer here:

The answer to this question comes from Linus Torvalds himself - put simply, it's a "no". But more specifically:

The main problem with the M1 for me is the GPU and other devices around it, because that's likely what would hold me off using it because it wouldn't have any Linux support unless Apple opens up... [that] seems unlikely, but hey, you can always hope.

_{Source: https://www.zdnet.com/article/linus-torvalds-would-like-to-use-an-m1-mac-for-linux-but/ - an Interview with Linus by ZDNet}

The core problem here is that the Linux kernel itself does not support the M1, and without core Linux support in the core Linux kernel for M1 chips and architectures and devices, there is not going to be a way to install Ubuntu. And without Apple releasing information on the support for the chipset and such, it will not likely see any Linux support in the future.

Purportedly, there are developers working on supporting the M1 chip however there is NO eta on this, and unless Apple starts releasing more information and code for their chipsets it's likely to take A Long Time. And until such support is figured out through the 'trial and error' approach to code hacking and developing support and such, there is no way to install Ubuntu (or any Linux variant) on M1 chips.

... with the above text being added to an "M1 Chips on Apple Hardware" subsection.

I don't personally agree as a moderator with the reopening - edge cases like this are easy to fix on the canonical question and should be done, rather than reopening a single post simply to say "No, it won't be supported".

Answer 2

Why does it need reopening? Just add an M1 case to the community wiki answer on the dupe. If there were actually some documented special method, sure, it would be worth reopening and posting as an answer, but if the answer is just "no, you can't at the moment", then I don't see a need for a separate post.

Answer 3

I agree with this, as the answer to this question is a pretty straightforward "no".

Since the Linux kernel will not support it in the near future based on Linus' feedback.

And then link it in the main answer of the duplicate under a new "M1" section. I voted to reopen the question, you can answer it if enough people agree with reopening it.