Finally, Omarchy 3.0 brought my old Intel MacBook Pro back to life

This does not mean I hate macOS, I love my MBA M3!

There is a long story behind my old, powerful, and expensive MacBook Pro (2019, Core i9, 64GB RAM, 1024GB SSD, 16"). The problem began with the heating and the kernel_task process and continued until **Omarchy 3.0 was released, just a few days ago. In this article, I want to explain how Omarchy 3.0 makes it easy to install Linux on older Intel MacBook laptops that have the T1 and T2 security chips**.

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Omarchy 3.0 brought my old Intel MacBook Pro back to life

· The story behind my Intel MacBook Pro ∘ Until the versatile MacBook Air (M3) seduced me ∘ Gave up on installing Linux on my Intel MacBook Pro · What is Omarchy? ∘ Is it a new Linux distro or something else!? ∘ Omarchy 3.0 is out! · Final Thoughts

The story behind my Intel MacBook Pro

As I mentioned earlier, I was happy with my powerful and expensive Intel MacBook Pro until the famous heating problem and the kernel_task process began. I wrote this article at that time about this problem and my stupid solution:

[embed]I give up solving the problem of overheating and the kernel_task process on the Intel-based… A ridiculous solution to Intel-based MacBook overheating stupid problemmedium.com

Eventually, the problem was fixed by opening the MacBook and cleaning its fans:

[embed]Please clean your Macbook fans periodically if you have an overheating problem! Goodby kernel_process!medium.com

Until the versatile MacBook Air (M3) seduced me

After each macOS release, Apple retired a number of older Intel MacBooks, while Mac computers with M-series CPUs became more powerful, and their software problems were also resolved.

After experiencing no software issues with the M-series MacBook my employer provided for one of my projects, I decided to switch to the M-series MacBooks.

But this time my choice wasn’t a MacBook Pro. I hated the fan! The MacBook Air in the M series is great, offering great performance with a fanless design, along with being lightweight and having great battery life.

Eventually, I bought a **MacBook Air M3 with 24GB of RAM (maximum at that time)**, and retired my Intel MacBook Pro, using it as a desktop replacement at home and as a development server. Read this article if you are interested in knowing more:

[embed]4 reasons I chose MacBook Air M3 13.6" for Software Development MacBook Pros are very powerful, but too much for most of us!medium.com

Gave up on installing Linux on my Intel MacBook Pro

Wait, the story is not done. After a while, I was so happy with turning my Intel MacBook into a **remote development server** that I decided to install Linux on it entirely and use it only as a remote development server.

There were many challenges installing Linux on my 2019 Intel MacBook Pro.

‌But installing Linux on the Intel MacBook with T1 or T2 security chips is not easy and straightforward, and I finally “gave up on installing Linux on my 2019 Intel MacBook Pro with Touch Bar”.

What is Omarchy?

I came across **Omarchy by following [DHH (David Heinemeier Hansson)](https://x.com/dhh). It was very tempting for me, especially with the hype surrounding it and my long-standing interest in [tiling window managers](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tiling_window_manager) (I used to work with [i3](https://i3wm.org/) when I was a Linux user). I even [tested it on a VM](https://github.com/basecamp/omarchy/discussions/452) and thought about getting a [Framework laptop](https://frame.work/se/en/laptop13) **in the near future, but in the end, my love for the MacBook Air M3 won out.

Omarchy by DHH

Is it a new Linux distro or something else!?

**Omarchy is not a completely independent Linux distribution, it’s an opinionated setup and configuration layer built on top of [Arch Linux](https://archlinux.org/) and [Hyprland](https://hypr.land/)**.

Below are some key points explaining what it is and how it functions:

• It aims to turn a clean Arch installation into a beautiful, modern Hyprland-based web development system with minimal setup required.
• With predefined themes, keybindings, and tools, it offers a polished desktop that works immediately, eliminating the need for manual setup.
• It’s not a fork, and Arch’s core remains untouched. Pacman and the Arch base are still used.

Omarchy 3.0 is out!

I saw this tweet from DHH a couple of days ago:

[embed]

Single ISO installer! support Apple T1 + T2 + Broadcom compatibility! 🎊

It was unbelievable for me, I quickly downloaded the ISO file and created a bootable USB. Within minutes, my old Intel MacBook, stuck with macOS, was free, and Omarchy was ready to use.

Installing Omarchy on my old Intel MacBook Pro!

Without any issues, it was installed on my old Intel MacBook Pro in just a few steps. Omarchy handled all the tweaks related to installing the specific kernel for the T1 and T2 security chips, keyboard, and WiFi drivers.

Final Thoughts

I won't buy a Framework laptop, and I love my tiny and powerful **MacBook Air M3, but from now on, I will enjoy Omarchy, Hyprland, and Linux as my Desktop OS at home. For most of the time, this MacBook Pro lid is closed and serves as a [Linux development server](https://medium.com/threadsafe/5-reasons-that-remote-development-is-the-key-feature-of-modern-ides-308abb03d063?sk=987d05d5e14e49d6b9569b2a9600c929) for me. However, thanks to [Omarchy](https://omarchy.org/) and the open-source community**, my MacBook has gained a new lease of life.

🙏 Thanks for reading. You can connect with me on:

**🖊️ Medium | [🐦 Twitter](https://twitter.com/zarinfam) | [📺 YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/@saeedzf)**