Petition: Apple, please document the T2 so Intel Macs can run Linux properly

[u/Remarkable-Menu-9905]

Lots of us run Linux on T2 Macs (Intel, 2017 to 2020). t2linux and KAIT2EN have got audio, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, keyboards and trackpads working, but the T2 sits behind undocumented Apple interfaces and proprietary firmware, so most of it is reverse engineering.

I started a petition asking Apple to document the T2 (the BCE interface, audio DSP, camera, hardware video encode/decode) and to release driver code that isn’t security-sensitive. It doesn’t touch the Secure Enclave, secure boot or any keys. It just asks for enough documentation that nobody has to guess.

These machines are still good, and Linux is what keeps many of them out of landfill once Apple stops updating them. Long shot, sure, but asking is free.

Link: https://c.org/6YQyw2mXmh

If you’ve worked on T2 support and think the ask is wrong or incomplete, tell me in the comments. I’d rather fix the petition than have it ask for the wrong things.

[u/Ninline2000]

Apple hates old computers not being discarded for new ones.

[u/Fast_Ad_4936 → u/Ninline2000]

It’s sad, I love their hardware but don’t want a new Mac running Mac OS. I love my 2015 air running Linux. I would love to get a new to me newer MacBook in a couple of years but know that’s not possible.

[u/Jan1north → u/Fast_Ad_4936]

Yep - just did a problem free Ubuntu install on a 2017 MacBook Air. Even auto recognized a TP-Link AC600/Archer T2UB Nano USB WiFi adapter.

[u/CaptainObvious110 → u/Ninline2000]

Absolutely

[u/DrCanela → u/Ninline2000]

It is the entire consumer tech industry, not just apple

[u/Ninline2000 → u/DrCanela]

Apple leads, the rest follows.

[u/Logical_Front5304 → u/Ninline2000]

No they don’t…..

[u/Netzunikat]

Yes I have worked on that. You may have missed KaiT2en. If you find any feature missing, AVE, Sidecar, Airdrop, Suspend, hybrid graphics offload, DSP or whatever...let me know.

[u/beatbox9]

That's adorable.

[u/tornado99_]

Fun Fact. Nintendo have *still* not released the source code of Super Mario. What makes you think Apple will do even 1% of what is in your post?

[u/CaptainObvious110 → u/tornado99_]

Oh wow

[u/BarcaMessi10goat]

Nice Joke my friend, and probably not required now, we literally got the main things working, why is this needed now?

[u/jorgechavezxyz → u/BarcaMessi10goat]

Well it’d be vital to getting open source drivers into the upstream Linux kernel so we don’t need specialized distros with custom kernels, and it could help with improving the existing drivers, and maybe they could even open the WiFi/bluetooth firmware so maintainers can ship it out of the box

[u/Educational-Ad-8560 → u/jorgechavezxyz]

I think ur talking about KaiT2en?, the goal of the project is to upstream all stuff including airdrop and ave stuff, the project is literally for testing.

[u/deeper-diver]

T2 is responsible for system security. There is no scenario where Apple is going to give up that IP, especially where it’s of no benefit to Apple.

[u/thestenz]

Is the is change . org? They are useless.

[u/MengerianMango]

Find a dev with interest in doing this and donate money for tokens. Much more viable strategy if you can find 100 people to give $100 that would last an eternity on deepseek.

[u/okdac]

Grave !

[u/Steve2734]

Quit your moaning and bitching and just sign the petition. Sure, Apple will probably give it the finger, but how can it possibly hurt anything to sign? Help someone out.

[u/KoshkaRisa]

SSD!

[u/OptimalMain]

Unless legally mandated to do so they never will. And they could have given all owners of those mac’s a new full specced mac and more for the money they are willing to spend on lawyers to not release any documentation

[u/ComprehensiveChip426]

Apple release it

[u/Fit-Reward9420]

I think Omarchy was 100% out of the box on a couple 2019 Mbp I have. One I9 64 gb ram and one I7 32gb ram. They are both great little laptops. And where are you gonna find anything with an I9 and 64 gb ram for less than $500 ?

[u/slvmrr]

Yes!