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Ubuntu’s publisher brings Linux support to M1 Macs with ‘Multipass’

Canonical, Ubuntu’s publisher, announced today “the quickest way” to run Linux cross-platforms on M1 Macs. With Multipass, users can launch a virtual machine image with one command and have Linux running on an M1 Mac in as little as 20 seconds.

Although Canonical claims to be the first platform to transform the M1 Mac on a Linux computer, the folks over at Linux Kernel have been improving its platform monthly to offer the best experience possible on the Mac. Last month, the creators of the project said Linux is now “usable as a basic desktop.”

But for those who want a simple way to use Linux on the M1 Macs, Multipass is probably the easiest.

“Canonical wants to get developers running on Linux faster than any other option on the market, and the Multipass team has helped accomplish that,” said Canonical product manager Nathan Hart.

With version 1.8.0 of Multipass, users can take advantage of even more features such as aliases, which allows Multipass users to tie commands within a VM to commands on the host OS. A blog post explains:

For those who only need a Linux environment for a few use cases, this is a paradigm shift. Instead of switching contexts to access the software they need, these users can now run software within their VMs directly from the host terminal. Aliases can give users a near-native experience for any linux program. For example, aliases could be an alternative to Docker Desktop for developers looking to run Docker on Windows or Mac.

To learn more about Multipass or to download the latest version, click here.

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