Linux
 

I recently picked up a 2014 MacBookAir in a market for 50 quid to try out Linux on. With the Big Sur Os it was arthritic and could even run Chrome browser. After a bit of tinkering I managed to install Linux Mint and have been amazed by the performance, the latest versions of what I want to use or the equivalent are readily available and except for some slight hesitation when trying to do several things at once I can't tell that I'm using a twelve year old system. Apart from not being able to get the WiFi to work which meant ordering a USB plug in device there have been no major issues. With Apple quality, even the battery still works okay, though I wouldn't expect a full day's use out of it. Replacement ones are available online for a reasonable price, and fitting is a DIY job on this model. You can even get a USB C to MagSafe adapter which does away with the need for the proprietary power supply.

This will be my travelling laptop and I'll get something a bit more powerful for home use, such as a Lenovo Thinkpad T14 around 4-5 years old and also install Linux on it. I'm now officially off the upgrade treadmill and look forward to cheap second hand hardware, free open source programs and not having to subscribe to anti-virus software.

I use Ubuntu rather than Mint, but the distros are very similar. It's important to match your install to the age of the machine - the latest version of Ubunto requires 6 GB of memory as a minimum and is more comfortable with 8 GB. If you are using an older laptop, use an older distro that is not as memory-hungry.

If you've got room on your desk, consider a desktop for home use. Upgrading memory is a doddle, and the desktop will be cheaper for the same RAM/ROM and hard drive. If the keyboard dies on you, you just get another keyboard, no plumbing required. The screen can be as big as you want it to be.

This will upset some of you!
I would recommend eBay and look for a pre 2011 27" iMac (collection only as they are heavy and fragile). I say pre 2011, because after that date screens were glued on replacing the easy-to-remove magnetic ones.
Now you can get inside (plenty of YouTube videos) and fit a SSD (240 GB is fine for size for me). Upgrading the RAM is also easy. Off you now go with Linux or dual boot with a Mac OS.
A lovely, lively desktop machine!

Well done on installing Mint, pleased to read you're happy with it. FYI there is a small process to go through with some Apple machines in order to enable the onboard WiFi, essentially just installing the appropriate (Broadcom) drivers.

It's been a while since I had to do this but the following couple of links should give you an idea here and here. It'd be reasonably straightforward to implement in your case since you already have an internet connection, the last time I did this I had to d/l the requisite files to a USB drive on another machine and transfer them to the Apple to install. That was something like three years ago and the machine is still running flawlessly (and the owner remains very happy with his decision to install Mint in place of the AppleOS).

FP.

To get away from Apple hardware for a moment, I am typing this on the Dell desktop I purchased new in 2016. It's run Linux Ubuntu / Mint from shortly after I purchased it and still is my main machine. It also runs Win 10 installed in a Virtual Machine, which is disconnected from the internet, which allows me to run CAD. Over the years I increased the memory to 12GB and fitted an SSD, but so long as it keeps going I do not intend to replace it.

I have a Win 11 for my Garmin GPS, but its only booted up a few times a year to create and upload a route - it generally takes longer to install the updates than do the job I need