At 12:48 PM +1300 17/11/04, Oliver Jones wrote:
Anyone here used Linux on PowerPC systems? Ie, Macs.
Yes, I've used linux on PPC on and off since 1997. Started off with MkLinux (the Apple supported one) on my Powerbook 5300CS. Have used many variations since, including YellowDog, Mandrake, LinuxPPC, and Gentoo. (I've also run Debian on the old 68k macs!) As a general comment, linux on PPC runs a little behind the release of Apple hardware, so for instance you might find video acceleration lacking on an iMac G5 at present. A couple of developers keep things moving forward kernelwise though. You should be in pretty good shape with a Powerbook 17". One of the video card vendors hasn't released an binary driver for PPC (as they have for x86) though I can't remember which off hand. You have the same issue with 802.11g that you do with linux, no drivers for some chip sets. You'll need to research your hardware. If I was going to install linux on my current 12" powerbook, I'd use Gentoo. Download a live CD and test for hardware compatibility first, then go for it. I've used mol on pretty well every installation I've done bar MkLinux, it is brilliant. I'm currently trying it on Mac OS X, works fine for Classic Mac OS, but not quite working for OS X or linux yet. Overall, though, I must say that Mac OS X does pretty much everything I want in terms of a unix type install. It has a few quirks, but they are easy enough to work around, and the stability etc are excellent. My next install of linux will be using Mac On Mac (MOL on Mac OS X) when it reaches that stage. Qemu runs well enough to give you a working Windows installation if you want it. Cheers Henry -- Henry Harrison Harrison Ferguson Associates Address: PO Box 5635, Lambton Quay, WELLINGTON, NZ Phone: (04) 499 1777 | Fax (09) 523 6892 | Mobile (021) 807 920 | Email: henryh(a)clear.net.nz