Puppy and Linux For PPC Machines Like Older Macs

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jimwg
Posts: 121
Joined: Mon 19 Aug 2013, 02:44

Puppy and Linux For PPC Machines Like Older Macs

#1 Post by jimwg »

Greetings:

I'd like to know what's the most advanced Linux I can use with a PPC machine to revive several hand-me-down old PPC Mac laptops dumped on us. I'd like to revive them without having to (arduously!) replace their dead HD's via booting Linux up by CD. I know there's an PPC Mac Mint project somewhere but don't know whether they whithered away or whether there're other like projects out there. I'd be awesome to run Puppy or any other Linux on these older machines so if you have any info on such please let me know!

Thanks!

Jim in NYC

amigo
Posts: 2629
Joined: Mon 02 Apr 2007, 06:52

#2 Post by amigo »

Pretty slim pickings for ppc machines... There used to be 'slackintosh' and yellow dog(redhat for ppc) and debian also -which is probably what the mint is.
I could only ever get slackintosh to my old-world mac. It was really snappy though, compared to similarly-rated intel machines.

infromthepound
Posts: 220
Joined: Sat 13 Jun 2009, 01:29

#3 Post by infromthepound »

There was an Ubuntu 9.1.0 for the PPC,
I had a Powermac given with no hard drive, and tried it. I can't remember the results, but I think it was OK. It's still in the shed, though the CDv is probably corrupt wit the dust by now.
JB

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mavrothal
Posts: 3096
Joined: Mon 24 Aug 2009, 18:23

Re: Puppy and Linux For PPC Machines Like Older Macs

#4 Post by mavrothal »

jimwg wrote:Greetings:

I'd like to know what's the most advanced Linux I can use with a PPC machine to revive several hand-me-down old PPC Mac laptops dumped on us. I'd like to revive them without having to (arduously!) replace their dead HD's via booting Linux up by CD.
A lot depends on the Mac model. The only thing that ever booted my G5 (11,2) was yellowdog 6.2 but is long time unmaintained.
Recent Debian/Ubuntu/Mint failed. However, they may work on some G4 models. I wouldn't try them on any G3 or older since they are pretty underpowered for today's linux.
A puppy project started sometime ago, but is long time quite too.

BTW, do they boot from a MacOS-install CD or any of the mac repair utilities like a diskwarrior CD? Is really the HD dead/missing?
OSX 10.4 or 10.5 are very capable OSs that can do almost everything a "modern" OS can do and with TenFourFox browser keeping up with Firefox development is hard to see any drawbacks on going native.
Besides OSX is linux (ok... FreeBSD). Only better :)
== [url=http://www.catb.org/esr/faqs/smart-questions.html]Here is how to solve your[/url] [url=https://www.chiark.greenend.org.uk/~sgtatham/bugs.html]Linux problems fast[/url] ==

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Billtoo
Posts: 3720
Joined: Tue 07 Apr 2009, 13:47
Location: Ontario Canada

Re: Puppy and Linux For PPC Machines Like Older Macs

#5 Post by Billtoo »

mavrothal wrote: A lot depends on the Mac model. The only thing that ever booted my G5 (11,2) was yellowdog 6.2 but is long time unmaintained.
Here's one that I used on my imac G5:

rokytnji wrote:
I guess if I found one in a dumpster like I did this desktop I am posting with. I would bite the bullet and install

http://www.mintppc.org/content/installa ... mintppc-11

till something better comes along.


Hi rokytnji, thanks for the link, I installed it on my G5 imac and it's working pretty well.
No sound yet but hopefully will get that working.

Computer
Processor PowerPC PPC970FX, altivec supported (1800.00MHz)
Memory 2005MB (167MB used)
Operating System Debian GNU/Linux wheezy/sid
User Name bill (Bill)
Date/Time Wed 24 Oct 2012 01:44:53 AM EDTDisplay
Resolution 1440x900 pixels
OpenGL Renderer Software Rasterizer
X11 Vendor The X.Org FoundationVersion
Kernel Linux 3.2.0-3-powerpc64 (ppc64)
Compiled #1 SMP Mon Jul 23 08:03:56 UTC 2012
C Library Unknown
Default C Compiler Unknown
Distribution Debian GNU/Linux wheezy/sidOpenGL
Vendor Mesa Project
Renderer Software Rasterizer
Version 2.1 Mesa 8.0.4
Direct Rendering Yes

~ $ glxgears
409 frames in 5.0 seconds = 81.642 FPS
411 frames in 5.0 seconds = 82.066 FPS
411 frames in 5.0 seconds = 82.134 FPS

EDIT: A usb sound card solved the sound problem.

rokytnji
Posts: 2262
Joined: Tue 20 Jan 2009, 15:54

#6 Post by rokytnji »

Hi rokytnji, thanks for the link, I installed it on my G5 imac and it's working pretty well.
Cool Beans. :) My area is pretty poor so no elite Macs in the alley dumpsters here.
My dumpster dive turned up a Emachine and a Aptiva
<too weak so cannabilized for parts>.

I actually got some use out of the Aptiva parts yesterday

http://www.linuxquestions.org/questions ... ost5045747

That IBM M41 was my 1st free throw away box that got me started on junk boxes.
It blasts streaming radio through a 200 watt per channel 1970's Pioneer analog amp
through some ceiling speakers in my Bike Shop.

http://www.yourcablestore.com/product.a ... 7Aod2EMAOQ

Runs wireless usb also. One of these years I expect it to explode and fry ,(either amp or computer) . But not yet.

Edit: :oops: Forgot this was a Mac thread and went way off topic.

http://www.debian.org/ports/powerpc/inst/install
http://www.debian.org/releases/stable/powerpc/
http://www.debian.org/releases/stable/p ... all.txt.en
http://www.debian.org/ports/powerpc/
Sorry, my bad. :oops:


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Billtoo
Posts: 3720
Joined: Tue 07 Apr 2009, 13:47
Location: Ontario Canada

Re: Puppy and Linux For PPC Machines Like Older Macs

#8 Post by Billtoo »

mavrothal wrote: A lot depends on the Mac model. The only thing that ever booted my G5 (11,2) was yellowdog 6.2 but is long time unmaintained.
I installed lubuntu on my imac G5 more than a year ago,.
I just brought it out of storage not long ago and set it up, it did a partial
distribution upgrade:

System: Host: bill-desktop Kernel: 4.4.0-103-powerpc64-smp ppc64 (32 bit gcc: 5.4.0)
Desktop: LXDE (Openbox 3.6.1) dm: lightdm Distro: Ubuntu 16.04 xenial
Machine: No /sys/class/dmi; using dmidecode: dmidecode is not installed.
CPU: Single core PPC970FX altivec supported (-UP-) cache: N/A
flags: (-) bmips: speed/min/max: 1800.000000MHz/900/1800 MHz
Graphics: Card: Advanced Micro Devices [AMD/ATI] RV350 [Radeon 9550/9600/X1050 Series]
bus-ID: c76c:f0:10.0 chip-ID: 1002:4150
Display Server: X.Org 1.18.4 drivers: ati,radeon (unloaded: fbdev) Resolution: 1440x900@59.94hz
GLX Renderer: Gallium 0.4 on ATI RV350 GLX Version: 2.1 Mesa 17.0.7 Direct Rendering: Yes
Audio: Card SoundByLayout driver: AppleOnbdAudio Sound: ALSA v: k4.4.0-103-powerpc64-smp
Network: Card-1: Broadcom BCM4318 [AirForce One 54g] 802.11g Wireless LAN Controller
driver: b43-pci-bridge bus-ID: 7c70:01:01.0 chip-ID: 14e4:4318
IF: N/A state: N/A mac: N/A
Card-2: Apple Shasta (Sun GEM) driver: gem bus-ID: 7c70:03:0f.0 chip-ID: 106b:0051
IF: N/A state: N/A speed: N/A duplex: N/A mac: N/A
Drives: HDD Total Size: 160.0GB (7.9% used) ID-1: /dev/sda model: ST3160023AS size: 160.0GB serial: 5MT17S6Y
Partition: ID-1: / size: 142G used: 6.6G (5%) fs: ext4 dev: /dev/sda3
ID-2: swap-1 size: 5.99GB used: 0.00GB (0%) fs: swap dev: /dev/sda4
RAID: System: supported: N/A
No RAID devices: /proc/mdstat, md_mod kernel module present
Unused Devices: none
Sensors: None detected - is lm-sensors installed and configured?
Weather: Conditions: 9 F (-13 C) - Clear Wind: From the WNW at 8 MPH Humidity: 52%
Pressure: 29.94 in (1014 mb) Time: December 14, 1:30 PM EST (America/Rainy_River)
Info: Processes: 140 Uptime: 3:05 Memory: 384.7/1948.5MB Init: systemd v: 229 runlevel: 5 Gcc sys: N/A
Client: Shell (bash 4.3.481 running in lxterminal) inxi: 2.2.35

Smplayer,smtube,vlc, work well.
Kodi plays music streams well, streaming video not well.
It has libreoffice and many more applications.

Anyway, it works pretty well.
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User avatar
ally
Posts: 1957
Joined: Sat 19 May 2012, 19:29
Location: lincoln, uk
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#9 Post by ally »

there seems to be current debian support

https://www.debian.org/ports/powerpc/

:)

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