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mala · Mar 27, 2002, 04:16 AM

Hi,

a question for you linux geeks; if a software is supported on e.g Linux Red Hat 7.0 or SuSe 7.1, will it run on PowerPC platform? I mean does the hardware matter or is it enough with a supported Linux distrib?

TIA

Mala

[ 03-27-2002: Message edited by: mala ]

bluedog · Mar 27, 2002, 04:14 PM

It only works if you DON'T use intel binaries. You need to compile the source for the apps. In MOST cases this will work without a hitch. If you are doing some more advanced compiling and require specific versions of libraries and such it may take a bit more research and work to get it to compile.

There are tutorials online to assist the newbie in compiling from source. I don't know any offhand, perhaps some assistance from another poster?

But if you are using the apps from Suse, the source disks should be enough if you have the same release of Suse on the Mac. That would likely ensure all libraries are the same. The BINARIES will likely never just work without some complex programming for endian-ness and the instruction set of each processor.

[ 03-27-2002: Message edited by: bluedog ]

yukon · Mar 27, 2002, 05:46 PM

I'd suggest intel hardware.

not that mac hardware is any way inferior, but that many applications for linux are not available or not simply recompilable (kde).

mala · Mar 28, 2002, 01:59 AM

Just what I aprehended. So , if I get this right; applications do care about the hardware even though the operating system is in between? I need source code to recompile to make the app written for Linux/Intel to work on Linux/PPC, and commercial software do not come with source code so it won't work anyway? I guess most commercial apps for Linux are developed for Intel platform. What I was trying to accomplish was to run commecial software for Linux (Red Hat)from IBM on my iMac running Yellow Dog Linux (Red Hat) but I realize now that i won't work, right?

bluedog · Mar 28, 2002, 08:31 AM

Yeah, not if its commercial and the code isn't available.

Buy many many things are available (just not what you were wanting ot hear, I guess). Any open-source project has a good chance of being useful.

There are many instances of people taking the source code from the web and compiling it with changes to allow PC hardware without mac drivers to work in OSX, in LinuxPPC and even getting it to work in OS9, etc.

One prime example is the Phillips USB-based webcam. A european developer took the pc-linux drivers and wrote them into a quicktime component extension. They seem to work flawlessly (albiet) without ALL the features of the commercial product offering in their own OS9 drivers. But the functionality is the same for each platform with the source code as the unifying factor.

What were you wanting to get running?

KaptainKaya · Mar 28, 2002, 11:33 AM

There is a beta available for SuSE, v.8.2 if you wanna try that out. Find it here.

mala · Apr 2, 2002, 12:48 AM

Well I'd like to run Tivoli NetView for Linux (SuSe and RedHat) on my iMac running Yellow Dog Linux. I now realize I need the source code to recompile it.

virga42 · Apr 2, 2002, 11:49 AM

Originally posted by KaptainKaya:
<STRONG>There is a beta available for SuSE, v.8.2 if you wanna try that out. Find it here.</STRONG>

That should read Mandrake 8.2 not SuSE. The most recent version of the SuSE distro is 7.3. Both are fine distros. I have not tried the 8.2 beta but I have heard good things on other forums.