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kick52 · Oct 8, 2005, 07:33 AM

Hi.

I was thinking about getting linux on my imac (signature)

is it worth it?
which flavour should i get?
how do i install it?

thankx, kick52

pat++ · Oct 8, 2005, 08:08 AM

I don't think it's worth it... Mac OS X can already run most linux apps... (160mb might be a bit tight though).
If you really want to install linux, you can go with yellow dog or mandrake... You need to download the .iso CD image and burn it on a CD to install it.

siMac · Oct 8, 2005, 09:10 AM

Ubuntu.

kick52 · Oct 8, 2005, 09:35 AM

i dont have os x yet and i dont have a cd burner... unless i can get a cd off ebay, sod it.

I was David B. · Oct 8, 2005, 01:19 PM

Originally Posted by kick52

Hi.

I was thinking about getting linux on my imac (signature)

is it worth it?
which flavour should i get?
how do i install it?

thankx, kick52

Yellow Dog linux is a nice distro that supports Mac specific features.
It will be much faster than OS X. The install guide and hardware compatibility list can be found on their website.

OogaBooga · Oct 8, 2005, 02:26 PM

Ubuntu will ship CDs to you for free.

http://www.ubuntulinux.org

kick52 · Oct 9, 2005, 03:32 AM

kl. i'll have a look

kick52 · Oct 9, 2005, 03:35 AM

oh. it says it supports PowerPC but only G4 and G5.

david_copperfield · Oct 9, 2005, 05:25 AM

As simac said, get a ubuntu. My friend has installed in on his old iMac G3.

kick52 · Oct 9, 2005, 08:36 AM

do you know what version?

siMac · Oct 9, 2005, 10:15 AM

I have successfully run Ubuntu on an iMac G3 350, and iBook G3 700 and a PowerMac G4 400, and I will install it on my iMac G5 when I get it.

Unless you meant which version of Ubuntu, in which case I am using 5.04 (Hoary Hedgehog), but you may be best off waiting for 5.10 (Breezy Badger) due for release in about a week I believe.

I was David B. · 05:53 AM

I recommend to check carefully which software is available for your linux distibutions. At a quick glance it seems that Ubuntu ships only one disk. That will give you very limited options. Moreover they offer a ppc version but they don't say a word about mac support.

Yellow Dog targets at macintosh hardware and they offer solutions for mac-only problemes (including mounting of hfs+ partitions and firewire drives, support of a large amount of macintosh used hardware (video cards!!!) etc.). And on 4 disks you find much more software - which, btw. is limited enough. Only 700 MB will suck to hell.

kick52 · Oct 10, 2005, 03:02 PM

thanks.

siMac · Oct 11, 2005, 03:45 AM

'Suck to hell'? Your judgement seems a little harsh based on 'a quick glance'...

Ubuntu comes a whole host of software including Firefox, the Gimp, an office suite and a mail reader, plus much more. As for Mac support, wander over to the Ubuntu forums and check out the Mac section - I have been able to find answers to all of my questions there.

I have been very impressed with Ubuntu, but the best idea is to get a hold of the (free) CDs, which contain an install disk, plus a LiveCD so you can try it out first without installing anything.

I was David B. · Oct 11, 2005, 04:45 AM

Originally Posted by siMac

'Suck to hell'? Your judgement seems a little harsh based on 'a quick glance'...

I don't think so.
I did not write ubuntu sucks to hell. I wrote that only 700 MB of software might suck to hell.

I use suse and ydl for years now. Suse ships 5 cds (or a dvd) with compiled code, ydl 4 (+ sources if you want).

While suse has a lot of software included, I sometimes have problems to find what I need on ydl.
Of course you won't have problems if you only want a browser and a chat application. But with time comes demand. And then you find yourself compiling sources because your distribution does not deliver the necessary binaries. Finally you will learn what a shared library is and why it is a plague (especially on ppc).

To have a nice experience with linux instead of getting a new distribution once you need software, I recommend to install a mature and well maintained package. Especially for ppc, compiled binaries can be hard to find. And one cd is a nice start, but it gives you very limited options, especially considering drivers and libraries. If you choose a small distribution you should be aware that you might have to help yourself at some point. This can be entertaining if you like to tinker with software, compilers and libraries. This is a nightmare if you want a working system.

Its just my experience. I want to share it and give kick52 one more option that I think is worth a look (not only a quick glance :0)).

But linux distributions are like religions. If you ask a community which is best and wait long enough, you will get a complete set of all available distributions recommended. So best is to check, which distribution cares for your hardware and delivers a large bundle of software. For macs ydl is the a very good source in my opinion.

Btw: I found out that suse has again a ppc version for download. Its free, like ydl and ubuntu.
But the idea to get a live cd and check without having to install is a good one.