The most uptodate information about supported hardware is currently being maintained on the wiki. This might be a bit late for some, but here it is, the official thread of the early 2019 powerpc challenge. Last time i fooled around with linux on a ppc mac was a. Linux and bsd unix are free, open source operating. The four cds were install, source, fwb softwares harddisk toolkitpe and extra software. The freebsdppc port should run on any newworld apple machine any apple. In this feature we look at how to install linux on a mac including how to completely replace. Gnulinux open hardware powerpc notebook an open hardware. In this video, we will take a look at installing linux mint on a powerbook g4.
Personally, id strongly recommend buying a ppc for linux the computers are substantially faster than intels despite the mhz ratings, look at the benchmarks. If you enjoyed the video, please subscribe to my channel. It must have both builtin firewire and usb ports, it must have a 400 mhz processor or. If youre wed to mac software, linux probably isnt going to be on our daily driver mac. I would like to reinstall mac os 9, i have the system software disc.
What you need to get started depends on what type of optical drive you have in your g4 or g5based powerbook or mac. In this article, ill show you how you can revive a powerpc mac running linux, like im doing on the powerbook g4 im using to write this article. Ppc g3 233mhz processor 512k cache32mb 6mb sgram 4gb which distro for imac g3 download your favorite linux distribution at lq iso. Just like other distro it is a free software and opensource linux distribution for power architecture hardware. Outofthebox kanji support is available throughout most applications and japanese input support is provided by either the freewnn or wnn6 in the commercial cr edition or the canna input server. I took a imac g3, and tried to install mandrake linux ppc on it. Outofthebox kanji support is available throughout most. I had debian gnulinx ppc build on my g3 imac before giving it away to a friend. If you need a system capable of running windows, you would be best served with an intelbased mac or a windows pc. Updated for jessie stable ive been meaning to do this for awhile, so ive finally gotten around to giving you my thoroughly. A key resource for powerpc linux development is penguinppc, which also includes a hardware compatibility list. Am currently running lubuntu from disc, but it hangs when trying to install it.
That means, you can, without any access to the powerpc. I appreciate any and all donations to continue my research into keeping our powerpcs alive and running. Thanks for obs and kvm on power we are able to do a public builds. I have an imac g3 that i was trying to get lubuntu installed, just for fun. Mac osmy opinion on a few versions of everyones favorite os. Tech specs for all apple macs with a powerpc g3 processor type.
Id expect the linux versions to have a powerpc binary as well. I have found that, when installing linux on ppc, the installations can be flaky. Linux mint does not have a powerpc port, therefore it will not run on a powermac, powerbook, ibook or imac g3g4g5. Today, there is a boatload of all in one computers like the current imac. Are there any lightweight distros which still keep an uptodate ppc version or am i out of luck here. Jan 29, 2019 installing a ppc linux on one of my useless old aluminum powerbook g4s just for the heck of it has been on my todo list for a long time but i have this feeling ill never get around to it. Yellow dog linux is a linux distribution that is only created for ppc architecture.
The good news is that the effort will be worth it in the end. Powerpc challenge early 2019 edition macrumors forums. Installing suse linux on imac g3 ppc afterdawn discussion. Your old g3, g4, or g5 will run faster and smoother than it did with os x. Updated for jessie stable ive been meaning to do this for awhile, so ive finally gotten around to giving you my thoroughly complete guide to installing linux on your old ibook, powerbook, mini, or power mac. Linux breathes new life into old mac computers infoworld. Any gnu linux compiled for ppc architecture is made for power pcs yellowdog just happens to specialise in them, and for ps3 making it very lightweight as well.
And theres a wii version, which also means it can be run on a g3 ish cpu the cpu in the wii is based around the 750. The problem i am having is after boot, x will drop me to a low graphics dialog asking me if i would like to continue in low graphics mode reconfigure x, troubleshoot, or. Getting the revival on for your powerpc mac running linux. Feb 10, 20 other distributions of linux unix are available for the ppc platform as well. Debian ppc this distro works very well but some software doesnt update, the system clock has problems and there is a screen flicker blank out problem that drove me nuts. The initial 2,703 euro of donations of this campaign arrive most from recurring donations that continue to arrive from the old campaign after reached the old campaign goal. The main contributor to arcticfox riccardo mottola member of our power progress community association has released the new version 27.
The installation seemed to go fine except for a message referring to a missing apple boot strap partition. Ever considered linux as an alternative to your aging os x version. It will however work on newer intel based apple computers such. There may be tasks where processing power isnt an issue, perhaps a home file server or web server, and there even a 233 mhz imac g3 may provide all the power you need. Linux is a powerful operating system beloved by coders and capable of breathing life into old macs. Debian ppc this distro works very well but some software doesnt update, the system.
Revive your old mac g3, g4, or g5 with linux ghacks tech. Ive done debian on a g3 imac in the past and am thinking of doing it again with a powerpc mini. I have an old imac g4 i want to breathe some life into. Mar 02, 2012 installing debian linux on ppc part i preinstallation 42415. Using mamp, tiger and leopard can be configured as unix servers. The freebsd ppc port should run on any newworld apple machine any apple machine with a builtin usb port, as well as the sony playstation 3. Im a total linux noob and have unsuccessfully tried yellow dog linux. No other pc was designed like the early 2000 apple computers. One of the only pitfalls of using yellow dog linux is you might have to extract the firmware from your current, working os x in order to get the wireless working. Crazy thought, a rack server as a main ppc mac, but hey its still a mac. The imac g3 models are compatible with all mac software that runs on a powerpc g3 processor, that is compatible with openfirmware, and that is. Debian runs nicely on a g3 ibook, jason packer, macs in the enterprise, 2008. Depending upon what specific imac g3 model you have will determin if you can install tiger on it.
Complete technical specifications for every apple mac using the powerpc g3 processor are listed below for your convenience. All apple power macintosh systems up to and including the g4 use processors supported by this kernel. All the computers on the list to the right are cool, and each one pushed apple further and further into the modern world. I am currently trying to install suse linux on a imac g3 ppc but when i put the first disk in the drive and type install it does a bunch of checking from what i can tell then it gives me a line saying. The so called newworld powermacs are any powermacs in translucent colored plastic cases, all imacs, ibooks, g4 and g5 systems. Installing a ppc linux on one of my useless old aluminum powerbook g4s just for the heck of it has been on my todo list for a long time but i have this feeling ill never get around to it. Dates sold, cpu specifics, memory info, storage details, prices and more. In fact, 32bit powerpc support is going away in most.
Sep 21, 2016 if you have a g3 imac then the values you get from the ddcprobe command are likely to be too restrictive. Linux has never been much of a speed demon on launch, and debian on a 700 mhz g3 with a slow laptop hard drive is no exception, but if you play your cards right, that may not be such a problem more later. Open hardware release of the printed circuit board pcb design for the motherboard of the gnulinux powerpc notebook. Installing debian linux on ppc part i preinstallation 42415. Still need to use the open firmware commands though. That means, you can, without any access to the powerpc hardware, build your application for ppc64 or ppc64le architectures.
Basically what the title says, am looking for a linux distro to install on my imac g5 power pc. If you dont get it on the first try, give it a second. Vine seed, the development version of vine linux, is a public software repository, which all developers are welcome to join and contribute to. To suggest new software or request removal of our mirror please email us at. I have searched through the forums of all the distros and only opensuse works for me some what well. The debian powerpc port began in 1997 at the german linux congress in wurzburg. If you have a g3 imac then the values you get from the ddcprobe command are likely to be too restrictive. If you have a dvd drive, you can simply burn the iso image of lubuntu 16. Revive a powerpc mac running linux the mac observer.
Since i did not intend to double boot nor do i intend to put mac software on the machine, i ignored the message. Dec 18, 2015 ever considered linux as an alternative to your aging os x version. The machine booted up just fine for me right out of the chute and presented me with a login screen. Where can i find the linux distribution for the ppc architecture. Adjusting geometry in osx or resetting pram can impact your geometry in linux. By installing a flavor of linux, you get access to the latest. Was faster than os x and more featureful than os 9. As useful and wellwritten as this article is, it has an incorrect assumption. Is any mac software incompatible with the imac g3 models. This page describes some of the operating systems that can run on the power mac 6100 series.
Linux mint does not have a powerpc port, therefore it will not run on a powermac, powerbook, ibook or imac g3 g4g5. It must have both builtin firewire and usb ports, it must have a 400 mhz processor or faster, it must have at least 256 mbs of installed ram, and it must have a hard drive that is at least 8 gbs in size with at least that much free space. Any gnulinux compiled for ppc architecture is made for power pcs yellowdog just happens to specialise in them, and for ps3 making it very lightweight as well. It will however work on newer intel based apple computers such as the macbook, mac pro and imac 2006 and later. May 02, 2006 i am currently trying to install suse linux on a imac g3 ppc but when i put the first disk in the drive and type install it does a bunch of checking from what i can tell then it gives me a line saying please supply a config file. How to install linux mint on a powerpc mac youtube. I actually used to run ppc linux in production many, many years ago, but ive never installed it since on anything newer than a titanium g4. I guess the best distro for the powerpc based pc is yellow dog linux ydl.
Most systems use this kernel flavour, which supports the powerpc 601, 603, 604, 740, 750, and 7400 processors. The imac g3 models are capable of running windows through emulation using a program like microsoft virtual pc 6. This is the iconic model that restored apples fortunes in the late 90s. As many know, between 1992 and 2005, there was a great deal of good software made for the powerpc chip on the mac, even before the advent of mac os x. Powerpc software archive we have made our best attempt to deliver the last powerpc versions of various macintosh software so that you may continue to extend the life of your computers. Os x runs really slowly on it these days so i thought lightweight linux would be perfect. This is an englishlanguage usertouser support group. Revive your old mac g3, g4, or g5 with linux ghacks tech news. Ppc g3 233mhz processor 512k cache32mb 6mb sgram 4gb which distro for imac g3. Jun 10, 2009 i have found that, when installing linux on ppc, the installations can be flaky. Dear advisors, a friend has inherited an apple imac g3 from a little round label on the bottom. Sometimes they will install and sometimes they wont. Sep 30, 2016 installing linux to a 16 year old mac powerpc g4.